New York boom time as Aussies flock to Big Apple

The city that “has it all”

No matter what tickles your fancy, New York City always has something fun, exciting or adventurous to do, and these days there’s always something new. Its five boroughs – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – are brimming with authentic and cultural experiences, as well as a constant supply of developments and new openings.

Holidays and business travel aside,  Australians are jumping on the wave of excitement too in industries of fashion, film, finance and food. Former AFL champ Jobe Watson is a another recent example of an Aussie taking more than a bite out of the Big Apple – his cafe Hole in the Wall in the finance district is a big hit, so much so that he’s also bought an F45 franchise in Williamsburg and is reportedly on the hunt for another cafe.

“We have it all,” says a chipper Christopher Heywood, NYC & Company’s senior vice president of global communications. Heywood was in Melbourne recently with a team from New York City’s official marketing and tourism body promoting the Big Apple’s extraordinary range of developments, hotel brands and airport enhancements among countless other things “new” on the way in NYC.

“From Little Italy in the Bronx to exploring the International Express Subway line in Queens, No.7, our most multicultural borough where the US Open takes place, to enjoying gospel music and jazz in Harlem. We have it all. Not to mention our icons, which are tried and true places to go,” he adds.

Rising above the politics

Last year was a record breaking year for NYC with 62.8 million visitors, despite currency fluctuations and protectionist policies. New York City is seemingly robust enough to not be impacted by those distractions.

“We are doing all we can to look beyond politics involving the world. NYC stands apart as a city people want to visit – we’re expecting the visitor growth to continue to 65 million in the coming year. New York really is king when it comes to attracting overseas visitors and with a higher tourism spend than any other city in the US destination,” Heywood says.

So why is Australia so important? Nowadays it’s New York’s fifth largest overseas market, with almost 700,000 visitors last year. We, as a nation, have never been more important to New York in a tourism sense.

“The Australian market is critically important to New York tourism. And as we know, Aussies stay longer than other international travellers with an average length of stay nine days,” Heywood says. “They explore more and they spend more, in fact double the average overseas visitor.”

Qantas Dreamliners to Hong Kong and beyond including New York

Room boom & airport makeovers

New York City has the most active hotel development pipeline in the United States with 117,000 rooms currently available but by the end of the year that number is expected to increase to 138,000 by the end of 2020.

Exciting developments evolving through the remainder of 2018 and next year include the Times Square Edition, a new citizen M Hotel, a Six Senses in Chelsea and a 512-room TWA Hotel at JFK Airport.

“We just can’t believe the sheer number of hotels and brands popping up in the destination,” Heywood says. “It’s clearly a great investment but it’s also extraordinary what’s going on from an infrastructure standpoint – we are investing all over the place.”

That includes every single airport in NYC undergoing a significant enhancement with an investment of $60 billion on aviation and airports at LaGuardia Airport, JFK, Newark and New York International at Stewart Field.

“Of course, without that investment and improvement we wouldn’t be able to sustain our tourism growth,” Heywood says.

“We also have the New York City Ferry which was introduced just last year, and we have new subway lines. For the price of a subway token, $2.75, you can ride the new ferry now, so it’s sort of like the Blue Highway of New York. It’s all new.”

The ferry now has four routes, servicing South Brooklyn, Long Island City, Astoria and the Rockaways in Queens.

High Line, museums & Hudson Yards

Public art is also a growing trend in New York, with the High Line drawing visitors by the droves, becoming as big a free attraction as Central Park. In fact, the High Line area on West 30^th Street and 10^th Avenue is a major landmark destination for public art commissions opening next year.

Neighbouring the High Line and Javits Center on Manhattan’s far west side, Hudson Yards is the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and will feature more than 100 shops, restaurants, about 4000 residences, a new centre for artistic invention, 14 acres of public open space and more.

Highlights include a $1.5 billion expansion of the Javits Center, The Shed opening in March 2019 (a large arts centre presenting all types of performing arts, visual arts and pop culture and more), and also opening in March will be Vessel, the centrepiece of the Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens – a 14-storey Vessel featuring 154 interconnecting flights of stairs and more than 2500 individual steps with 80 landings.

The Empire State Building only today announced the completion of the initial phase of its re-imagined Observatory. The entrance has officially switched from 5th Avenue to 20 West 34th Street guests will continue to exit on 5th Avenue (see picture above).

What’s new in dining & nightlife

New York, of course, is another city that never sleeps and nightlife and dining options evolve and there’s always something new cooking.

This year, 1960s themed bar The Woodstock re-energised the Meatpacking District with pizza named for icons of the era and cocktails served in light bulbs, along with 24 original Salvador Dali paintings, snapshots from the Woodstock festival, and JFK campaign posters. Tiffany’s has unleashed Blue Box Cafe with prix fixe American breakfast, lunch or tea in a robin’s-egg blue room, and Manhatta is a new restaurant from Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, combining sky-high views with the down-to-earth spirit of a neighborhood spot. Chef Jason Pfeifer cooks seasonal and soulful food inspired by French flavors, complemented by a wine menu deep in Burgundy.

Brooklyn Cider House showcases Spanish Basque Country-style hard cider in an onsite restaurant and bar, Manhatta is Danny Meyer’s new restaurant 60 storeys above the Financial District with 360-degree views, and Pastis is another Meatpacking District gem that will reopen soon.

MoMA, Broadway and WorldPride

Set to take place in New York City in June 2019, the global celebration of WorldPride will coincide with the historic 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots—the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement—making it a year to underscore New York City’s progress and resilience as a global LGBTQ capital.

Elsewhere, the Museum of Modern Art has undergone extensive renovations with goals of the project being threefold: to increase gallery space one third to 175,000 square feet to exhibit significantly more of its diverse collection; to provide visitors with a more welcoming and comfortable experience, and to better connect the museum “to the urban fabric of midtown Manhattan”.

Broadway is as vibrant as ever with big ticket attractions on the way including Moulin Rouge, The Devil Wears Prada and Beetlejuice among many more.

For more information about all that’s new and what’s on in New York City visit the official online guide