Best of Manhattan 2024: Recreation

BEST ROCK CLIMBING

Vital Climbing Gym

1506 Lexington Ave.

212-410-7070 ext. 2

www.vitalclimbing.com

While pickleball and its attendant controversies over noise and the use of public space has gotten more popular attention, the other great urban fitness phenomenon of recent years—rock climbing—has been thriving largely out of site. The reasons for this are manifold. First, there aren’t many outdoor climbing spots in the city. Second, indoor climbing offers far better hours, weather, variety, sand safety to climbers of all ages and abilities. Take Vital Climbing on the UES, which offers 24/7 member access as well as ample hours for day pass climbers. Numerous classes, group and private instruction and youth programs are available both here and at a West Harlem location at 3225 Broadway at 129th Street.

Central Rock Gym

21 West End Ave.

212-265-7625

centralrockgym.com/manhattan

People can and do rock climb in Central Park but far more area climbers—aspiring and veterans both—head over to Central Rock gym, which is something like paradise for the Upper West Side climbing set. The numbers tell only part of the story: 12,000 square foot facility with 10,000 square feet of climbing, 2,000 feet of other fitness and training space (yoga, weights, calisthenics, hang boards), 400 linear feet of bouldering—that’s a lot of fancy footwork, reaches and handholds! There’s top rope, bouldering and auto belay climbing too. No wonder everyone looks so powerful and ecstatic, even when they (safely) fall. Youth programs, classes, gear rental—it’s all here, and climbers, bursting with muscular humanity, in general couldn’t be more welcoming.

Chelsea Piers

West Side Highway at 23rd St.

212-336-6666

www.sports.chelseapiers.com

Though Chelsea Piers needs no introduction as a recreation destination, the fact that they also have a climbing gym, and related programs isn’t so well known. Why climb, instead of any sport or fitness routine? First of all, it’s tremendous fun. Second, it’s a great challenge, both physically and mentally, yet one that offers satisfying, graduated progression for beginners. Third, as much as other any other exercises and more than many, you gain a tremendous sense of physical pride and self-assurance, knowing that your body—and your mind—can do these things that once seemed technically daunting. (Relatedly, think about what the sailors of Melville’s Moby Dick looked like with all their climbing and rope work.) While one can achieve all this climbing outdoors too, hello, this is lower Manhattan—you’re at sea level, there are no boulders or palisades here. Chelsea Piers has 11,000 square feet of climbing—do the math!

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BEST BIKE ROUTES

Harlem River Special

This route offers East Siders a panoramic river adventure into and out of two boroughs, Manhattan and the Bronx. Access the East River Greenway at East 78th and head north. If so inclined, one can cross over to Randall’s Island at 103rd Street and while this is a side trip worth taking, first timers should keep going to East 116th Street. Proceed up 1st Avenue to the Willis Avenue Bridge; there will be a bike and pedestrian entrance on your left. Explore the Bronx at will, starting here in Mott Haven. To return, mimic the New York City marathon and the Five Boro Bike Tour route by bopping over to 138th Street and the Madison Avenue Bridge will bring you back to Harlem. If you’ve never seen it, the Keith Haring handball court murals at Crack Is Wack Playground at E. 128th St and 2nd Ave. are a must see.

Hudson Heights Hills

This great Manhattan neighborhood is always worth exploring, and offers superior terrain for working out too. Head north by whatever means you prefer—Morningside Drive to Amsterdam Avenue is always fun but any route is fine as long as you get to the foot of Fort Washington Avenue at Broadway and 159th Street. Head north on Fort Washinton Avenue, passing through the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital complex, under the George Washington Bridge and keep going all the way to Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters. There is a lot to explore here, both in the back and surrounding area. We love to zig-zag down to the Broadway valley, do some hill repeats, and then get some food or coffee back on Fort Washington. Buuni Coffee, Dutch Baby Bakery and Kismat Indian Restaurant and are all recommended. Tired and now stuffed? Take the A train home from 184th Street.

Brooklyn Bridge bound

Roll on over to the Brooklyn Bridge, today we’re “outer borough” bound! Enjoy the recently opened road level bike lane, which will deposit you, cosmopolitan Manhattan, into the crossroads that is Tillary and Adams Streets on the edge of Brooklyn Heights. Turn right on Tillary and again at the Federal Courthouse on Cadman Plaza East, pausing briefly at Cadman Plaza and Walt Whitman Park (the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass was printed nearby). Crossing under the Bridge and BQE, you’ll be on Washington Street, from where you’ll see the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. While Brooklyn Bridge Park offers an abundance of attractions, this reporter suggests heading south to Red Hook, parts of which figure in Arthur Miller’s 1955 play A View from a Bridge and Jonathan Lethem’s 2023 masterpiece Brooklyn Crime Novel. Bushed and maybe tipsy after Van Brunt Street bar hopping? Take the ferry back!

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BEST PICKLEBALL

City Pickle

Central Park Wollman Rink, Long Island City

www.city-pickle.com

With open space at a premium, UES picklers are a little more challenged than some other Gothamites to play the favorite game. Where there are at least two paddles and a net, however, there’s a way and the aptly named City Pickle has its people covered. For indoor play, the company’s location in nearby Long Island City, Queens, just off 59th Street Bridge is an attractive year-round option. For outdoor play, their seasonal facility at Wollman Rink in Central Park is something like an urban pickle paradise. It will be noted with puzzlement that while City Pickle does not publish their phone number, they will allow you to download a City Pickle “app.” Thwack?

Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center

334 Amsterdam Ave.

646-505-4444

mmjccm.org/pickleball

If you thought that Jewish Community Centers were mostly about shabbat, mahjong, this or that charity, Israeli folk songs and the like—all wonderful things—think again. Always a diverse and dynamic institution, the former Manhattan JCC (it was renamed to honor a long-time patron in 2018) also features numerous wellness and fitness programs, including the racket game du jour, pickleball. As perhaps no other venue can claim, the setting here is kosher, picklers!

Court 16

28 Liberty St.

718-875-5550

www.court16.com/manhattan-fidi

Deep in the financial district, in a building set in what they call One Chase Manhattan Plaza might be the most architecturally notable pickle palace in town. Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 813 feet tall building opened in 1961. In the south plaza stands an Isamu Noguchi-designed Japanese rock garden – stunning! Conveniently located near many trains, Court 16 offers tennis and pickeball programs to all levels and ages of racquet enthusiasts though ceilings lower than a traditional indoor tennis dome makes most lobs off limits.

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BEST MANICURE

Sapphire Nails & Spa

1527 York Ave

212-988-1891

www.sapphirespanyc.com

A full-service nail salon and spa catering to both women and the occasionally enlightened man who might wander in, tired of being a schlub or embarrassed about his feet. It’s okay, fellas, we know few of you were raised to take pride in your personal aesthetics—as if you’re once cute toddler toes have no place on the rugged, self-contained man you became. Pshaw! Pedicures and manicures are for everyone, facials and waxing too. Look at the great stars on international cycling like the brilliant Belgian Lotte Kopecky or the unsurpassable Slovnenian, Tadej Pogačar, their legs smooth as a baby’s bottom. If you happen to be cyclist yourself, Sapphire also offers massage— ahhhhhh.

Emi Aoki Nails

646-820-3433

www.instagram.com/emi_aoki_nails

If you ever had any question about whether manicures can be art, a quick to visit Emi Aoki’s Instagram page will quickly convince that she’s something like an artistic genius. Couple that with an unrivaled attention to detail, an easygoing, warm personality, and the use of high-quality Japanese gels that last and it’s obvious why she’s so revered. Aoki works by appointment only in a secret location on the Upper West Side. Call for details.

Gilded Ritual

149 Reade St.

644-398-8353

www.gildedritual.com

When you’re down and troubled—or when you’re feeling fantastic and just wants fingers and tootsies to match—Gilded Ritual does you right. Specializing in Russian manicures which employ an e-file to precisely trim cuticles and remove dead skin around the nail bed, Gilded Ritual also offers nail extensions, Japanese Naked manicures, and pedicures as you desire.

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BEST FITNESS CLUB

Mayweather Boxing & Fitness

97 Reade St.

212-202-3212

www.mayweather.fitness

Boxing isn’t just for beating up people and hasn’t been for a long time. Miles Davis trained like a boxer, Bob Dylan too. Locally, Elizabeth Lamere, a lawyer and musician who was married to and collaborated the late great artist Alan Vega (born Bermowitz, 1938-2016) is also known for her pugilistic talents. Indeed, more women than many people realize are avid boxers, and some are boxing coaches too; now that’s empowerment! Highly inclusive in its programming, Mayweather also offers boxing and fitness-related workout group classes, ranging from 30 to 90 minutes long. Individual instruction is also available. Go get ‘em champ!

Complete Body

301 E. 57th St.

212-777-7703

www.completebody.com

Complete Body is an upscale fitness club with four Manhattan locations; the others are in Union Square, Chelsea and FiDi. While some people prefer a more spartan approach to the workout regime, there’s much to be said for the setting and amenities Complete Body offers, including a massages and facials spa, a sauna and cafe in addition to a wide array of classes and personal training. If you thrive in a group exercise environment, Comple Body’s spin, cross training, pilates and cardio-oriented pulse classes all intrigue. Yoga, Zumba and aquatic exercises in their four lane mini-pool are also available.

Momentum

246 Columbus Ave.

917-426-3492

www.momentumfitnessnyc.com

People who love Momentum Fitness really love it. This might seem axiomatic but look around and listen: many bigger and ostensibly “fancier” names in the fitness business have their issues with malcontents. This isn’t even a criticism, per se: the more people you’re involved with, the more likely some interaction will go wrong. Led by its founder, owner and chief trainer, Marco Guanilo, Momentum has managed to avoid all such pitfalls by focusing on people, not publicity or self-promotion. The accolades will come though Guanilo, a humble guru, chooses not to bask in them. Opened in 2010, Momentum offers private and semi-private workouts that utilizes a full RKC Kettlebell set, CST Clubbells, full Olympic Weightlifting set, power rack and cable columns as well as TRX Training, Olympic Rings for body weight and gymnastics training.

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BEST WALKS

Kips Bay Shuffle

If you’re neither here nor there on the East Side, you might be in Kips Bay—let’s explore! Let’s start at East 23rd Street and First Avenue—the ruffians of Peter Cooper Village and “Stuy Town” decidedly at our back— and walk north past Bellevue Hospital, and past the NYU Langone Medical Center (oh how many babies were born here though!) up to 35th Street and St. Vartan Park. Walk its perimeter twice, once clockwise heading towards 1st Avenue, once counterclockwise, noting how it’s bisected by an approach street to the Midtown Tunnel. Return to 34th Street, then head south down 3rd Avenue, refreshing yourself in whatever restaurant or cafe seems most intriguing. This reporter recommends Moka & Co. at 416 3rd Ave.

Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb?

It’s easy to take our monuments for granted and that’s why “Best Of” is here to cajole you out of complacency. No, check that: it’s not your complacency, it’s a popular culture that too often neglects its own history, even while paying convenient fealty to some imagined version of “history” when it bolsters their chosen cause. Well, the Ulysses S. Grant’s cause was the Union and if he was a flawed man both before and after the Civil War, he was the mostly brilliant, always stalwart general who hastened the end of slavery in the United States. He was also, near the end of his life (1822-1825), a startlingly great memoirist—which is another reason he was beloved and is buried at Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street. Pick up West End Avenue wherever you like and head north where it turns into Broadway. When you get home, watch the Ossie Davis’ directed masterpiece, Cotton Comes to Harlem (1971), which features the greatest Riverside Drive chase scene in cinematic history.

Tour de Lower Manhattan Libraries

With the sun still rising in the east, we begin the great Seward Park Library on East Broadway. Is this the Lower East Side or Chinatown? The answer today is both! The same goes for stop number two, the Chatham Square branch. The feeling here is very Chinese but with a remnant of an old Shearith Israel Hebrew cemetery on nearby James Street, things aren’t always as they seem. From here, zig-zag your way west across Bowery, through the heart of old Chinatown (Pell Street and Bayard), stop to do some pull ups at Columbus Park and keep zigging and zagging until you reach City Hall Park. Cross through in the middle and there’s Murray Street, where between Broadway and Church is the NYPL Amsterdam Branch. It’s a good, modern space, though a bit small. Keep going west on Murray crossing West Street and shortly you’ll be at North End Avenue and the Battery Park City Library—a true hidden gem among the branches. Tell ‘em “Best of” sent you and then head up to the Brookfield Place food court for coffee, tacos, bagels and other sustenance. This route can satisfyingly be done backwards too.