“New” in New York

New York. The name says it all. Here, in the city that constantly reinvents and reimagines itself, you’ll find everything that is innovative, cutting-edge and on the cusp. When New York does something, the rest of the world sits up and takes notice. Francis Lewis

CHEF TAKAYOSHI WATANABE OF TERUZUSHI AT PRICELESS

In ancient times, all roads led to Rome. In modern times, all roads lead to New York City. Every nation, race and culture finds a home here. And every cuisine, too.

New York is a city of cosmopolitan foodies who have traveled the world sampling the best—often under the most unusual circumstances, like at The Rock in Zanzibar, a restaurant literally on a rock in the Indian Ocean and only accessible by foot at low tide and by boat when the tide rises. New Yorkers have journeyed to remote Kitakyushu in Japan for a taste of Chef Takayoshi Watanabe’s showmanship at Teruzushi and to London to savor mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana’s artful cocktails at bar Lyaness. Well, this being New York, we have now brought these establishments to our shores. Rather, Mastercard has brought them to us. Priceless in TriBeCa is the financial services corporation’s first flagship restaurant experience (restaurant.mastercard.com)—a culinary collective that hosts chefs and mixologists from around the world on a rotating basis. The Rock, Teruzushi and Lyaness are in residence through the end of January 2020, when three other global sensations will take their place and work magic of their own.

Intersect by Lexus (Courtesy Intersect by Lexus)

Priceless’ mission extends beyond recreating the food of the restaurants housed under its roof. Priceless offers experiential dining to the nth degree. Faraway restaurant interiors are faithfully replicated in New York, while soundscapes of the Indian Ocean, Chef Watanabe’s sword blades and the slow drip of ice cubes in a Lya ness highball glass immerse diners in an ambient, multisensory world, so authentic and all-encompassing that passionate local diners swear they are in Africa, Japan and the U.K.

JADE COBBLER AT LYANESS AT PRICELESS

Mastercard is not the only corporation to make its presence felt in New York’s restaurant scene. Intersect by Lexus in the Meatpacking District from the luxury car brand is arguably the city’s first lifestyle restaurant (www.intersect-nyc.com). Only no cars are either on display or for sale here; instead, products are subtly installed and art is exhibited to create an aspirational environment in the multi-floor industrial space. Similar to Priceless, Intersect by Lexus rotates its chefs, thereby assuring a new culinary experience every few months.

Rotation, as a trend, is not unique to New York restaurants. Pop-up shops—establishments that are here today and gone tomorrow—have helped redene retail in New York.

The Ski Hill Chalet at American Dream’s Big Snow and Snowboard Park (Rendering courtesy American Dream)

One such is Fattobene, which the MoMA Design Store is hosting in its SoHo location through Sept. 29 (www.store.moma.org). This is yet another example of how the world— in this case, Italy—is brought unfiltered to NYC. Fattobene (“well made” in translation), the brainchild of Anna Lagorio and Alex Carnevali, dedicates itself to promoting everyday Italian objects. Accessories for the home, as well as stationery and gifts, are all made in Italy and attest to that country’s renowned craftsmanship and timeless design.

Anna Lagorio and Alex Carnevali ofFattobene visit the brand’s pop-up in MoMA Design Store in SoHo. (Courtesy MoMA Design Store)

Setting its sights on a permanent base in the metropolitan New York area is American Dream (www .americandream.com), located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just seven miles west of Midtown Manhattan, and scheduled to open Oct. 25. Expectations are high for the shopping, dining, entertainment and fashion complex, which occupies 7 million square feet. All the buzzwords—experiential, immersive, entertaining, curated—apply. On the premises are an indoor Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and DreamWorks Water Park, North America’s rst indoor snow sports center, 18 holes of miniature golf, a Legoland Discovery Center—and that’s before you get to top-ticket outposts of Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Company and Dolce Gabbana. American Dream just might be the revolutionary and innovative destination that brick-and-mortar shopping has been searching for.

Certainly, consumers are receptive and willing to go the distance when something new comes their way, like Empire Outlets (www.empireoutlets .nyc), NYC’s first outlet center, a scenic ferry ride away in Staten Island. If retail recognizes the need for a makeover to combat the internet, long-standing New York attractions are also in the market for reinven tion to keep themselves fresh and relevant. Last month, the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com), a dominant presence on the New York skyline since 1931, opened the second phase of its $165 million reimagined Observatory Experience. Visitors to the second-floor gallery now take a digitally enhanced journey through nine exhibits.

The King Kong exhibit at the Empire State Building Experience (Evan Joseph)

Sure to please is the King Kong exhibit in which Kong’s fingers break through the walls of an upper-story office. Step into the giant ape’s hands as he climbs the tower, and you’ll feel his awesome strength. That’s immersive. While the Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org) gears up for its own reinvention and reopening in enhanced digs next month, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (www.guggenheim.org) has been celebrating all year the 60th anniversary of its landmark Frank Lloyd Wright building. The Gugg has always been ahead of the curve—and interactive. Just take a walk up its spiral ramp. After 60 years, it’s still a trip. Truth is, not everything has to be brand-new to be of the moment in New York.

Frank Lloyd Wight’s only building in New York City is the Guggenheim Museum. (David Heald, ©The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York)

For lovers of serious drama, there is a bonanza of plays, either just opened or about to open on Broadway. And since many have limited runs, now is the time to see them. Here’s our pick of the bunch.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge (Max Vadukul)

“The Great Society” Love him or hate him, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s larger-than-life persona is Shakespearean, so it comes as no surprise that Brian Cox, who has trod the Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage, is playing him.

“Betrayal” Playwright Harold Pinter can be an acquired taste, but not this revival’s star—Tom Hiddleston.