Around the World
IN 80 BLOCKS

In New York City, you can travel the globe without leaving the ground. By Tracy Walsh

Some call The Big Apple the capital of the world, and for good reason. Where else can you quaff sake at a Caribbean art exhibit before heading off to a churrascaria next to an Italian wine bar? And in NYC, you don’t need a passport or a bit of foreign currency to hop from country to country. Pick up a MetroCard and you’re good to go.

Using the Beaux-Arts Grand Central Terminal as your launching point, you can travel anywhere from Toledo to Timbuktu in 80 blocks—less than an hour on the subway—and explore the globe packed onto a tiny island.

Temple of DendurAFRICA They say that the best place to begin is at the beginning, and 1500 BC is about as close as you can get in this city. That’s when The Obelisk, a 71-foot-tall monument, first rose over the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis. Painstakingly shipped across the Atlantic, it has reigned over east Central Park (near 81st Street) for more than a hundred years—a long time by American standards, but a blip in its 35-century history.

Just two millennia old, the Egyptian Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a youngster in comparison. Perhaps that’s why it draws a youthful crowd; this reassembled Nubian temple is the setting for the Met’s annual Costume Institute Gala Benefit, which has attracted high-profile stars such as Giorgio Armani, Venus and Serena Williams, and George Clooney.

Eldorado screened at
Alliance FrançaisFast forward about 2,000 years, and head to Harlem for a look at what modern Africa has to offer. The Contemporary African Art Gallery, on 108th Street, hosts artists from across the continent. Their work often reflects European modernists like Pablo Picasso, who were themselves inspired by early African sculpture. To see those muses, head to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which has a fine collection of early West African art.

You’ve probably worked up an appetite at this point, so journey to the neighborhood known as Little Senegal on 116th street for a taste of West Africa. Africa Restaurant, Inc., is a great spot to watch FIFA soccer while eating foufou (mixed lamb and fish with okra and plantain). Finish up with a sweet crème brûlée at Patisserie Des Ambassades.

ASIA Another day, another continent. Start at the Rubin Museum of Art on West 17th Street. One of New York’s lesser-known gems, this museum of Himalayan art is hosting a special exhibition of gilt sculptures and painted tapestries from Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. For a more modern take, head to the Japan Society Gallery for “New Bamboo,” opening Oct. 4. The show’s 88 cutting-edge bamboo sculptures range from ethereal to angry-looking.

live music at Mehanata
Bulgarian BarFor a midday break, catch a matinee at The ImaginAsian Theater on 59th Street, which screens anime, Bollywood musicals and other films from Asia. The selections can be silly—a recent one was about murderous hair extensions—but highbrow fare appears, too.

Hungry yet? Head down to the Lower East Side and grab dinner at stylish Kampuchea, a Cambodian eatery with excellent crêpes and a mouthwatering tiger shrimp sandwich (lunch is available Fridays through Sundays). Then grab an after-dinner drink at Decibel sake bar, an easy-to-miss underground lair with more than 50 sakes.

Koreatown isn’t the most picturesque neighborhood—being right next to Penn Station is both a blessing and a curse— but it boasts an excellent array of Korean eateries. Grab a table with a built-in barbecue and feast on gogi gui (grilled meat) or bi bim bap (rice mixed with sautéed vegetables). Then rent a private room at Chorus Karaoke; bottle service is available, so you can get properly tipsy before offering your best Avril Lavigne.

THE AMERICAS The International Caribbean Art Fair is coming to town Nov. 6-9, when island artwork will fill a 22,000-square-foot former nightclub in the Chelsea Gallery District. Why not take this opportunity to find some proof of your international journey to put on your living room wall?

New York is packed with excellent churrascarias (prix-fixe restaurants that serve traditional Brazilian barbecue), and the upscale Plataforma is one of the best. The fare includes whole suckling pig and salmon in addition to traditional beef and pork. For a change of pace, try the Brazilian regional home cooking at Casa. The lula frita (breaded squid with limes) is a delightful contrast to the savory, organic chicken.

And for jaw-droppingly good Mexican food, the upscale fare at Toloache can’t be beat. The spacious bilevel dining room in the Theater District is the perfect place to sample ceviche, spicy fish tacos and almost 100 types of tequila.

Finally, you can’t miss a show at the legendary S.O.B.’s—“Sounds of Brazil”—which also hosts Haitian dance parties, Venezuelan pop stars and Cuban salsa masters alongside Bhangra DJs and Afropop acts.

EUROPE Get up early and start at the Upper East Side’s Neue Gallerie, a Beaux-Arts mansion housing German and Austrian art. Gustav Klimt’s shimmering Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which made headlines when it sold for a record $135 million, is still the showstopper. After exploring, treat yourself to classic Viennese coffee and dark chocolate cake at the museum’s café.

The East Side is also home to several foreign-run cultural venues, including the Spanish Instituto Cervantes, German Goethe-Institut and the Alliance Française, which presents the Crossing the Line festival (Sept. 16-Oct 5.), spotlighting France’s best theater, dance and multimedia art.

For an upscale dinner, you can’t do any better than Adour, Alain Ducasse’s French confection. Located in the St. Regis hotel, Adour offers a small menu of refined fare and an extensive selection of fine wines. If you have $110 to spare, spring for the seasonal tasting menu. If Italy is more to your taste, head to Gramercy’s I Trulli Enoteca E Ristorante and indulge in one of more than 450 Italian wines.

But if it’s the dance floor that calls you, there’s plenty of fun to be had at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar, a Lower East Side spot that calls itself the “original home of Gypsy-dancehall-mania-discoteka.”

Bulgarian dance parties, Egyptian temples, Cambodian crêpes, Antiguan art—you can find practically anything in New York City. And you don’t need a year off from work to experience it. All you need are a few days and a MetroCard.

MIDWEST AIRLINES offers daily flights to and from New York City. Details can be found at midwestairlines.com.