Bronson van Wyck may have grown up on a farm in Arkansas, but he lives and breathes New York like a native. As event planner to the stars — think Madonna, Beyoncé and his old friend from Arkansas, Hillary Clinton — van Wyck makes it his business to go parties almost every night, hitting every nook and cranny. It’s research, after all. It also means he may be among the most qualified of New Yorkers to guide us through the greatest city in the world.
Table of Contents
FAVORITE HOTELS:
I can sit in a hotel lobby and watch the people come and go all day long. For uptown, The Mark. Downtown, the Gramercy Park and The NoMad, which are so close to my apartment and my office respectively that I use their lobbies and bars to meet clients or friends all the time. The rooms at Soho House, which non-members can rent when they’re available, are fantastic.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:
The fried chicken which is not on the menu but always available at Sadelle’s is out-of-this-world good and, believe me, I don’t know much but I do know about fried chicken. I can’t stay away from The Polo Bar. The green goddess salad, the burger, the steaks from Ricky and Ralph’s ranch: comfort food at its best.
BEST PLACE TO GO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A CRAZY NIGHT ON THE TOWN:
Lately, my favorite late nights are spent at my friend Aby Rosen’s new hotspot, The Blond. The drinks are stiff, the lighting is great and the crowd is always familiar.
BEST PLACE TO HAVE BRUNCH WHEN YOU ARE NURSING A SUNDAY MORNING HANGOVER:
In bed. Preferably with the person sharing the hangover. It’s not worth it otherwise. But if I do wake up alone, I walk downstairs to Almond for fantastic breakfast tamales.
BEST BURGER IN NY:
A tie between ABC Kitchen, NoMad and The Spotted Pig.
FAVORITE NYC SPEAKEASY AND FAVORITE DRINK:
Acme for the Graffiti Green, which isn’t on the menu anymore, but they’ll make it if you ask nicely. Poison in a chalice. It’s heaven and hell in the same sip.
BEST PLACE TO THROW A BIG BASH:
I love raw spaces. Skylight has several spaces in town now where you can take a vision and build it from the ground up, which is my favorite process. There are some incredible old warehouses right outside Manhattan in the South Bronx, Long Island City and Red Hook.
BEST PLACE TO THROW A SMALL DINNER PARTY:
You mean if you don’t want to do it at home? The back room at Casa Lever.
FAVORITE MUSEUM:
The new Whitney, of course. But The Met Breuer kind-of blew me away with its Unfinished show. And I can spend weeks at The Met.
UPTOWN OR DOWNTOWN:
Why choose?
SUBWAY OR UBER?
Citi bike
CENTRAL PARK OR THE HIGH LINE?
Apples to oranges. Nothing compares to what Central Park does for this island. The High Line is much closer to my heart and soul.
BEST WAY TO SPEND A DAY IN NY:
I’m of the opinion that in New York there isn’t just one perfect day. So I’ll give you a few of my favorite things. Morning cardio at Equinox. Power breakfast at The Regency or Sadelle’s. A meander around the 7th floor at Bergdorf’s and the stacks at the Strand. I would pick up my comic books at Forbidden Planet. I only make it in every couple of months, but they save all my favorite titles for me. An hour-long yoga class at Yogamaya on West 20th Street or a private class at home from Parker Hurley. Drinks at The Rusty Knot or one of the other dive bars over on the West Side Highway, or in the Library at The NoMad. Dinner at Carbone or Cafe Clover, and then head out looking for trouble.
Sadelle’s: 123 Jane Street | 123.456.7891 | www.sadelles.com
The Mark: 25 East 77th St | 212.744.4300 | www.themarkhotel.com
Gramercy Park Hotel: 2 Lexington Ave | 212.920.3300 | www.gramercyparkhotel.com
NoMad: 1170 Broadway | 212.796.1500 | www.thenomadhotel.com
Soho House New York: 29-35 9th Ave | 212.627.9800 | www.sohohouseny.com
Polo Bar: 1 E 55th St | 212.207.8562 | www.ralphlauren.com
The Blond: 11 Howard St | 212.235.1111 | www.11howard.com
Almond: 12 E 22nd St | 212.228.7557 | www.almondrestaurant.com
ABC Kitchen: 35 East 18th St | 212.475.5829 | www.abchome.com
The Spotted Pig: 34 West 11th St | 212.620.0393 | www.thespottedpig.com
Acme: 9 Great Jones St | 212.203.2121 | www.acmenyc.com
Casa Lever: 390 Park Ave | 212.888.2700 | www.casalever.com
Whitney Museum: 99 Gansevoort St | 212.570.3600 | www.whitney.org
Met Breur: 945 Madison Ave | 212.731.1675 | www.metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum: 1000 5th Ave | www.metmuseum.org