Simon Vogel is passionate about the Big Apple, but his wife doesn’t share his love for the city. To try to rekindle her love for the place, he planned a luxury four-day trip there – staying at what he believes is his favourite hotel ever – for their 25th wedding anniversary. But did the city that never sleeps win his wife over?

As the catchphrase goes …. I love New York. My wife not so much, which is surprising as the two of us have been there numerous times since first meeting 28 years ago.

In recent times my wife has fallen out of love with what I refer to as “the greatest place on earth”. For our silver wedding anniversary, I decided to try to persuade her fall back in love with the city and took her to New York for a decadent four-day trip.

New York is very crowded and my wife has grown to dislike that about some cities. She prefers city breaks in less crowded locations. You would be hard pushed to find any city which is not as in your face as New York. I love that, but she doesn’t.

The main reason I took her there was to see Billy Joel, whom we both love and have seen several times, in concert, plus I wanted to show her that if you stay in a different part of the city, away from tourist traps, then NYC has a completely different feel. I think I succeeded, to some extent.

Now, New York is a city where you want to be out all the time. It’s not the kind of place where the hotel is the main attraction – indeed you tend to just sleep and shower there.

On a previous trip with our daughters, we left our hotel at 8am each day, returning at midnight, for three days straight.

But this time, my wife and I were doing New York differently. Instead of staying in a midtown hotel, I chose to stay in an area I had got to love on recent visits – the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Think of it as Chelsea or Sloane Square in London – close enough to all the action but in a bubble all of its own.

The Upper East Side is the area famous for its canopied apartments and their doormen, within a stone’s throw of Central Park. It is home to the smartest shops  – in fact walking down Madison Avenue I never spotted a single price in any shop.

And while I had lots planned on our trip I also wanted us to do something we had never previously done in New York  – and that is take advantage of the hotel and use it as a base for relaxing in between all the day’s activities.

We stayed at The Mark, which confidently calls itself “New York’s most boldly lavish hotel”, winning praise from the likes of Vogue, Forbes and Conde Naste Traveler. It’s a hotel I have always admired and knew my wife would do too.

Located on Madison Avenue at 77^th Street, five-star The Mark is brilliantly located, one block from Central Park and close to the museums and galleries and in area which is not crowded with tourists.

Staying there, you feel like one of the locals which is something I love when I travel. Everything about the hotel is fantastic – from the check in to the room itself, the helpful and knowledgeable concierge and the relaxed atmosphere. Rooms start at $795 per night for two adults sharing.

On arrival in our room there was a hand written card which said : “It is a great pleasure to welcome you to The Mark. Thank you for choosing to stay with us and celebrate. Happy 25^th wedding anniversary from the entire Mark family. Have a remarkable stay with us.”

And we definitely used our stay at the hotel to our advantage, coming back for a relax in between numerous activities, having a drink in the bar or simply relaxing in the room itself.

So here’s what we did on our trip:

Day one:

After checking in at the hotel around 4pm we enjoyed a walk in the neighbourhood. It’s full of very upmarket shops and some quirky ones too. It also has some fantastic food stores.

We ate that night at TAO Uptown, an outstanding Pan Asian restaurant (42 East 58^th Street). It is about a ten minute cab journey from the hotel. It is one of the largest restaurants I have ever been to and it was packed out (main courses from $36).

The food was superb and, being America, the portions were massive (my tip is to not over order).

Service in American restaurants is also top notch and this was the case at TAO Uptown.

Afterwards, back to the hotel and a drink in its trendy bar.

Day two:

The following day we had two special activities planned, but first we enjoyed a typical New York breakfast at Nectar Coffee Shop (1090 Madison Avenue). As always, breakfast in New York is something special.

What’s so special about a breakfast in a New York diner? Firstly, it’s the atmosphere. If you’ve been raised, as I have, watching American films and comedies, then there are often scenes where people are having breakfast, so it feels like being transported there in person.

I always have breakfast in a diner, rather than in an hotel. There are numerous in the city and 90% of the customers are locals, the food is good and the service is excellent. I like to have eggs, hash browns, Toast and lots of coffee, or a smoked salmon (called ‘Lox’ in NYC) bagel ($14.95), followed by a fruit cup (literally a cup with fruit in it). Sit here and enjoy your breakfast, the chat and the interaction with the server. It’s the perfect start to a New York day.

After breakfast we went to Grand Central (89 East 42^nd Street) train station.

This might seem an unusual place to visit, but Grand Central is one of the finest train stations in the world in terms of architecture. It also houses a superb food market and some interesting shops and one of the city’s best restaurants, Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant – as well as the humorously named Cafe Grumpy!

The restaurant does of course serve oysters, but in addition has an outstanding selection of fish and seafood dishes too.

Then onto Bryant Park (located between 5^th and 6^th Avenue, between 40 and 42^nd Street). This is a lovely place, in the heart of NYC, where you can sit and relax and enjoy a coffee and forget you are slap bang in the centre of the city.

I had booked a private guide with Context Travel, to take my wife and I on a three-hour tour, highlighting New York’s Gilded Age.

The Gilded Age is the time (1870-1890s) when the wealthiest families lived and built their mansions in New York. The tour takes you to a number of the houses which still remain and the guide talks about the people that lived there and their lives.

The tour has gained popularity as there is a programme titled The Gilded Age on TV – my wife and I are big fans and the tour brought the era to life.

Our tour guide, Michelle, was outstanding and this was a fantastic way to spend three hours learning about the period and seeing first-hand the properties that were built for the families.

A return back to the hotel for some relaxation before the main event of our trip – seeing Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. We have been fortunate enough to see him in concert many times in England, but it is fair to say that his NYC performance beats those hands down.

Day three:

The following day involved lots of walking, starting off in Central Park. No visit to New York is complete without walking through Central Park.

The same goes for the High Line – in my opinion, an absolute must for any visitor to the city. The High Line (34^th Street) is a public park above the city streets.

It is around an hour’s walk and ends up in Chelsea where a visit to Chelsea Market, located in the city’s Meatpacking District, is a must.

Although it can get crowded, you still feel you are away from the crowds that throng the main streets of the city.

That night we again ate close to the hotel –  at Altesi (26^th East 64^th Street). It is a lovely, white table-clothed Italian restaurant, with superb food and service to match. Pasta dishes from $22 and ‘secondi piatti’ from $32).

Unsure about how much to tip in NYC? My advice is to grit your teeth and just do it. Tipping in NYC is in the DNA. You can’t not tip. When the bill comes, that’s just the start. As well as the tip, you have to add in local taxes. In a restaurant, bar or diner, the minimum tip should be 15% but, in reality, you always leave 20%.

Even in Starbucks, when you pay contactless, it will pop up and ask if you wish to leave a tip. On these occasions, however, I didn’t leave a tip. For taxis, add a 20% tip and $2-3 for someone getting you a taxi at the hotel. For a chambermaid, work on $10 per day, paid when you leave.

Day four:

Having avoided the madness of Times Square, we encountered it on our final day as we went to Broadway to see the musical version of Some like it Hot (the 1950s film with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon). The musical was wonderful and a fitting way to finish our holiday.
We still had a few hours left before heading to the airport, so we walked from 5^th avenue up Madison Avenue to our hotel.

I asked my wife what she thought of the trip, hoping I had helped rekindle her love for the Big Apple. She said that she had loved it, especially all the activities and that staying at The Mark had been a fantastic bonus. But she wasn’t in a hurry to rush back!

For me, my love has grown.