Hannah Lewis is a Fashion Director and Stylist with a penchant for New York. Here, she tells us how to spend a perfect day in the creative hub of the city, Tribeca.
HL: Located just below New York’s Canal Street, Tribeca is named for the triangular shape it makes. One of New York’s oldest neighbourhoods, it dates back to the 1700s and, despite its sometimes rustic, run-down feel, it’s known for impressive classical architecture and expensive property. Taylor Swift, Jake Gyllenhall and Harry Styles are just a few well-known names who have moved into the area. Packed with art galleries, trendy dining spots, lively local bars and niche fashion stores, Tribeca is a creative-haven. Of course, any visit to Manhattan will comprise of visits to places including Soho, Noho, Midtown, Chelsea and the Upper East Side, but in Tribeca you have it all and more on your doorstep, too. Here’s where to eat, drink, shop, and stay.
STAY
Walker Hotel Tribeca
Located just off Broadway and a block away from Canal Street, Walker Hotel Tribeca is a sleek and stylish hub for 20-40 year old creatives. The hotel entrance, just below Blue Bottle Café, adds to its creative buzz, with conversations and meetings over coffee taking place throughout. This is a space made to feel more like a home-from-home than a hotel, as well as a place to gather to discuss post-show opinions, be it fashion, art or film.
Most of the 171 rooms over each of the ten floors are on the small side (no surprise in New York where space is at a premium), but they’re well laid out with large windows, and feel bright and airy. With industrial-esque design, comfortable king beds, button-controlled blinds and a marbled-floored shower, this is a space with everything you need for a few nights in New York.
Location is everything in New York and the Walker Hotel Tribeca is in a prime spot: just a short walk from Soho, Greenwich Village and the Financial District, as well as on the doorstep of Canal Street Subway Station. Navigating the New York streets from here is a breeze.
9AM
Coffee: Lost Draft
First things first: coffee. A ten minute walk away from Walker Hotel Tribeca you’ll find The Lost Draft, a coffee shop and minimalist’s dream. A neutral, tiled floor extends to a bar while a projector plays and displays old black and white movies. A phrase this coffee shop likes to use is: “we are not just selling good coffee, we are brewing inspiration” and the utterly Instagrammable space lives up to its intentions with a space designed to foster creativity. After a coffee, of course.
10AM
Breakfast: Soho Diner
Soho Diner is a 24-hour eatery with revamped American diner classics. Located inside the Soho Grand Hotel, Palm Beach-inspired interiors boast salmon-coloured booths and offer simple, traditional dining with a modern take. In the morning pick up a super-sized mug of coffee aside some fluffy all-American pancakes or, if you visit at night, think disco fries and cocktails alongside juke box classics.
11AM
Art and Architecture Tour
No trip to Tribeca is complete without checking out the area’s artistic scene; New York galleries have been moving into the area at speed over the last few years. Here, there’s no end to galleries showcasing pieces from both up-and-coming artists as well as the more well known. David Zwirner’s 52 Walker is a good place to start and will be showcasing So Let Us All Be Citizens by Bob Thompson from 21 April – 30 July. Other worthwhile stops on the art trail include the Barney Savage Gallery showcasing newcomers to the city’s art world, Untitled Space with a focus on female artists, and Postmasters Art which fuses new media technology with contemporary art. With its fascinating architecture – much of it converted former industrial buildings – a wander around the Tribeca streets is an art and architecture tour of its own. Finish with a revitalising massage and thermal bath at AIRE Ancient Baths, itself housed inside a former textile factory from 1883.
2PM
Lunch: Mostrador
Inside Walker Hotel Tribeca is newly-opened Mostrador, a restaurant offering a cosy-but-bright, modern art deco inspired atmosphere. Argentinian chef, Fernando Trocca, and restauranteur, Martin Pittaluga, share a passion for relaxed dining and have brought their laid-back approach to dining (found at Asado) into the heart of Tribeca. Expect Mediterranean-style salads, grilled meats and fresh vegetables in a help-yourself style. Finish with one of their delicious, freshly-baked, Argentinan pastries.
4PM
Shop: Aime Leon Dore Flagship Store
Just a short stroll into Soho and you’ll be amongst the shopping haven of New York. The Aime Leon Dore Flagship Store on Mulberry street is a firm favourite for menswear editors and those ‘in the know’. Despite the fact ALD has never tapped into womenswear, you’ll find plenty of women in here too as they pick up some of the menswear for their own wardrobes. The store’s interiors are a dream too. With large textile rugs sprawling across dark, herringbone floors and flanked by custom-brass clothing rails, it emanates a French/American feel. The rails are filled with colour-blocked rugby shirts and ‘A’ logo’d tees, every style slightly different but equally as fuss–free. Displays stock the latest ALD x New Balances collab alongside of-the-season New Era Yankee caps – and are total mash up of preppy but sporty, and just as cool as the staff.
8PM
Dinner: Frenchette
If there’s one place you should stop for dinner in Tribeca it’s Frenchette, a small, French restaurant. Owners. Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson were former chefs at Balthazar and here, have created a warm but energetic space with an ever-changing menu of new-era French dishes. Interiors have an old-world glamour about them: worn floorboards; a chiselled-edge steal bar; and mahogany leather booths. On the menu are signatures, Brouillade and Duck Frites, while their menu also includes specialist creations such as Black Seabass. Wash it all down with a glass of one of their natural wines. Despite the dimly-lit cosiness, this isn’t a place for a quiet conversation; at peak times there’s a loud, frenetic energy through the bar, reminding us all why we love New York City.
10PM
Roof Top Drinks: Happy Be Rooftop
There’s no better way to end a New York day than with a drink or two on a rooftop bar. Situated ten floors above ground level and accessed through a discreet side-door atWalker Hotel Tribeca you’ll find Happy Be Rooftop. Sip on one of their expertly-created cocktails while enjoying panoramic views of the ever-evolving Manhattan skyline. The newly-opened bar is a green-lined oasis with wooden pergolas and it displays artwork by local, emerging artists. It has the buzz and energy of New York with the quaint romance of an English rose garden. A drink here is a drink amongst the cool kids of the city.
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