Meeting in New York City
Published : May 2008
Business trips to New York don't have to be all... well, business. Tom Hall, Lonely Planet travel editor, tells all
Few cities have such a special aura about them as New York City. It is so familiar you don’t need a map, yet startling in its size and complexity.
New York is the only city on earth to rival London’s cosmopolitan mix but New Yorkers will all delight in being as brash and in-your-face as the stereotypes suggest. It is one of the best cities in the world to eat, drink, shop and party.
Not that you get much of a chance to experience any of this on business. It doesn’t matter how exciting a city is; without time to see it you may as well be in Middlesbrough as Manhattan.
Seasoned transatlantic travellers head for Heathrow without much more than a shrug, a laptop and a few spare shirts. New York is a fearsomely hardworking city, and if you’re there to work that’s what you’ll do.
NYC can’t really get any closer – but it is going to get easier and, just maybe, cheaper to get there.
The US/EU Open Skies agreement, which came into force in April, makes it possible for any airline with a landing slot to fly any route between the US and Europe. Most early activity has seen airlines adding capacity to New York – there are already 7,000 extra seats available every week. While higher fuel prices should mean few economy-class deals, competition for business class and higher will be fierce.
With business-only players like Silverjet also competing for high-spending execs, look for deals this summer. In terms of doing business, you probably already know what to expect.
New York workers are proud of their city’s pre-eminence in finance and law and know there’s a certain something about coming here to meet and deal.
Concessions to jetlag are few – redeye regulars know you’ve done it the easy way coming west – and hours are likely to be long. You should expect straighttalking, hard-nosed deal making and, just maybe, a hug or two when everything’s done. Playing on oldworld Britishness often works a treat in combating this. If your colleagues can hear your accent, see your formidable manners and hear about your experience here they may not say so but they’ll be both impressed and, just maybe, a little intimidated.
Hopefully you’ll get just a little time to yourself to see the world’s most exciting city. The good news is that you don’t need long. With an hour you can escape for a run along the Hudson River trafficfree path (or if you’re further uptown, do the same in Central Park) or take a ride on the (free) Staten Island Ferry for great views of downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. A stroll onto Brooklyn Bridge is another class New York experience that won’t take up too much of your day.
When the deal is done, New York has an enviable collection of bars, restaurants and clubs to choose from. Lower Manhattan is best for breakfast and lunch: if you’re working here, do your playing elsewhere. The nearest decent ‘hoods are Tribeca and Soho, while the Meatpacking District has been the place for a very, very cool night out for a while. If you ask your colleagues to show you cutting-edge New York don’t be surprised if they bundle you onto a subway or into a can to Brooklyn.
This borough has become the hipster hangout in the city – especially Fort Greene and Williamsburg. Microbrew pubs and a great live music scene make for a great place to wind down. New York, ultimately, needn’t be big and scary. It is indeed massive, but it is easily broken down into neighbourhoods that can be swiftly explored. There are wonderful views at every turn and always a New Yorker to tell you the next best place. Go, work hard, then get out and see it.
