China Institute Gallery

Come walk and discover New York - city and state - with the Street Teacher - take a step into a new world! Although primarily giving tours around New York City, I am available for tours in Philadelphia and Boston, if any should desire - and I love taking people to Washington D.C. But perhaps what I most like is taking people on walks across some of the great bridges around our city: the Brooklyn Bridge, and especially the Williamsburg Bridge - and don't forget the great George Washington Bridge - for walks along the Palisades!

Once upon a time in 2016, Matt Levy, founder of Covert Cocktail Club, hosted a secret speakeasy as an intimate place for strangers to gather in his home. The only way to find out about it was via word of mouth. No address was given, the only clue being a sign placed in the window, “Cocktails Here”. A lot of people thought it was pretty cool, even before The New York Times wrote about it. But that was all pre-pandemic, and this is a new era. Liberated from the confines of a single location, Covert Cocktail Club now brings the speakeasy right to your door—be it at your home, office, bar mitzvah, dinner party, bachelor/ette party or anywhere you choose!

Located in New York City’s founding neighborhood, Pier 17 is drenched in history. A stone’s throw from the Financial District and The World Trade Center, the area has more recently been synonymous with Wall Street workers and tourists visiting the 9/11 Memorial. But this summer changes all that with the re-launch of Pier 17 at the Seaport District NYC. Home to the Seaport Museum and the city’s largest concentration of restored maritime buildings, Pier 17 is being reclaimed for New Yorkers via dynamic food, drink, art, architecture, retail, and entertainment concepts that foster community and engage the city’s denizens, year-round. Pier 17 and the surrounding Seaport District comes out of its tourist trap shadows as its new tenants incorporate the neighborhood’s rich past, while embracing its future as a port of discovery. For history buffs, Pier 17 is one of the most interesting places in NYC. The economic growth of New York in the first half of the 19th century was driven by the Port of New York’s position as an import–export exchange and cargo center for emerging American and global markets. The Seaport and Pier 17 became a gateway for international shipping, maritime activities and the wholesale fish trade. South Street was known as the “Street of Ships” and the Wavertree, which is docked alongside Pier 17 to this day, arrived in New York City in 1895 en route to Calcutta with jute cargo aboard. The ship was acquired by the South Street Seaport Museum in 1968 and went through a 16-month, $13 million restoration. “These are the kinds of ships that built New York,” says Jonathan Boulware, executive director of the South Street Seaport Museum. A hub of commercial virtue (the finance, sea trade and printing press businesses were all located in this dense port) and accompanying vice (the area is home to some of the city’s oldest drinking dens, which played host to all manner of illicit activities back in the day), the Seaport was the first 24-hour district in New York, hence the phrase “the city that never sleeps”.

Located off Cooper Square in one of New York’s most vibrant, artistic neighborhoods, The Standard, East Village is cozy, charming, and eccentric in equal measure—very much in the spirit of its surroundings. You enter the 21-story tower through an original tenement-style building before ascending to unparalleled views of Manhattan. There’s a quiet, calm garden tucked away at street level, the bustling, all-day street-side Café Standard with an indoor mushroom farm, and NO BAR, an inclusive bar open for weekend drinks, DJs, special events and more. In between your urban escapades, squeeze in a sweat sesh with a complimentary guest pass to Crunch Fitness - Bowery.

Rising above a former elevated train line that has become downtown’s favorite public park, The Standard, High Line is located in New York City’s Meatpacking District. Every one of the 338 hotel rooms features a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views of Manhattan and/or the mighty Hudson River. The hotel’s inviting and scintillating public spaces include a bustling German beer garden at ground level, the rooftop discothèque Le Bain, the legendary Top of The Standard and an outdoor public plaza with rotating art installations and activations. A neighborhood staple, The Standard Grill is classic New York—blending traditional steakhouse with New American cuisine.

City Experiences represents our portfolio of water and land-based experiences and includes sub-brands City Cruises and City Ferry. City Experiences offers a range of experiences including Venture Ashore shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, Walks sightseeing tours, and Devour Tours food tours.

The Shelburne Sonesta New York is located in the heart of the Murray Hill neighborhood, at the center of an iconic city, illuminating what living the urban lifestyle is truly about. Stay steps from Grand Central Station, The Empire State Building and all of your most sought after New York City destinations.

Tom Wardle is Brooklyn-based British singer/guitarist, bringing his brand of acoustic pop, rock and soul to high-end parties in the New York City, the Hamptons and across the US, as well as Turks And Caicos. Tom’s mix of acoustic guitar and his raspy vocals have captured significant press attention since his move to the States, with Rolling Stone Magazine saying his “gritty vocals echo Rod Stewart”, and the socialite Hamptons Magazine calling his music “Perfect for a summer’s evening”, when they profiled him on his move over to the States. His recent client list includes such luxury brands as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and Vogue Magazine, as well as events for fashion mogul Donna Karan. Tom has been a live music favourite across the Hamptons for the last six years, becoming a summer staple at such hotspots as Wölffer Estate, Gurney’s Montauk and Bounce Beach to name a few.