New York for The Curious Wanderers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Steel, steam, and a harbour that never sleeps.
No theme, just the city at its best. The sights that earn their reputation, a workshop or a market, one strange place nobody told you about, and dinner where the food is the point.
Friday: Churchyard, apothecary and a speakeasy
- Trinity Church churchyard
Hamilton and Robert Fulton lie under winged skulls in a 1846 Gothic Revival churchyard, with the 1681 burial ground behind.
- C.O. Bigelow
America's oldest apothecary, 1838, with its gas chandeliers, wooden drawers and shelves of lip balm and remedies; a lovely place to shop.
- Employees Only
A West Village bar behind a neon psychic sign, in the spirit of a 1920s speakeasy: sit at the bar, order an old-fashioned and a steak frites.
Saturday: Navy Yard makers and a distillery
- Brooklyn Navy Yard and BLDG 92
Three hundred acres of dry docks turned over to makers, with a free exhibit on the yard's history in BLDG 92.
- Kings County Distillery
New York's oldest distillery since Prohibition: a tour of the stills and a tasting of bourbon and moonshine in a landmarked building.
- Vinegar Hill House
A wood-fired kitchen on a cobbled street of 1830s row houses, with a garden at the back; roast chicken and a good wine list.
Sunday: The house that would not let go
- Essex Market
The 1940 public market moved into its new hall in 2019, with cheese, dumplings and bread; fill a bag for the afternoon.
- Merchant's House Museum
The Tredwell family house untouched since 1865, with the original furniture and a reputation for ghosts; book a guided tour.
- Raoul's
Steak au poivre under red lamps and a stairway of paintings, a French bistro open since 1975; reserve ahead.
Monday: Makers in Sunset Park
- Industry City
The 1890s Bush Terminal warehouses, sixteen buildings of studios, shops and food; walk the courtyards and look for the workshops.
- Li-Lac Chocolates
Manhattan's oldest chocolate house, since 1923, now making its fudge and chocolate here; watch through the window and buy a bar.
- Sahadi's
The Atlantic Avenue Lebanese grocer since 1895: mezze, pita and a good falafel plate to take away or eat at the counter.