Nobody knows a city like the local concierge team. With the inside track on all the best places to dine, shows to see, and things to do, they’re a wealth of knowledge for all travelers. We talk with a top local hotel concierge in New York City to get the inside scoop on all their expert tips.
Frederick Jones, Guest Relations Director at The NH Collection New York Madison Avenue Hotel
Q- Why do you refer your guests to The Welcome Guide®, and what makes it an important resource for you?
Jones- Given our brand’s popularity in Europe and Asia, we have a ton of international guests who visit New York for extended stays. These guests do not visit New York as often, given the long travel time, and truly want to experience the best of New York and have a guide all in one place. Guests particularly enjoy the range of options The Welcome Guide® offers, including shopping stores for children and teens, the true variety of dining options that also represent the diversity of New York’s culinary scene and much more. Unlike other guides, The Welcome Guide® reads to readers as truly valuing readers time- and offering immense transparency in its “Your Guide to Navigating NYC” and “Transportation” pages, allowing visitors to maximize their time in NYC according to their desired experiences, and a true guide on how to get around.
(Courtesy The NH Collection New York Madison Avenue Hotel)
Q- What are your best tips for exploring NYC like a local?
Jones- Talk to New Yorkers and your hotel concierge and ask questions! New Yorkers know what attractions are worth it versus being tourist traps and want you to truly experience the local restaurants, nightlife, neighborhoods, markets, and hidden gems.
Q- What should be on every visitor’s “bucket list” when visiting?
Jones- Wake up early in the morning and walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan during sunrise. Watching the city come alive so quickly will be truly one of the most amazing experiences of your life.
Q- What’s an excellent spot to capture a great selfie?
Jones- A selfie spot I am guilty of gatekeeping is the observation deck at the Belvedere Castle in Central Park. It blends nature with the NYC skyline so beautifully.
Q- What is the best suggestion you can give a first-time visitor?
Jones- There is never a dull second in New York City. If you see an activity, experience or restaurant that even slightly excites you, go. New York City is filled with the unimaginable, and anything you can dream of most likely exists.
Q- If someone only had 24 hours in NYC, where would you send them?
Jones- Start the day in the morning at Central Park, and from there, before it even hits noon, you can walk downwards through midtown, visit Times Square and the attractions there, or Rockefeller Center. For lunch, I’d recommend walking an additional 10 minutes and situating yourself in the NoMad area—where you can have lunch at the original Shake Shack. From there, at around mid-afternoon, you can walk downtown further to Greenwich Village and walk by NYU, the shops and trendy cafes, before visiting SoHo and shopping at local boutiques and art galleries, and immersing yourself in the creative side of NYC.
Central Park (©Ismael Lima)
Q- Where’s the best place to take kids of all ages?
Jones- The Ellis Island Museum of Immigration and the Statue of Liberty are a great activity for kids and teenagers. Both are very immersive and do a great job of retaining interest for all ages.
Q- For a guest looking for a night on the town, what would you recommend?
Jones- For a very New York night, downtown New York has been the epitome of trendy for a while. I would start the night with dinner at Lucien, a family-owned buzzy French bistro that’s been a staple of the East Village since 1998 and caters to a creative clientele of those in the fashion and arts industry, native New Yorkers, and the occasional celebrity or two. From there, you can walk to one of the many bars on First Avenue, Avenue A or Avenue B, all within a few minutes of walking distance. I would then recommend ending the night off at The Blind Barber, a speakeasy that serves as an actual barbershop during the day and a nightclub once you go past the barbershop area.
Q- Any suggestions for the best under-the-radar sites or uncommon things to do?
Jones- Visitors are often blinded by the stunning skyscrapers and flashy lights, and advertisements in Times Square and overlook the true age of New York City and all of the colonial history that surrounds it. An under-the-radar spot would be to go visit Stone Street in the Financial District, Manhattan’s only cobble-stone street built in 1632 by the Dutch East India Company, and Alexander Hamilton’s grave steps away. The world’s largest financial firms and the New York Stock Exchange are also steps away, and Stone Street is now filled with bars and restaurants for those to enjoy after working all day on Wall Street.
Q- What is your expert tip?
Jones- An expert tip would be to do your research—either in the mornings of your trips or prior to leaving- to map out attractions, restaurants, parks, and anything else you want to do via neighborhood. There are five amazing boroughs in New York City with a ton to do, and if you don’t prepare, you may waste time in transit and miss out on something you were eager to do. Also, use your resources. Sometimes, guests are intimidated by utilizing the services that are intended SOLELY for them. Having a friendly conversation with the concierge or guest services desk can open up opportunities and secret gems that can create memories to last a lifetime!
Times Square (©Vidar Nordli Mathisen)
