A Day in Tribeca
Hudson River Park
Hugging the side of the West Side Highway is the beginning of Hudson River Park, where you’ll get to spend your mornings jogging or biking the promenade. The park wouldn’t be a premier city destination if it didn’t also include one of the best dog parks in Manhattan. Extracurricular activities in this 4.5-mile park (its sheer size earning it the title of second largest in Manhattan) include outrigger rowing and kayaking. The park connects Tribeca with Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, ending with Hell’s Kitchen. Most importantly, here is where you get to take the time to soak in the serenity of the Hudson River.
Landmark Building Tour
The history buff in you delights in the fact that Tribeca’s historic offerings are plentiful. You find time to take a short landmark building tour of your neighborhood. Just like SoHo, the area is dominated by formerly industrial buildings that have since their glorious industrial days been converted into residential buildings and lofts. There’s so much to take in. The first on your list is the Powell Building, designed by Carrere and Hastings and built in 1892. Then make sure to visit the New York Telephone Company building at 140 West Street and the former New York Mercantile Exchange at 6 Harrison Street. The last stop will be the Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox, built in 1861.
Mysterious Bookshop
The major thing with Tribeca is its diverse and sleek shopping scene. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone. The first place you decide to check out is Mysterious Bookshop. The specialized bookstore is dedicated to mystery, crime and spy books. The owner is Otto Penzler, a book editor and frequent Amazon book reviewer. The next is Korin. The kitchen and cutlery store features Japanese knives that go for upwards of $5,800. Within, you’ll also have a chance to catch the shop’s master sharpener going on stage for an intriguing show and tell. Inside Best Made Co., you’ll find the most original men’s store that features popular outdoor wears like wax-coated jacket axes. Yes that’s AXE as in AXE. The most famed storefront in Tribeca is Christina Lehr. The Finnish designer puts her pristine knitwear and tie-dyed A-line dresses here under one (very interesting) roof.
Muse Paintbar
There’s nothing more enjoyable than wine and art, in either order. Wine and art are exactly what you get when you sign up for a session at Muse Paintbar. Instead of looking at art, here, you’ll be creating it. The small chain has become a popular choice for parties and special events. The idea behind the storefront is to get small groups together to enjoy food and drinks together, and in the process learn how to paint. No matter your level of prior experience, there is judgment here. The best thing about Muse Painter is that many of their funds are donated to local charities — in fact, they have raised more than $300,000 for charities since 2012.
Bubby’s
The breakfast experience will never feel as great again once you leave Bubby’s. The American eatery first embarked upon the culinary scene in 1990 as a pie company. After a decade or two of growth and expansion, Bubby’s kitchen is sophisticated, and still maintains that simple approach to cooking. Everything is organic, homemade and natural. You just have to delight in their buttermilk biscuit platters the kind of jalapeño scramble with bacon, cheddar, and Anson Mills grits. Another can’t-miss is the Maine Lobster Benedict with spinach, lobster hollandaise and market salad. You can’t have breakfast here without having pancakes… and trust me, these hotcakes are legendary. There’s a choice of two styles: James Beard or sourdough, and five flavors: banana nut, blueberry, chocolate chip, peach and Nutella.
Revolution Sandwich NY
Of course you are bound to have an excellent lunch anywhere you go in Tribeca – from Gotan to Nish Nush – but the quiet standout is Revolution Sandwich NY. One of the area’s newer additions, the gourmet sandwich spot prides itself on being locally sourced with all of its ingredients. But the true standouts here are the slow roast pork sandwich and kalbi burger (marinated beef short rib, Gochujan and sweet pepper remoulade). The hotspot also offers flatbreads like the grilled shrimp with bacon, corn and béchamel.
Hook & Ladder Company No. 8
The most instantly recognizable landmark in Tribeca is the Hook & Ladder Company No. 8. Built in 1903, the firehouse was featured in the iconic “Ghostbusters” film in 1984. It also appeared in the reboot of the same film as well as in Will Smith’s “Hitch” in 2005. The firehouse is still in use after nearly being torn down — it was saved through public assistance of nearly $8 million and spurred by the efforts of actor Steve Buscemi. In 2016, the establishment got its own Lego memorabilia when a 4,634 piece called the “Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters” was released. Interesting tidbit: the kit was the third largest created by the company.
A Night in Tribeca
Tribeca Film Center
If you are going to live in Tribeca, you are mandatorily going to have to take in some indie films at the famed Tribeca Film Center. The film mecca is the headquarters for the Tribeca Film Festival, organized by Robert De Niro for nearly 20 years now, a festival that has since developed into one of the premier film festivals in the country. With its spacious theaters and sleek food and bar areas, TFF has become a great location for indie premieres.
Nancy Whiskey Pub
With all the proper and classiness of Tribeca, it’s time to kick back and relax. The best place to let your inhibitions waver is at Nancy Whiskey Pub. The dive bar is an oldie; they don’t even serve Cosmos at the bar. Nancy’s biggest plus? Drinks are cheap and there’s a proper shuffleboard table.
Brandy Library
After such an incredible dinner, there’s nothing better than a neat cognac or whiskey. Good thing your newest stomping grounds has an equally incredible whiskey bar called Brandy Library. The upscale bar is a 1920’s-style commissary meets a penthouse on Park Avenue. The amount of whiskeys is incomprehensible as the bottles are so plentiful that they line the walls nearly all around. The most impressive attribute about this drinking hole is that it houses possibly the rarest collection of cognacs and Japanese whiskeys you will see in your entire life.
