New York, New York



New York may not be the country’s capital, but as the largest city in the U.S., it is the country’s center for finance, advertising, publishing, fashion and broadcasting. With almost every industry claiming ties to New York, most business travelers will find themselves here at some time or another. From the media Mecca of Midtown to the financial center of Wall Street, restaurants and hotels cater to the business traveler and offer a seemingly limitless number of conveniences.

Facts to Know Before You Go


Transportation:

Taxi: Cabs are one of the easiest ways to travel into Manhattan from any airport. The flat-rate fare from JFK is $35, plus tip and tolls. Fares from Newark Liberty International Airport are also flat-rate, but depending on zone, will run cost anywhere from $31 to $51. Trips between LaGuardia are Manhattan are metered and generally run between $18 and $26.

Shuttle: For travelers who don’t mind sharing a ride, several shuttle services, such as Airlink New York, offer reliable transportation to area airports. A one-way fare from JFK to Manhattan will cost between $13 and $17. Expect to pay $10-$15 from LaGuardia or $12-$17 from Newark.

Limousines: Taking car services to and from New York airports is standard operating practice for New York business types; in fact many companies have accounts that allow their employees to pay with vouchers. There are two options when taking a car service from any of the New York area airports. To arrange service when you land, call from the Ground Transportation Center and expect a car within ten minutes. Or, opt for the Meet and Greet service by making a reservation before your arrival. Your driver will be waiting for you in baggage claim, but do note, there is a premium charge of $15 to $25 for this service.

AirTrain:

JFK: The long-awaited light-rail service connecting JFK to Manhattan is finally here. Travelers can take AirTrain to the Jamaica station and transfer to the subway. A one-way ticket to Midtown Manhattan sells for $7.
Newark: AirTrain also offers service at Newark Liberty International Airport. Connect to the Amtrak to reach Manhattan, or hop on NJ Transit for other destinations in New Jersey. For $11.55 passengers can reach New York’s Penn Station in 30 minutes.
LaGuardia: AirTrain is not available.

Information:

Printed throughout the country, The New York Times covers news from around the world and includes a comprehensive business section each day.

Read all over the world, The Wall Street Journal is the world’s biggest newspaper dedicated solely to business. Published for more than 100 years, “The Journal” includes business profiles, stock tables, futures data and business headlines from around the world.

Delivered every Monday morning, Crain’s New York Business News is focused entirely on business news within New York. It includes company lists, industry reports and small business profiles.

The New York Daily News, which calls itself “New York’s picture newspaper,” has a small business section. The New York Post also includes a small daily business section.


For more on Big Apple travel, see our guide to the Best of New York.


Ready to book a trip now?
Click here for exclusive savings.

Where to Stay


The Benjamin
125 E. 50th St. (Lexington Ave.)
New York, NY 10022
212-320-8002
Book a room

The Benjamin

Designed in the 1920s by famed architect Emery Roth (and captured on canvas by Georgia O'Keefe from her apartment window), this Midtown hotel is an executive's true second home. It’s located just blocks from Grand Central and the United Nations, and its larger-than-average rooms feature a trio of telephones, a fax machine, high-speed Internet, safes large enough to hold a laptop and abundant desk space with ergonomic seating. Tech-savvy staff is on hand to help guests with computer problems. If sleeping in the city that never sleeps poses a problem, the hotel's Sleep Concierge will deliver milk and cookies—we’re not kidding—and help you choose from eleven different types of pillows.

Envoy Club
377 E. 33rd St. (First & Second Aves.)
212-481-4600 Book a room

For an extended stay in Manhattan, it’s nice to have a home away from home—and the Envoy Club offers such a spot, with its luxury studios and one- and two-bedroom suites in stylish modern décor. Accommodations include a fully equipped kitchen and dining area, but more important for business travelers are the in-room faxes, two-line phones and high-speed Internet connections; a business center provides additional services and conference facilities. Need to work off that business dinner? A 24-hour health club allows guests to squeeze in a workout whenever they can; concierge services are also available around the clock.



Le Parker Meridien New York
118 W. 57th St. (Sixth & Seventh Aves.)
212-245-5000 Book a room

The pace here is smooth and efficient, the surroundings handsome and elegant. The hotel’s 730 rooms are attractively done in a modern-Swedish style, with clean lines and soft grey and blue fabrics. All rooms have numerous business amenities: Aeron chairs, free high-speed Internet access, VCRs, CD players and more. Suites also come with fully equipped kitchens and spectacular views of Central Park. One of the largest concierge staffs in the city excels at securing entry to the city's trendiest venues. For those who need more practical assistance, computers, cell phones and secretarial services are all available in the business center. Doing business in Lower Manhattan? A complimentary limousine will take you to Wall Street.



New York Palace
455 Madison Ave. (50th St.)
212-888-7000 Book a room

The heart of this hotel is the Italian Renaissance-style palace designed in 1882. Since the royal family of Brunei purchased the hotel, rooms have undergone a total renovation. Gone is the gaudy red-and-gold color scheme favored by former owner Leona Helmsley. In its place is a sophisticated palate of neutrals and earth tones. Accommodations are large and comfortable with marble baths, high-speed Internet connections, fax/copy machines and luxurious fabrics. Like many of the best New York business hotels, the Palace offers a complimentary shuttle to Wall Street, but more surprisingly, they offer complimentary gym clothes for impromptu workouts.


Holiday Inn Wall Street
15 Gold St. (Platt St.)
212-232-7700

Only three short blocks from Wall Street, this up-to-the-minute red-brick hotel is no motel. The 138 rooms and suites feature the latest technology, including high-speed Internet access and a 24-hour business center. Guest rooms are designed for the business traveler with ergonomic chairs, oversized desks, calculators, staplers, dictionaries and many other office supplies. They are comfortably furnished with easy chairs and ottomans, coffee makers and marble bathrooms. Downstairs, there’s an independently operated, light and airy restaurant. While there is an on-site fitness room, you can also have exercise equipment delivered to your room.


See our list of New York's 10 Best Business Hotels

HOTEL SPECIALS
The London NYC
Promising a luxurious encounter in the heart of Manhattan.
Sofitel New York
A taste of France in the heart of New York City.
The Buckingham Hotel
This hotel hits all the high notes across the street from Carnegie Hall.

The Sherry-Netherland
A Midtown classic with a positively courtly ambience.

Where to Dine

Aureole
34 E. 61st St. (Madison & Park Aves.)
212-319-1660 Book a table

17/20
$$$$$

Charlie Palmer’s Aureole formula—modern and elegant food with a room to match—is in full swing in this cozy townhouse space. The attractive design is complemented by progressive American cuisine prepared with a light touch. The seasonal menu might include luscious compositions such as a surf-and-turf twist of skate and foie gras in a toasted walnut brown butter, and pepper-seared venison with chestnut gnocchi, and the list of can’t-miss dishes is long, right down to the desserts. A little-known secret is the tiny back garden with a few choice tables.



Chanterelle
2 Harrison St. (Hudson & Greenwich Sts.)
212-966-6960 Book a table
18/20
$$$$$

Though once a groundbreaking restaurant, serving formal food on the fringes of a then marginal neighborhood, Chanterelle has settled into middle age, much like an aging hippie who still wears love beads under his conservative blue blazer. You either love this place or you don’t. We do. The minimalist, high-ceilinged dining room is adorned with some of the grandest flower arrangements in town and staffed by some of the most dedicated professionals. The prix-fixe menus change monthly and might include grilled seafood sausage, arctic char with a citrus sauce or grilled foie gras with portobellos. The wine list is extraordinary; ask Sommelier Roger Dagorn for advice.


Esca
402 W. 43rd St. (Ninth Ave.)
212-564-7272
15/20
$$$$$

In the almost-tropical room of pastel walls, stone-tiled floor and urns spilling over with plants, the menu is all Southern Italian seafood. The "crudo" section is for food that’s as fresh as it gets: slices of raw fish are served with little more than a slick of olive oil and some spices that bring out every ounce of flavor. Octopus is grilled and served with rosemary-flecked Corona beans and magically light risotto comes flecked with crab and zucchini flowers. Although fresh seafood is the specialty, this is an Italian restaurant, so even less adventurous pasta lovers will be at home.


The Four Seasons Restaurant
99 E. 52nd St. (Park & Lexington Aves.)
212-754-9494
15/20
$$$$$

The Four Seasons Restaurant is an official New York landmark. The Philip Johnson-designed interior alone merits a trip to the restaurant. Its metal curtains undulate seductively near the famous foliage-flanked pool. The food is good and refreshingly simple, but not as good as in years gone by; ditto the service, which a decade ago ruled as the finest in the city. And while the prices remain sky-high, so does this establishment’s popularity. Of the restaurant’s two dining areas, the famed Grill Room, remains a major power-lunch spot.



Le Bernardin
The Equitable Building
155 W. 51st St. (Sixth & Seventh Aves.)
212-489-1515 Book a table
18/20
$$$$$

The verdict is in. After more than 15 years of beguiling boulevardiers and becs fins with things that swim, Le Bernardin can claim to be the best fish restaurant in New York, America and arguably even the world. A minimalist dinner might offer among other refinements a faintly sweet sliver of grilled eel adorned with one flowering chive or simple raw tuna doused with olive oil and spices. To experience Chef Eric Ripert’s repertoire at its best, order the $120 tasting menu. But be warned, this is not a place for the faint-of-wallet. Wine and food prices are heart-throbbing.


Union Square Café
21 E. 16th St. (Fifth Ave. & Union Sq. W.)
212-243-4020 Book a table
16/20
$$$$$

This Silicon Alley cafe remains a polished place to eat, from the kitchen to the wines to the art on the walls. Three comfortably casual dining areas have wood floors, green wainscoting and ample space between tables. American food with rustic Italian accents is solid, from the tuna burger, a lunchtime favorite, to the filet mignon of tuna or roasted lemon-pepper duck for dinner. You might choose to eat at the bar instead, sampling wines by the glass while enjoying a casual meal. The impressive—and fairly priced—international wine list is organized by varietal and "flavor" rather than by country or region, which may help you decide among the more than 200 choices.

Off the Clock

All New York Tours
VIP Heliport, Midtown Location
West 30th Street and 12th Avenue
metropolitan museum of art702-233-1627

New York may be a great town to see on foot, but why not take to the air and take it all in? From the seven minute city fly-by to a fully customized tour of the Northeast, a helicopter tour will let you see as much as you can, as fast as you can. The popular Niagara Falls tour includes ground transportation to the falls but must be booked seven days in advance.


The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fifth Ave. & 82nd St., 10028
212-535-7710

metropolitan museum of artThe greatest collection of art in the United States, the “Met” has more than two million works spanning 5,000 years, from pre-history to the present. The museum’s world-ranked collections cover so many fields, visitors are advised to concentrate on a few collections at a time. Take your pick: Browse one of the world’s largest Egyptian collections. Choose one of the European exhibits to see legendary works by Rembrandt and van Gogh. Or for something more unique, peruse The Costume Institute which displays more than 60,000 costumes and accessories.


Avenue Q
The Golden Theatre
252 W 45th St.
212-239-6200

Winner of three Tony awards in 2004, including best musical, Avenue Q is about Princeton, a young college-grad struggling to make it in New York, and his friends both real and puppet. A parody of Sesame Street, the cast includes Jim Henson-style puppets, a beautiful woman playing former child-star Gary Coleman and some not so child-like themes like sex, pornography and lost dreams.


Bridgemarket
409 E. 59th St. (First & York Aves.)

Developers eyed the cathedral-like space under the Queensboro Bridge, once the site of a farmer’s market, for decades before British designer Sir Terence Conran transformed the site into a swanky complex. With his restaurants, bar, food market and furniture store, this previously abandoned area has been legitimized and renamed Bridgemarket.

Church Lounge
TriBeCa Grand Hotel
2 Ave. of the Americas (White St.)
212-519-6677

TriBeCa Grand's renovated Church Lounge is a hip destination for a chic crowd. Its turn-of-the-century design makes for a comfy, quaint atmosphere with warm woods and neutral tones adding to the candlelit ambience. Décor may be old-fashioned, entertainment is not. This ultra-trendy hangout features the hottest DJs from around the world. Within the TriBeCa Grand's giant atrium, it’s also one of the most spacious bars in town.


Ready to book a trip now?
Click here for exclusive savings.

Find Business Travel Guides for cities around the world. 

P050498
(Updated: 05/14/08 HC)



72 Hours in Memphis

When it comes to American music, few cities can boast as much as Memphis can. In addition to jazz and the blues, this Tennessee city also holds a place in history, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Whether you're visiting for the music, history, culture, food, or all of the above, we'll help you make the most of your stay.

Join the Gayot Community!

We want to know what you think about restaurants, hotels, travel, and all the pleasurable topics that we cover that make GAYOT.com "The Guide to the Good Life." We look forward to hearing from you, so join the Gayot Community today!

Budapest Business Travel Guide

Hungary's capital city is not just a tourist destination, but an attraction for investors from around the globe. When you're in Budapest on business, find out where to stay, where to eat, and what to do when you're off the clock.