OCCUPATION: Managing director, USA, The Rug Company
MY STYLE: European, mostly. My style tends alternate between urban casual and very polished—I struggle with in between! Our home is eclectic and casual, but still elegant. We mix traditional and vintage finds mixed with modern pieces. I think one’s home is the best reflection of one’s self, and I always want guests to feel comfortable whenever they visit. I love to have color and try to fit in a bit of orange anywhere I can—it makes me happy!
I LOVE NEW YORK BECAUSE: That my daughter was born here makes New York special. I love our nanny, Gilda, who is from Belize: she makes me laugh every day. Battery Park City is a treasure chest for all things child-related, and it’s easy to make friends, too. I love that there is plenty to do outdoors with the amazing parks—I’d like her to learn how to ride a bike before she can use an iPad!
Little Owl
Despite Little Owl’s ever-changing seasonal specialties, never fear—you can get the specialty pork chop (voted best in town by New York magazine) year round. Though the Mediterranean-meets-American Nouveau dishes sometimes veer into the “comfort food” category (think cheesy risotto and gravy meatball sliders), the food retains enough elegance for a business lunch, and enough innovation for a foodie’s delight. “It’s also great for brunch or date night,” says Blythe Harris.
JCREW COLLECTION STORE
The ubiquitous purveyor of bright preppy basics created a special space for its 79th Street location. A inconspicuous entrance invites customers into a curated collection, in which features standard JCrew items stud pricier specialized items, many involving sequins. An attentive staff offers services that go above and beyond the shopping mall JCrew experience: a complimentary cappuccino at up-the-street Sant Ambroeus comes with purchases.
Soho House New York
This six-story hotel and club in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking District might be just the place for you…if you can get in. Like the original in London and its various outposts in fashionable hubs like West Hollywood and Miami Beach, it’s open only to members, many of whom occupy the higher echelons of the media, fashion, publishing, and art worlds (with a limited number of guest rooms available for the aspiring plebeian!). Inside, you’ll find a restaurant, bar, drawing room, cinema, and the famous heated rooftop pool, perfect for showing off your swimsuit on a sweltering day. Rosie Pope prefers to relax at the wonderful Cowshed Spa while her kids are otherwise engaged (and supervised) with fun children’s activities.
Crosby Street Hotel
On one of the last peaceful and cobbled streets of Soho sits a New York hotel with a British twist. “I love the mix of English traditional with contemporary edge,” says Kelly Florio Kasouf. Despite the relative quietude of this particular stretch of Crosby Street, the hotel is in the heart of one of the best shopping districts in town. Stop in for a drink or a bite after visiting your favorite stores. There’s also a state-of-the-art screening room, complete with 3D technology, that hosts great events with old movies.
Tear Drop Park
Designed by innovative landscape architect Michael Van Valkenberg and featuring the public art piece ,“Ice Wall,” by Ann Hamilton and Michael Mercil, this hidden gem in Battery Park City is beloved by neighbors and those in-the-know. A spacious green space filled with trees, shrubs, and bright flowers is designed with rock slab walkways that lend the site its sculptural beauty. The small playground is a hit with kids who love the huge slide installed in a massive piece of rock. Because of its proximity to the much larger neighboring park, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Teardrop Park is usually crowd-free and perfectly peaceful. A tip from TriBeCa local mom Amanda Price recommends the Wednesday afternoon arts and crafts sessions the park hosts on the lawn.
Aire Spa
The unique spa experience at this Spanish import is based on the public baths of ancient times. The services follow the bathing practices of Greeks and Romans who, according to its website, “would treat their guests to a session of thermal baths… at the end of the 5th century BC, the upper classes attended magnificent public bathhouses [that were] true palaces.” Patrons of Aire Spa can recreate the ancient ritual of progressing from a warm water pool to a hot water pool to the “Frigidarium,” or cold-water pool, a process which is repeated three or four times. To this ancient process, Aire Spa adds modern conveniences like propeller jets, steam rooms, and its heated salt water pool, which is said to induce mental relaxation. The spa also offers a menu of treatments and massages which use traditional—if not traditionalist— substances like red wine, olive oil, and Champaign.
Kaffe 1668
Kaffe 1668 is a neighborhood cafe for on-the-go regulars, which for the coffee obsessed, gets the details right. Espresso is single-origin, and the drip coffee is prepared by the famously rare Clover machine, which controls coffee temperature to the exact degree. Just don’t try asking for a pumpkin space latte (or even a cappuccino). These traditionalist barristers refuse to dilute the flavor of they perfect cups. New York mom Amanda Price loves the spot: “best coffee in NYC,” she says. She also notes an unexpected benefit of the clover machine for moms: “the coffee is the perfect temperature so you can drink it immediately without worrying about burning your hands or your baby.”