New York City

Midtown and the Upper East Side hold the classic luxury corridor — the Plaza, the Peninsula, the St. Regis, the Carlyle, the Mark, Aman New York on Fifth Avenue — while Downtown (Four Seasons Downtown, the Greenwich) and Brooklyn offer newer alternatives. The Met, MoMA, the Whitney and the Frick anchor the culture; Broadway and Lincoln Center the performing arts; the food ranges from Michelin three-stars to the best pizza slice on a corner. Spring and autumn are the pleasant seasons; December is festive and expensive; July and August are humid. The subway is the fastest way around and is generally safe; ordinary big-city awareness applies. JFK and Newark handle international flights; LaGuardia is domestic.