Cindy Crawford’s New York
As one of the original supermodels, CINDY CRAWFORD was a principal figure on the New York fashion scene in the ’90s. She may have arrived in 1986 as a small-town girl from Illinois, but by the turn of the decade, she had become a ‘Glamazon’, spending her days shooting in Manhattan’s industrial Meatpacking District and her nights dancing ’til dawn at nearby clubs Nell’s or Peggy Sue’s. Now, despite her West Coast base in Malibu, the supermodel still gets her fix of the Big Apple during regular trips there with her model daughter, Kaia Gerber, showing her the eternal charms of her beloved New York.
For a chic escape
“I’ve lived all over Manhattan, from West Greenwich to Nolita and the Upper East Side. I live in California now, but I visit New York once a month. For a fun downtown vibe, I like to stay at The Greenwich or The Mercer, as the mix of people is really eclectic – you never know who you’re going to run into. Or, for a slice of pure old-school New York, nothing beats The Carlyle.”
For a cool brunch spot
“The Meatpacking District in Manhattan used to be a no-go area – no one would venture there apart from the fashion crowd, because lots of photographers’ studios were there. If you had an early call time, you would see meat slabs hanging on huge hooks dripping blood into the gutter. I remember when working slaughterhouses lined the streets, rather than the cool boutiques, galleries and bars that are there now. The Standard Grill, underneath the High Line, is practically an institution and a great brunch spot.”
For dinner à deux
“I always go to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant ABC Kitchen, or any of his other venues. When I first came to New York, I was a small-town girl living this very glamorous life where everything was fresh and new. There were always amazing dinners at SoHo bistro Raoul’s or Indochine, a great French-Vietnamese restaurant.”
For a night out
“In the ’90s, we’d always go to Nell’s nightclub or Peggy Sue’s bar after dinner, sadly neither of which exist anymore. There’s still a little place I love to go to in Greenwich Village called Tortilla Flats that’s really fun – there’s dancing, margaritas and great Mexican food. For martinis and jazz, you can’t beat the charm of Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle.”