Are You a Culture Vulture? Get Your Fill In These Six Cities
Mark these performances and openings on your calendars, book the hotels, reserve these restaurants. It's time for some cultural and culinary edification.
Boston
The Ticket: The Boston Symphony Orchestra. A three-week festival titled “Voices of Loss, Reckoning, and Hope” features music by composers (including Julia Wolfe) whose works seek to provoke dialogue on social change (March 3–18, 2023). The Stay: Langham. This glamorous hotel occupying a historic former bank in the financial district just underwent a two-year renovation. Its Renaissance Revival bones are preserved, its interiors vividly reimagined and filled with art from America’s oldest nonprofit artist society. The Table: Little Whale. Chef Michael Serpa’s chefy take on New England seafood shack fare opens this fall in the Back Bay with a menu to satisfy cold weather cravings (think clam pizza and chowdah).
New York City
The Ticket: Edward Hopper. “Edward Hopper’s New York” at the Whitney is a first-of-its-kind exhibit about the celebrated realist painter and his relationship with the city he called home for six decades (through March 5).
The Stay: Aman. The brand’s newest sanctuary brings the tranquility of Bali to the heart of Manhattan. Overlooking Central Park from the landmark Crown Building, the 83-suite hotel is where you want to hibernate on a wintery day. The flagship spa spans three stories of treatment, banya, and hammam rooms, cold plunges, and a 65-foot pool flanked by daybeds and firepits. The Table: House of the Red Pearl. That and more: Michelin-decorated Jean-Georges Vongeritchen's 53,000-square-foot marketplace in the Seaport's historic Tin Building offers a choice of six restaurants (including Red Pearl's elevated Chinese, and sushi at 19-seat Shikku), six casual spots, and four bars.
London
The Ticket: Donatello. The Renaissance master will get his first major UK exhibition this winter at the V&A South Kensington (opens February 11, 2023).
The Stay: Raffles. After a meticulous renovation, Churchill’s Old War Office is being reborn at year’s end as a 120-room Raffles. It retains all its historic grandeur (mosaic floors, chandeliers, marble staircase) and now has a serious spa and 11 dining venues, including a rooftop restaurant overlooking Buckingham Palace. The Table: St. John Marylebone. It’s been seven years since nose-to-tail pioneer Fergus Henderson debuted a new restaurant, so it’s no wonder this all-day space (donuts with champagne for breakfast) is being hyped.
Rome
The Ticket: Horti Lamiani. Reservations-only newcomer Museo Ninfeo showcases the ruins of a private Roman residence that served as home to emperors such as Claudius and Severus Alexander.
The Stay: Six Senses. This wellness-focused hotel group opens this fall in the UNESCO-listed Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini, with interiors from acclaimed Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, a game-changing spa, a rooftop terrace with 360-degree views of the Eternal City, and, if that weren’t enough, an organic vegetable garden to inspire the culinary team. The Table: Enoteca L’Antidoto. Reserve way ahead for this natural-wine-only, by-the-bottle-only, small-plates-only spot in Trastevere: It has just three tables and five bar seats.
Paris
The Ticket: Centre Pompidou. Home to Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art, this bold museum designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers will close for a three-year renovation in 2024—so get your visits in now.
The Stay: LeBristol. We’ve always loved this Grande Dame for its fashionable address and Old World elegance. After a six-year, multimillion-dollar refurb, it feels reborn. The Paris Suite is the epitome of refinement, with Louis XV and XVI furniture, embroidered silk drapes, and the same wood parquet as in Versailles. The Table: Parcelles. This buzzy bistro in the 3rd Arr. has a concise menu of seasonal dishes, like cabbage stuffed with foie gras. Wine nerds gather at the bar to sample bottles from small, esoteric producers.
Mexico City
The Ticket: Gertrud Goldschmidt. Museo Jumex always impresses with its works by greats like Koons, Hirst, and =. “Gego: Measuring Infinity” spotlights one of Latin America’s most important postwar artists (through February 5).
The Stay: Ritz-Carlton & more. The 58-story Ritz-Carlton’s 2021 opening reshaped the skyline, and its services and proximity to the historic center make it especially appealing. Las Alcobas, in the Polanco area (Mexico City’s Beverly Hills), has long been our boutique pick (its 35 suites have been refreshed); new seven-suite Casa Polanco is in a 1930's mansion. The Table: Pujol. Enrique Olvera’s avant-garde cooking inspires pilgrimages to this world-class restaurant. For a more casual but no less flavorful meal, head to LaMari, a new spot rooted in the flavors of Baja. (Don’t miss the tlacoyo, a dish of pre-Hispanic origin).
Culturati don’t need coaxing to visit Vienna. Still, a Basquiat exhibit is at the Albertina through January 8, and the intriguingly titled “Idols & Rivals” runs at the Kunsthistorisches Museum until January 28. And Vienna has a new Rosewood, fabulously located in the heart of the pedestrian district.
This story appears in the October 2022 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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