When I have a bit of time, I like to stroll around the cafés in my neighbourhood, some of which are confidential, like Blue Bottle Coffee, a burnery in a beautiful 1910s brick building where you can taste delicious aromas. I also like Brooklyn Winery, also in Williamsburg. It's a slightly 'hippy chic' wine bar, with big, warm wooden tables and discreet, practical nooks and crannies if you want to talk business quietly. The food is good, simple and delicious. And you can even order half glasses if you want to taste different wines.
However, when I want to meet clients in a select atmosphere, preferably in Manhattan, I often choose the Lobby Lounge bar at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Columbus Circle. The view over Central Park and Midtown from the 35th floor is truly spectacular. And the cocktails are fabulous, which doesn't spoil anything. What's more, we're not far from the Apple Store, the legendary Apple brand shop open 24 hours a day. As I'm a fan of computer gadgets, I like to go and see what's new. And I must admit that I've been looking forward to the opening of the new Apple shop at Grand Central station.
Closer to the Metropolitan Museum, I really like the beautiful - and new - De Vera boutique, second only to the one on Crosby Street in Soho. This place is more of a cabinet of curiosities than a gift shop. You'll find all sorts of antiques, cameos, religious figurines from the 18th century, old books and even some rare sculptures from the Middle Ages. As my wife, Sylvia, and I are passionate about medieval art, we also like to go to the Cloisters, just north of Manhattan. It's an extraordinary museum, made up of five French cloisters that were dismantled after the French Revolution and brought back stone by stone by boat in the early 20th century. In May, the rose garden is splendid, but the view over the Hudson River is beautiful all year round. I also like MoMA PS1, the contemporary branch of the Museum of Modern Art, housed in a converted school in Queens. There are always events and interesting people to see; it's a very trendy, beautiful place. The area is also changing. But if there's one place everyone's talking about at the moment, it's the bar at the Standard Hotel, in the Meat Packing District, above the High Line. The view over Lower Manhattan and Midtown is splendid. It really is. You absolutely have to go there for a drink; or two, it's so beautiful."
Eric Redlinger's good addresses
NIGHTHAWK
136 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn
Tel.: +1 718 384 39 80
Internet: www.nitehawkcinema.com
BLUE BOTTLE COFEE
160 Berry Street, Brooklyn - Tel.: +1 718 387 41 60
E-mail: info@bluebottlecoffee.net
Internet: www.bluebottlecoffee.net
BROOKLYN WINERY
213 North 8th Street, Brooklyn - Tel: +1 347 763 15 06
Internet: www.bkwinery.com
THEMANDARIN ORIENTAL
80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street - Tel: +1 212 805 88 00 or +1 866 801 88 80
E-mail: monyc-reservations@mohg.com
Internet :www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork
APPLE STORE
767 Fifth Avenue - Tel.: +1 212 336 14 40
Internet: www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue
DE VERA OBJECTS
26 East 81st Street - Tel: +1 212 288 22 88
E-mail: eightyone@deveraobjects.com
Internet: www.deveraobjects.com/81st
THE CLOISTERS MUSEUM AND GARDENS
99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park - Tel: +1 212 923 37 00
E-mail: cloisters@metmuseum.org
Internet: www.metmuseum.org
WOAGRI
PS1 22-25 Jackson Ave. at the intersection of 46th Avenue, Long Island City - Tel: +1 718 784 20 84
E-mail: mail_ps1@moma.org
Internet: www.momaps1.org
HE STANDARD NEW YORK
848 Washington Street - Tel: +1 212 645 46 46
Internet: www.standardhotels.com/new-york-city
