Curious New York: a weekend guide

With frequent flights to New York from London departing every day, you’ll be spoilt for choice with the British Airways schedule. You can minimise your holiday leave and maximise your first evening in Manhattan by catching an early evening flight from London Heathrow to JFK.

Drop your luggage off at the InterContinental New York Barclay and walk over to Grand Central Station. If a trip to New York's biggest station doesn't sound like a particularly 'curious' recommendation to you, look again – the station has a 'secret' bar that’s the perfect Friday night spot. Book ahead for a candlelit table at The Campbell. Once the private office and reception hall of a Jazz Age financier, it was restored in 2017 and the sound of cocktail shakers has replaced the clack of typewriters. Hidden in a side room off the station, it's a novel way to take in a classic New York landmark.

Book a stay at the InterContinental New York Barclay

Woken up bleary eyed? The charm and chatter of Lexington Candy Shop, the oldest family-run luncheonette in New York, will lift your spirits after a long flight. Located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this nostalgic eatery offers a glimpse into the city’s soda-fountain-filled past (you can even order an egg cream) and serves breakfast all day. Stacks of pancakes stuffed with the likes of blueberries and pecans tend to steal the show, while the Walnut Cinnamon Raisin French Toast is a favourite of the owners.

The Whitney Museum of American Art sits in trendy Renzo Piano-designed digs just round the corner. The expansive galleries display more than 3,000 painters, sculptors, architects, film makers and performance artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. You'll discover some new artists to love, but the galleries also house their fair share of Mark Rothkos and Georgia O'Keeffes. Look out for Calder’s Circus: a delicate sculpture that includes a pom-pom lion. The Whitney's major exhibitions are always popular, so remember to reserve tickets in advance.

Gansevoort Peninsula, home to the first public beach in Manhattan, is just across the street from the Whitney. Sink into one of the sky-blue deckchairs and dig your feet into powdery sand. Gaze at the vast Hudson River fringed by skyscrapers. Then take to the High Line - an urban park that stretches along an old, elevated railway track from the Meatpacking District up 22 blocks to Midtown. Stop at an ice cream stand along the way – you’re on holiday, after all.

The High Line descends to street level at 34th Street - and you can walk from here to Hudson Yards to catch the 7 train. Ride it all the way to Hunters Point Avenue in Queens and you'll be in the heart of New York's hipster district: Long Island City. You’ll need to make a reservation beforehand at Casa Enrique, but it’s worth it. It serves Michelin-starred Mexican food, from enchiladas to mole that's so bold that it, to quote the guide itself, 'thrills palates' and 'tempts wanton thoughts': get booking.

After you’ve had your fill, make your way back to Manhattan for an only-in-New-York experience: Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, an immersive adaptation of Macbeth, is a theatre event held at The McKittrick Hotel. You’ll be given a mask and be allowed to wander through 100 rooms, coming upon intricate scenes and interacting with the mysterious cast. Not for the faint-hearted.

New Yorkers take brunch seriously, but most restaurants don’t raise the gate until noon. Maximize your time by heading to Buvette, a sweet French spot in the West Village where doors open earlier in the morning. Order the much raved-about croque-monsieur or the fluffy steamed eggs, made via the espresso machine’s steam wand and served with prosciutto on country bread.

Forget the chain stores that have proliferated in SoHo and on Fifth Avenue and head to the West Village. Fragrance shop Aedes de Venustas stocks an array of sought-after scents, including ones from its own label; Odin stocks high-end menswear; while Alexis Bittar is a jewel-box of a store displaying the designer’s signature Lucite pieces – New York style icon Iris Apfel is a fan. If you’ve got time, you should also head to Cortlandt Alley (around 15 minutes from West Village with the help of public transport) and check out Mmuseumm: NY’s smallest museum housing thought-provoking artefacts in a freight elevator. Previous exhibits include ‘objects of collapse’ and ‘Last Meal Receipts'.

There are plenty of high-frequency flights back to London to choose from – hop on the 19:25 from JFK, which touches down in Heathrow at 07:20 – leaving you enough time to grab a caffeine fix on your way into the office.