Five Dazzling Places To See Now, In And Around New York City.

By Karen and Erica

It’s fall in NYC. Everything is colorful. The leaves are turning, the parks and the greenmarkets are brilliant. And there are lots of sparkly places to see.

Here are five.

• The most glittery of all is the Observation Deck at One Vanderbilt, one of midtown’s newest skyscrapers. Three floors—the 91st through the 93rd—are designed to dazzle. You take a very fast elevator to the 91st floor, where you enter a truly a mind bending world. The floor is mirrored, the walls are glass, and you are basically in a new universe where down and up are the same, and go on forever. When you can pull yourself away, to the sides, the views are breathtaking. We had never seen our beloved Chrysler Building from such a vantage point, nor towered so high over the Empire State Building. All of New York City, and its rivers and bridges, lie before you.

Around the corner is a room where you can see a Yayoi Kusama installation, and another where you can play with silver helium balloons. Then you go up a floor, to look down on people wandering around open-mouthed where you were just wandering around open-mouthed. The top floor has a spectacular outdoor terrace—and a signature cocktail. We loved the whole experience—except the booties we were made to wear. Too slippery. We want to go again, and at night!

• On the same theme, you can visit The Edge, which is outdoors and has incredible views as well. On the 100th floor of the tallest building in Hudson Yards, it is the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. Not so much glitter. (Some would say that’s a good thing. But we like glitter.) Being outside is lovely, and glass walls make you feel safe. We also want to dine at Peak, which is one floor above the Edge. We have heard the food is excellent. Anyone interested in a Lustre outing?

• A very different experience, at sea level, is the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. It is huge, and historic. Thinking about a vessel of that size on the open seas is startling. The vintage aircraft on deck are fantastic, as are the Space Shuttle Enterprise, and the Concorde. Every time we go we learn more naval history. And of course we love the location, on the Hudson. If you get hungry, there is fast food on board and nearby, but for something different think about The Landmark Tavern, an Irish pub we used to go to back in the day—not actually when it was founded in 1868, but soon thereafter. It has not changed a bit. Another fine establishment is Print, serving delicious food in a renovated printing factory. Both are close.

• On the other side of the Hudson, a fantastic, gigantic sculpture has just been installed to overlook the river. Jaume Plensa, who creates monumental heads, among other things, designed Water’s Soul—the head of a young girl with a finger to her lips—to look toward Lower Manhattan from Jersey City. We just love Plensa’s work, and this sculpture, and its location, are thrilling. You can see it from the Hudson River Park in lower Manhattan, but to get closer take a Circle Line boat. Even better, consider driving, and then visiting Hoboken and Jersey City, to see art and enjoy waterfront dining with amazing views of the city. Then keep going to Palisades Park and frolic in some of those flamboyant fall leaves.

• Breaking news: Governor’s Island is now open year round. Incredibly beautiful, reached by a fast ferry from Lower Manhattan, the island is both lively and contemplative, and still evolving. It is a center for climate research, for excellent food trucks, for art, for views, and for all kinds of events. We go often, and every time there is some new happening. We want to see what the island looks like in the snow. And—more breaking news: QCNY, a fancy spa, will soon take up residence, with spectacular views of downtown Manhattan. Go there before your next glittering fall party!

Tell us about your sparkly fall favorites!