Traveling to Paris shouldn't mean leaving behind the comforts of NY, but it also shouldn't require visiting Paris, NY, not when Utica is soooo close! Thankfully, NY's W Hotels just christened a boutique spot (W Paris - Opera) in the real City of Lights, converting a Haussmann-era relic into 91 chandeliered rooms sporting space-age touches from light-speckled ceilings resembling futuristic switchboards, to internet connectivity that floats through the air like black magic
When not utterly freaking out European guests with vein-exploding CrossFit exercises in the Sweat Fitness Center, you can undo your hard work at one of the city's most anticipated new restaurants, Arola, where the dual-Michelin-starred, eponymous, Catalonian chef will be serving "pica pica" (i.e., finger food) like suckling pig terrine, Iberian pork "presa" w/ hot Basque peppers & Idiazabal cheese, and bacalao w/ black olives & farm caviar (so... eggs?)
And when not utterly freaking out European guests with vein-exploding pica consumption, hit the lobby bar for more of Chef Arola's snacks (smoked tuna pizza, potato chips w/ truffle emulsion & quail eggs...) and mix-stronomical delights, from the Blood and Sand Reformula w/ "cherry blood" & "almond sand", to the Mediterranean Mermaid Manhattan: anchovy-washed bourbon, bitters, and sweet vermouth strained into a glass "atomized" with dry vermouth, so yeah, they expect you to have a strong reaction
Should you ever stumble outside, right nearby's Frenchie (an unfussy, mod-industrial bistro that was one of 2011's most popular debuts thanks to seasonal bites like pork belly & golden chanterelle gnudi) and the Experimental Cocktail Club, where you can preview the upcoming NYC iteration's speakeasy-esque 'tails including the vodka/lemongrass/basil/elderflower Experience 1, approximately one more than they have in Paris, NY.
