The island of Nevis in the West Indies doesn’t have an airport big enough to land international aircraft. Instead we land at St Kitt’s, drive for 20-minutes to Reggae Beach and board a water taxi for a 6-minute speedboat ride across the bay, arriving James Bond style on its white sandy shores.
Nevis is one of the smaller and lesser known Caribbean islands, despite the fact it was ruled by the British for over 200 years and was for a time the home of Admiral Nelson. Which means the Queen’s head is still on the local banknotes and English is the first language. Your bank card will work in the cashpoints and you don’t need a visa to enter.
The island measures just 36 square miles and has a population of 11,000, with the twin islands of Nevis and St Kitts making up the smallest nation in the western hemisphere. “Two islands, one paradise,” says the tourist board slogan.
Nevis offers the rare luxury of “exclusivity”, this unspoiled gem is how the Caribbean used to be, says its Minister for Tourism, Mark Brantley; “there are no high rises or fast food chains, no all-inclusive package holidays or mass tourism”. Neither are there cruise ships, traffic lights or bustling crowds, here you’ll find more monkeys than people, a place where sheep and goats graze freely at the sides of the roads.
Princess Diana used it as a refuge, holidaying here with the young princes and Harry returned on a royal tour of duty in 2016. It’s a favourite spot with Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Travolta and Meryl Streep.
Read on the rest of the story in a feature recently published in The Scotsman travel magazine…
History, shopping, award-winning doughnuts and the sea! Boston is a fantastic destination for a short trip or longer family holiday, being that most fantastic – and unusual – of urban spaces, a city with access to beaches where skyscrapers and scenic coasts merge. Extend your stay to include a few days in Cape Cod, an easy train journey from the city to sand dunes, the place Bostonians get their seaside kicks
Take the Freedom Trail
Acquaint yourself with the city’s fascinating history – this is the place where the American Revolution really began. You’ll meet some of the key names of that auspicious period in US history on the Freedom Trail, a walking tour of 15 historic city landmarks that you can follow by yourself or with a guide. ($14/$8). Learn about Paul Revere’s famous ride on that fateful night when the British troops were dispensed to stem the rebellion. Meet John Hancock, who gave his name to Boston’s highest building. Visit the grave of Samuel Adams, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and one of Boston’s great revolutionaries.
We signed up for the guided tour and gathered on Boston Common outside the Information Centre to find our guide in full revolutionary-era costume – no joke in temperatures of over 30-degrees. He was playing the part of John Singleton Copley, whose father-in-law was the unfortunate owner of the tea which ended up in Boston harbour, during the infamous ‘tea party’ that was the instigator of the whole revolution. Copley escaped the revolutionary unrest by moving to the UK and wound up his days in Croydon, South London, where he is now buried. Less than two miles away from my own flat it turns out.
Visit the Boston Tea Party Museum
You can learn more about the events of that famous tea party in a re-enactment of the entire event at the Boston Tea Party Museum ($29.95/$18) – you even get to walk out on the re-created vessel itself, moored on the Charles river in its original position, where you can throw some tea overboard! Afterwards you can drink a selection of that fateful tea in the tea room and pick up a tea party souvenir mug.
Eat in America’s oldest restaurant
As well as visiting his grave, you can also drink Samuel Adams beer in every bar, including Boston’s oldest restaurant, Union Oyster House. In fact, not only is it the oldest restaurant in Boston, it’s also the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the USA – serving drinkers and diners since 1826. Located in a prime location near Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall, it’s a friendly buzzy place and very popular. You might have to wait for a while for a table or you could squeeze in to eat at the bar. Great for lobster rolls and crab cakes.
Go to the top of the city’s second-highest building
While you can admire the soaring glass frontage of the aforementioned 60-storey Hancock Tower, Boston and New England’s tallest building, its observation deck has been closed since the attack on the Twin Towers. Opt for the city’s second tallest tower instead, the 52-floor Prudential Building ($20/$14). Zipping quickly to the top in a high-speed lift, we enjoyed amazing views of a beautiful city sunset and also the history of its immigrants in an exhibition that tells us, here, all are welcome. It’s a poignant admission in the middle of very public rages about walls and Mexicans, Muslims and travel bans and reminder of the people throughout history who travelled from all over the world to make America great.
Visit the John F Kennedy Library
It’s hard to walk around Boston and not be reminded of its immigrants. We get a detailed look into the lives of one of them when we take the Paul Revere transportation company shuttle bus from the JFK/UMass T subway station to the JFK Library on the edge of the bay at Columbia Point ($14/$10). The story told here through live footage, newspaper clippings, and photographs of the political rise of the 35th President of the United States is both powerful and moving. And his story started back in Ireland, when both his maternal and paternal great-grandparents left the famine-stricken country in the early 1800s.
Go to Harvard
Not all immigrants who came to Boston were penniless. You may not realise when you go to Cambridge – a great place to spend a leisurely day around the green squares and red-bricked buildings of Harvard university – that John Harvard was a Puritan from London. He came to the US in 1637 and willed his both his extensive book collection and his fortune to the university, which thoughtfully named the prestigious college after him. Interesting to note then that the fortune was made by selling his mother’s alehouse in London’s notorious Southwark area. Making it a rather unlikely beginning for the Puritan foundation of one of the most famous centres of learning in the world.
Eat all-American
But no matter how many reminders we see of England and Ireland in Boston, once we hit the restaurants, bars and diners of New England, we are big time all American. You know you’re in the US when you find yourself eating a very large burger served with fried banana, peanut butter, cinnamon and bacon. (Boston Burger Company, Cambridge). We eat breakfast in diners that are happily serving cocktails before 10am, making our tasty (food!) choices from a menu that is veering towards the length of War and Peace and includes bacon sandwich doughnuts and spicy Mexican beans (The Friendly Toast, Back Bay, pictured).
Discover seafood
Don’t leave Boston without trying the seafood, particularly its famous lobster roll. The Barking Crab, overlooking the Charles River, is one of the best spots to indulge – a local seafood institution, loud, raucous and partly open to the elements, with timber benches and bar stools overlooking the glittering lights of the skyscrapers of the financial district just opposite.
Sample the best doughnuts in the country
Early one morning we joined a queue snaking around the outside of Kane’s on Oliver St and found, when we got to the counter, that its doughnuts have been ranked in the Top 10 Doughnuts of America. Get there early if you want to try them as they regularly sell out by lunchtime. I chose a glazed swirled cinnamon creation as big as my head and we took our sweet treasures to the nearby Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the pretty park near the river that was formerly a highway. It’s another nod to Boston’s famous ‘immigrants’, the Kennedy matriarch, who gave birth to nine children, including one US president and two senators, and lived to be 105.
Do Italian
Another must-eat while in the city is the tasty and very authentic Italian food in the North End – Regina Pizzeria is one of the best. For dessert, try the Sicilian cannoli pastries from arch rivals Mike’s and Modern Pastry on Hanover St to see if you can pick a favourite. For upmarket Italian – starched tablecloths, gleaming silverware, amazingly affordable prices – try Venezia in its stunning location along Boston Harbour, looking out over the water to the city skyscrapers.
Lunch at a food market
Quincy Market is where all the tourists head but we followed the locals’ tip to lunch at the Boston Public Market with its rows of fresh food stalls – great for seafood and organic salads.
Go 5-star
For accommodation go central and treat yourself to 5-star. The Boston Park Plaza has a fashionable city centre location in the buzzy Back Bay area, reclaimed from the sea in the 19th century. Right in the heart of the city, it’s a historic building brought bang up to date with a recent $100 million makeover (rooms from $229). A swish marbled lobby leads to an elegant lounge and dining area, with a glamorous Art Deco bar to the rear – or you can chill out in the library. Rooms are spacious, comfortable and well fitted out. And what a location – the brownstone-lined Newbury and Boylston shopping streets are just a short five-minute walk.
Another great option is the Langham Hotel, right in the middle of Boston’s business streets and a throwback to its financial history – it’s the former Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, given a very plush makeover (rooms with 2 double beds from $359). Providing a very stylish welcome for guests since the mid 1800s, the interiors are rich and opulent, with the open plan lobby bar the perfect place to sit and relax with a glass of Champagne. While the area is quiet in the evening and at weekends when the banker go home, it’s just a short walk from here to Boston Common, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.
Shop
If you’re staying in the Plaza, you’re right on the edge of stylish shopping away from the downtown crowds at nearby Newbury and Boylston streets with their beautiful Victorian brownstone buildings. Downtown city malls are located at the Prudential Centre and Copley Place; just outside on Copley Square, you’ll find a farmers’ market on Fridays. Here also you’ll find Boston Public Library, with its tucked-away courtyard café, a hidden gem in the city. And, a plus for UK visitors, tax-free shopping is available on clothes and shoes under $175 made in a single purchase.
Bag a bargain
Bargain hunters should head for Nordstrom Rack on Boylston St for knock-down designer finds, while bargain outlets at Assembly Row are located just 10 minutes on the T from downtown Boston. Or you could travel further out to Wrentham Premium Outlets, a 50-minute drive from the city – take the bus or hire a car. Great for families and children’s shops, Natick Mall is just 30 minutes from Boston and has over 250 stores.
Keep it in mind for Christmas
Boston is a great place to go Christmas shopping, less crowded than its busier New York neighbour and easy to get around on foot in the compact city centre or on the city’s fast and efficient T subway system.
America As You Like It is offering a 3-night Boston Christmas shopping package from £535 per person including direct return flights from London Heathrow to Boston on Delta Airlines, 3 nights at the Omni Parker House in a double room and 1-day car hire, valid for travel 7-10 December 2018. For more information contact 020 8742 8299 or visit Americaasyoulikeit.com. Keep up to date with the latest offers for Christmas in Boston at Massholiday.co.uk.
Take in a game
Go native at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team and enjoy the entertainment in the crowd – dancing, waving, performing to the cameras that beam pictures of the crowd onto a huge on-pitch screen – as well as what’s happening on the field.
Breathe the sea air
Castle Island is a wonderful amenity on the edge of the city, with its walks by the bay overlooking Boston Harbour. Once an island, it was connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land in the 1920s. It is now a 22-acre recreation site and has also been the site of a fortification since 1634 – Fort Independence.
Share your stories with the locals
Boston is that sort of place, a city that is smaller, cosier and more intimate than you might have expected, where people chat to you on the subway and in restaurants. Everywhere we went we were met with great welcome. While the US’s perception abroad is going through a difficult time, the people there are friendly, open, curious, delighted to talk, to learn about our lives and to swap stories about their own. Americans have faced tough times on their journey to independence and I’m sure there are tough times ahead. But I really hope that despite all of their difficulties, the people can manage to retain the welcoming openness and friendliness that we experienced everywhere on our trip.
Read more about Boston in Why we should all visit America right now
Add a trip to Cape Cod to your holiday: see 10 things to do in Cape Cod
Read my travel feature on Boston and Cape Cod published in The Scotsman
Photos: Boston main shot and Boston Tea Party Museum by Kyle Klein
To visit Massachusetts and not spend time on Cape Cod would be a big mistake. While Boston is that most fantastic of urban spaces, a city with access to beaches where skyscrapers and scenic coasts merge, the beaches of Cape Cod are little nature paradises. And with regular ferries to both Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, it’s the perfect launch pad for some island exploration.
Take the train
It’s easy to get there on public transport, with daily buses from Boston South Station to Hyannis ($19 single). But if you are visiting during the summer months, from May to September, take the Cape Flyer train, which runs from Friday to Sunday ($22 single). It’s a rather glorious journey through scenic countryside and on to the ocean, crossing the stunning Buzzards Bay vertical lift bridge to the Cape, the second longest bridge of its kind in the world. First established in 1848, the railroad service discontinued year-round operation in the 1950s and the current service is a contemporary one that has been running since 1999.
Hit the beach
The best areas for beaches are Chatham and Truro, though with over 500 miles of coast, you’re never far from a stunning stretch of sand on the Cape. Local resident (and President of United States) John F Kennedy preserved the Cape Cod National Seashore, from Chatham to Provincetown, in 1961 for “the inspiration and enjoyment of people all over the United States”.
The Kennedy’s have had a summer home on the Cape since the 1920s and you can get a clear look at the family compound from Eugenia Fortes beach at Hyannisport, close to the poignant Kennedy Memorial. Other best beaches on the Cape include Sandy Neck at Sandwich, Old Silver Beach at Falmouth and Race Point at Provincetown. Divided into Upper, Mid, Lower and Outer Cape, Upper has calm tidal bay beaches, while Outer boasts the wild open Atlantic.
Visit the JFK Museum in Hyannis
A more intimate telling of the Kennedy ‘Camelot’ legend through rare and personal family photos and papers, the JFK Museum in Hyannis may be a lot smaller than the super-sized John F Kennedy Library in Boston but it is a treasure trove of exhibits. Featuring intimate behind-the-scenes images of the 35th President of the United States and his family, taken by their personal photographer Jacques Lowe, the museum charts a journey through the life of JFK, with a special focus on Cape Cod, the place he called home. A parallel exhibition looks at the life and work of Robert F Kennedy in the run up to his 1968 Presidential campaign.
Meet the locals
The stories of US immigrants and colonists are widely told. But we don’t hear so much about the native people their arrival often displaced. Down the road from the JFK Museum in Hyannis on Cape Cod, meet Iyannagh, sitting contemplatively on the village green. This statue to the leader of the Mattachiest tribe pays tribute to the American Indian ‘sachem’ – chief – who helped the Mayflower Pilgrims when they landed on Cape Cod before making their way to settle in Plymouth. He is the man responsible for the name Hyannis, and also part of the reason Americans sit down to eat Thanksgiving turkey every year.
Sail to Nantucket
If you spend the night in Hyannis, you’re perfectly placed to sail from Hyannis Port to the beautiful island of Nantucket in the morning, making it an easy day trip from the Cape ($25 round-trip).
The island, measuring just 14 miles by 3.5, has over 800 pre-Civil War homes, more than anywhere else in the USA. It also boasts 82 miles of coastline, 10 stunning beaches and hosts celebrity holiday homers like Tommy Hilfiger, Ben Stiller and Google’s Eric Schmidt. Bills Clinton and Gates are frequent visitors. After you’ve explored the quaint Main St with beautiful historic stone buildings and scenic marinas, it’s easy to travel around the rest of the island by hire bike or on the frequent buses.
Meet whales and artists
Nantucket’s Whaling Museum (admission $20) is just a short walk from the harbour where the Cape Cod ferry comes in and a good first port of call to get the history of this affluent island. It became famous as the whaling capital of the world in the 17th and 18th centuries, inspiring the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and the museum tells the fascinating – and rather gory – story of this industry.
Once the whaling industry collapsed at the end of the 19th century, artists, attracted by the stunning natural landscapes and the light, began to arrive on Nantucket. Today a thriving artists’ colony still exists on the island. This is mainly centered around Sconset, with its quaint flower-bedecked cottages and long beaches, an easy 20-minute bus ride from the Main Street.
See the Gingerbread Houses on Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard makes another great day trip from Cape Cod and is an even quicker journey than Nantucket. Take a tip from the insiders and travel from the Cape on the Island Queen ferry from Falmouth, an easy half-hour journey ($22 round trip).
Less ‘preserved’ than Nantucket, it feels all the more real for it but none the less interesting historically. Its beautiful Gingerbread Houses are an easy walk from Oak Bluffs harbour, brightly coloured 19th century cottages with gingerbread trim that grew up around the Methodist tabernacle in Wesleyan Grove. Part of the Methodist summer campground established after the American Civil War, the houses replaced temporary tents as the congregation became more permanent and the era is now a National Historic Landmark.
Hang out in Falmouth
The coastal town of Falmouth is a great place to base yourself on a trip to the Cape, with its pretty beaches, pleasant shopping streets and the historic 19th century Highfield Hall estate with its contemporary art exhibitions. Browse independent boutiques for artworks, photography, contemporary homewares and very reasonably priced beachwear and fashion – and of course you’re never very far from a Cape Cod emblazoned sweatshirt! If you hire a car, the journey will take about an hour from Hyannis, travelling on the bus will add another 20 minutes or so onto your travel time.
Stay in a sea captain’s home
Stay half way between the beach and Falmouth Main Street at Shoreway Acres Inn, a historic house that was once the home of a sea captain, since extended into a comfortable inn. It’s set in pretty gardens, with lots of al-fresco chill-out areas, and indoor and outdoor pools. Family rooms from $119, Shorewayacresinn.com
Enjoy family fun at a water park
The Cape Codder Resort & Spa on the outskirts of Hyannis is ideal for families with its big water-park, several restaurants and bars and nightly live entertainment. Family suites from $359, Capecodderresort.com
Visiting Massachusetts? See 18 top things to do in Boston
More on the US: Why we should all visit America right now
Read my travel feature on Boston and Cape Cod published in The Scotsman
Images: Mike Galvin, William DeSousa, Bernadette Fallon
It feels strange to be writing about the US from here as Donald Trump touches down across the sea in the UK to protests, howls of rage and ridicule. (In the interests of fairness I must add that there are presumably people in the UK who think his visit is a good thing and support it. Farage and Johnson come to mind. Enough said.)
The image of that Trump balloon baby floating over Westminster will surely become one of the most surreal iconic images of our times. And what strange times they are.
America once took in the poor, the hungry and the downtrodden of the world. It gave them shelter, allowed them to work and to feed and clothe themselves, it gave them the chance to live. Some built roads and skyscrapers, some built empires, all built livelihoods that not only gave them better lives but often the only chance they had at life itself. From the famine fields of Ireland and the ghettos of Europe they came, and they made their contribution to America.
Now the poor, the hungry and the downtrodden are being housed in cages and subjected to genocide. (The UN’s definition of genocide under the statutes of the International Criminal Court includes the measure ‘forcibly transferring the children of the group to another group’).
I’m writing this on a bus from Falmouth to Hyannis in Cape Cod. The bus is like what I imagine a bus in 1950’s Ireland to be like – full of characters, banter and good humour. The driver knows most of the passengers, most of whom also know each other, and stories are being swapped as each one boards.
It’s exact fares only on this bus and, rather than take our big notes for which he couldn’t give us any change, the driver just took what dollars we could scrabble together. He wouldn’t even take my quarter coins which would have made up an extra dollar – telling me to give them to my friends as souvenirs when I went home instead.
The openness, friendliness and interest in other people is what have struck me the most about all of the Americans I have met as I’ve travelled around this little part of New England. From Boston to Cape Cod to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve met the same reaction. People here want to know where you’re from and are interested to hear your story. And whether they’re familiar with your culture or not, they are always complimentary.
Americans are living under one of the most divisive, unstable and – seen through the eyes of the world – unpopular regimes in history. Despite this they remain friendly, open and welcoming. It’s a good time to visit. To support their tourist economy that puts money in the pockets of ordinary people, to see their monuments, to understand their history.
Boston is a great place to start, to explore the events that led up to the American Revolution and the push for independence. From the city’s great Freedom Trail – which you can follow by yourself or take a guided tour – to the Boston Tea Party Museum – where you’ll get a chance to heave a tea crate over the edge of a ship – the city’s history is written in every twist and turn of its streets. Follow the tales of the founding fathers of independence, including Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, to the stories of more recent ‘immigrants’, such as John F Kennedy. His great-grandparents emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s to found this American dynasty and give the US one of its most charismatic presidents; a man who believed in equal rights for all Americans, whatever their race, colour or creed.
A Nation of Immigrants by John F Kennedy was published after his assassination in 1963. In it he writes about the 42 million people who have immigrated to the US since the arrival of the British in 1607 – the largest migration of people in all recorded history.
He says that ‘Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience’. And he quotes George Washington who said ‘The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions’.
We visited the JFK Library in Boston and the smaller, more intimate JFK Museum in Hyannis on Cape Cod, with its collection of rare, archival family photos. Afterwards we made our way along the beach to where the Kennedy Compound can be seen looking out to sea, the sea that so many immigrants crossed on their way to find a better life.
Colonisation and immigration are two very different sides of the same story and America has had its fair share of both. While much is said of the British settlers who came in the 1600s and who finally gained independence from their rulers back at home, the stories of the native Americans their arrival displaced are not as widely told. Down the road from the statue of JFK in Hyannis, there’s a statue of the native American Iyannough, who gave Hyannis his name.
Americans have faced tough times on their journey to independence and I’m sure there are tough times ahead. But I really hope that despite all of their difficulties, the people can manage to retain the welcoming openness and friendliness that I’ve experienced everywhere this week.
Visit the US: 18 top things to do in Boston
It’s an exciting 24-hour destination – but you need to plan carefully to make the most of a short trip here.
You might not fly here for just one night, but New York is an exciting stop-over on a trip to the States and if you plan carefully you can easily fit in several of this city’s must-see landmarks in a one night/ two-day trip. Also, with cruise lines like NCL operating from the Hudson dock, it’s the perfect one night destination before heading for the high seas.
Manhattan magic
Stick to Manhattan if you’re strapped for time, it’s perfectly sized for walking and walking is the best way to get a sense of the city; from the views across the harbour at the tip of the island – take the free ferry to Staten Island for the best views of Manhattan skyline – right up to the 800 acres of Central Park.
Plan your walk to cover some of the city’s key areas:
Wall St and the commercial district at the tip of Manhattan – queue for a ticket for the Stock Exchange visitors’ gallery
Stylish SoHo (an abbreviation for SOuth of HOuston street – pronounced House-ton, expect looks of distain if you mispronounce) and Greenwich village, with quirky boutiques, hip hotels, happening bars and the uber-swish loft apartment of wealthy Manhattanites
The edgier Meatpacking district, the latest up and coming area since Greenwich and Soho up and came
Fifth Avenue for shopping, Broadway and Times Square for street-life and bustle
New York is a song that unfolds in your head as you walk, a simulated Woody Allen film set that feels hyper-real because it’s all so familiar.
One night in New York: What to do
Stay
The Sheraton on Seventh Avenue is within sight of the bright lights of Times Square and Broadway, well placed for MoMA, the Rockefeller Centre and Fifth Avenue shops, and an easy walk to Central Park. Expect to pay about $200 a night, but ask about deals and discounts
The alternative: W in Times Square is a hip midtown hotel, great for the theatre district. Or take your copy of The Collected Dorothy Parker and sit in the Algonquin Hotel (59 West 44th Street), home to the Algonquin Round Table most famously associated with the writer, though in later years she said she didn’t actually spend much time there as it was so expensive.
Eat
Butter, downtown on Lafayette St has a stylish arched interior that manages to be intimate and spacious at the same time – ask for a cosy banquette along the wall.
The alternative: It’s easy to eat on the go, pick up a breakfast ‘caw-fee’ and a doughnut from a street stall as you go; put together a posh picnic at upmarket deli Dean & Deluca or, for a classic New York experience, pick a diner at random and enjoy the staff repartee.
Note: You may want to read Anthony Bourdain’s behind-the-scenes account of the New York restaurant scene in Kitchen Confidential before venturing out to eat – you may never eat mussels again.
Drink
Enjoy the world-famous Bloody Marys and martinis at the posh King Cole Bar at the glamorous St Regis bar on 55th street, just off Fifth Avenue.
The alternative: The Ear Inn has been popular with its Soho locals since the early 1800s and the dark wood décor and retro feel has changed very little in the meantime.
Shop
Fifth Avenue for designer names, department stores, American favourites like Gap and, for European tastes, H&M. And, of course, Tiffany’s. Stand outside with takeaway coffee and a pastry – evening gloves optional.
The alternative: Greenwich Village is packed full of quirky boutiques but can be pricey.
See
The hottest shows on Broadway right now are – still – The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen and Hello Dolly!; queue up at the Times Square ticket booth to get on-the-day deals.
The alternative: The iconic Blue Man Group has shows running all over the world, see them at their original home in the Astor Place Theatre on Lafayette St. Combining multi-media theatrics, music, lighting, mime and comedy, it’s an amazing experience that should not be missed.
View
The Empire State building is the classic destination, once the tallest building in the world and the site of romantic meetings from Sleepless in Seattle to An Affair to Remember.
The alternative: ‘The Rock’ at the top of the Rockefeller Centre, close to Times Square, has uninterrupted views of the city and a great view of the Empire State! Back at ground level, skate on the famous ice rink in winter; take a tour of neighbouring NBC studios or Radio City Music Hall.
Art
The ‘big three’ are MoMA, the Guggenheim and The Met, with impressive international collections.
The alternative: Skip the European treasures and head for the Whitney Museum of American Art at 945 Madison Ave.
Two more to do
Crafty New York: Visit Purl Patchwork on Sullivan in Soho for gorgeous fabrics and sewing classes, and Purl next door for wool
Take the Sex and the City bus tour
What’s everyone in Manhattan talking about right now?
Bars: 10 Downing, Scarpetta, Monkey Bar
Hotels: Ace, Standard, Cooper Square
Shops: The entire Christopher St area, Dossier in Fort Greene, Partners and Spade in Noho (North of Houston – remember, House-ton!)
Don’t go without
The Luxe City Guide to New York, insider info on the best places to eat, drink, shop, spa, see and stay packed onto a slimline compact fold-out card; the ready-made half-day shopping shopping and activity itineraries will save you weeks of research.
And finally, if you’re nostalgic for home – though why you would be overnight I’m not sure – the New York outpost of Soho House is at 29 9th Ave
What do you think of when you think of Miami? If it’s Don Johnson in pushed-up sleeves, thin girls jogging in bikinis in South Beach and a couple of scenes from Scarface, then I was right there with you. Right up to the time I boarded a flight to Miami International and had my preconceptions kicked all the way down Ocean Drive.
Yes, there’s jogging on the beach boardwalk, there’s also the stunning architecture of the South Beach Art Deco district, the most concentrated area of Art Deco buildings in the world. Yes, there are dogs in handbags, in pushchairs and wearing sunglasses – I mean it! – there’s also the New World Centre, a stunning indoor space designed by Frank Gehry that also has an outdoor theatre and is home to Miami’s New World Symphony.
Yes, there’s the clubbing fraternity on Ocean Drive, there’s also the Wynwood Art District, which is home to over 100 artist studios and exciting street art in midtown Miami. Hire a talking Go-car (two-seater souped up go-cart that can be driven on all roads) for a self-guided tour of the city that offers a lot more besides beach life and clubbing. And hold on to your hat because it can be hairy driving down four-lane highways on the ‘wrong’ side of the road as trucks roar along beside you!
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The Art Deco district is a great place to start exploring. Part of the South Beach area, it’s a great mix of sociability, celebrity and architecture. Many of the buzzing cafés, restaurants and bars stay open all night; celebrity owners include Danny DeVito and Gloria Estefan, and P Diddy recently attended the re-opening party of the iconic Essex hotel accompanied by an entourage of penguins. The stunning Art Deco designs in this area house many of Miami’s most elegant hotels with original 1920s and ‘30s interiors – and if you’re not staying in one you should definitely pop in for a look.
Art Deco tour
The most photographed building in Miami is famous not only for its architecture. It’s Gianni Versace’s mansion, where the designer was gunned down on the steps outside as he returned from his daily breakfast at the nearby News Café. Now a private club and hotel, visits are by invitation only but no need to hanker for one unless you are the type of person who drops over $200 on a round of four drinks (which is what you can expect to spend once inside, we got the lowdown from our guide Paula on the Art Deco tour – visit www.artdecowalks.com for more information).
Eat: Chill day or night at the News Café, it’s open 24 hours. The buzzy pavement tables are the place to see and be seen, inside is no less busy and the newsagents that gives the cafe its name does a roaring trade in international papers and magazines. Treat yourself to dessert from an impressive list that includes local favourites Key Lime pie and salted caramel cake (though we can’t vouch for the nachos with ice cream …)
Visit: The Wolfsonian gallery, with several floors of artefacts dating from 1885 to 1945, puts Art Deco in context. This impressive private collection – and the building it’s housed in – was a gift to the city from Mitchell Wolfson Jr.
Culture sampling
For something completely different, head to Little Havana on the Miami mainland, across the bridge from Miami beach and island homes of the rich and famous – Will Smith, P Diddy, J-Lo and Tony Bennett all live here. As well as the stars, Miami is home to one of the largest Cuban communities in the world – the closest thing you’ll experience to Havana without actually going to Cuba; you might not hear a word of English during your visit. Take a local tour with Dragonfly Expeditions for the insider lowdown.
Eat: Versailles is the place to eat if you’re a local and also a huge draw for tourists – the snazzy ‘70s decor is certainly eye-catching – fill up on hearty tamales, rice and beans, plantain and yucca. As well as Cuban, Latin American influences are huge here. Away from Miami beach, in the fashionable Ocean Grove area with its stylish boutiques, hotels and restaurants, the places to eat are Jaguar, mixing foods and flavours from Mexico to South America, and Sushisamba, an international brand blending Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.
Visit: Pedro Bello was imprisoned for 20 years for refusing to co-operate with Castro’s regime but was released to come to the US where he set up the Cuba Tobacco Cigar Company with his son Peter; you’ll find him now sitting inside the door, sampling the produce for quality control in one of the most famous cigar shops in the world.
Art walks
And if you time your visit mid month, don’t miss the buzz of the Wynwood Second Saturday on a lively weekend night when the galleries throw their doors open to the public. But this is no sedate standing around nodding seriously at artworks, makeshift bars serve drinks, DJs strut their stuff on outdoor decks and it’s party time.
Eat at the area’s hotspot, the Wynwood Kitchen, known as much for its tapas-style sharing cuisine as for its arresting interiors, the walls blaze with original artwork from Miami’s coolest street artists.
Visit: The Wynwood Walls on the second Saturday of the month and browse art to your heart’s content.
Where to stay
The Palms, South Beach
For direct access to Miami’s beach culture, stay at The Palms. Beautiful marbled interiors lead to gorgeous tropical gardens with a pool and through a gate to the boardwalk and the sea. There are 251 bedrooms on 12 floors, many with sea views from the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and after its recent renovation the hotel is stylish, contemporary and luxuriously comfortable. Plus its Essensia restaurant – with indoor and al-fresco tables – is fast gaining popularity with local gourmands.
Booking: The Palms Hotel & Spa, 3025 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; phone 305 534 0505 or visit www.thepalmshotel.com
Sonesta Bayfront Hotel
Looming high over the buildings of the fashionable Ocean Grove area, front-facing bedrooms at the Sonesta offer stunning views over the harbour and several million dollars worth of yachts. The pool, sundeck and dining room are eight floors up with unspoiled views of Biscayne Bay; the award-winning Panorama restaurant is attracting a big local following for its Peruvian inspired dishes. Many rooms offer studio-style accommodation with full kitchen facilities – a great choice for a family break.
Booking: Sonesta Bayfront Hotel, 2889 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove; phone 305 529 2828 or visit www.sonesta.com/CoconutGrove
More information
For the complete low-down on Miami visit www.miamiandbeaches.com