THANKSGIVING IN NEW YORK

The tour starts in the early evening on Sunday 23 November, at the WestHouse Hotel New York.

The tour ends in the morning on Thursday 4 December, at the WestHouse Hotel New York.

Flights from Australia arrive in New York in the late afternoon. If you have arrived early we suggest you take the AIA harbour cruise today (Academy Travel can arrange bookings). In the evening, meet your tour leader and fellow travellers in the hotel for introductions. Dinner follows at Serafina, a stylish local favourite serving classic Italian fare in New York for over 30 years. Overnight New York (D)

We start the day ascending the Top of the Rock for the best view of Manhattan and beyond, including Central Park and the Empire State Building. After exploring the Art-Deco masterpiece Rockefeller Center, we then tour through the Midtown district with its unique mid-century architecture, finishing at Grand Central Terminal – the Beaux Arts gem. We break for lunch here, with the option in the afternoon to continue to see the Chrysler Building, the United Nations and Kips Bay. Tonight, we have a welcome dinner at La Grande Boucherie, a dazzling French restaurant in the heart of Midtown. Overnight New York (B, D)

We continue our exploration of New York’s unique history and architecture in the Downtown area, where the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam was founded in the 17th century, as well as Wall Street and the heart of the financial district so central to New York’s rise. Sights include the 9/11 Memorial, the Woolworth Building and New York City Hall. We then enjoy lunch at the historic Fraunces Tavern, once a hub of revolutionary activity where Washington famously bid farewell to his troops. In the evening, we kick off our performances with the much-anticipated Broadway revival of Chess, the musical written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. This new production reunites Tony-winner Aaron Tveit as American grandmaster Freddie Trumper and Emmy-nominee Lea Michele as Florence Vassey, with Nicholas Christopher as Annie’s fierce Soviet rival Anatoly Sergievsky. Originally opening in London in 1986 and famously staged on Broadway in 1988, the musical returns with a stunning new direction by Michael Mayer and an updated book by Danny Strong. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Performance I
Venue:  Imperial Theatre, 249 W 45th St
Program: Broadway Musical, Chess

Today we visit the Guggenheim Museum on the Upper East Side. Frank Lloyd Wright’s last architectural masterpiece, the Guggenheim is a radical departure from the typical museum layout. We will inspect the building and tour the collection before free time to explore further on your own. This afternoon we visit the Frick Collection, an exceptional museum of European Old Master paintings housed in the former mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. Recently reopened after a major renovation, the museum offers a refined viewing experience, with masterpieces by artists such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Gainsborough elegantly displayed in the restored Gilded Age interiors. In the evening, we head to Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall for an evening with the New York Philharmonic and a thrilling program led by Stéphane Denève. World-famous French pianist Jean‑Yves Thibaudet will star in Khachaturian’s rarley-performed Piano Concerto, one of the Armenian composer’s greatest triumphs. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance II
Venue: Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center
Program: Lera Auerbach’s Icarus (New York Premiere), Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus, Respighi’s Pines of Rome
Artists: New York Philharmonic, Stéphane Denève (Conductor), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)

We celebrate Thanksgiving today, beginning with the Macy’s Parade, New York’s favourite event and the world’s biggest parade, with spectacular floats and displays to bring a smile to all age groups. We then feast on a traditional American Thanksgiving banquet at Benoit New York, a contemporary French/American bistro by Alain Ducasse. For those who wish to walk off lunch, we will take an optional stroll through Central Park in the afternoon, whose landscaping has been described as New York’s largest work of art. Our walk will take in some of the carefully sculpted vistas the park provides, including the Belvedere and the Bethesda Terrace, as we discuss the history and creation of this unique urban space. The evening is at leisure. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

This morning, we will take a tour of the areas around Bryant Park, Herald Square and the Empire State Building. We’ll take a look at the New York Public Library, and then take a guided tour of one of New York City’s often-overlooked gems – the Morgan Library. Once the private residence and library of the financier J.P. Morgan, it contains an exquisite collection of extremely rare manuscripts and books. With the Black Friday sales in full swing, the afternoon is free for you to shop till your heart’s content, if you so desire. This evening we enjoy a performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center in their magnificent auditorium overlooking Central Park. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance III
Venue: Jazz at Lincoln Center
Program: To be advised

This morning we’ll take the subway downtown to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the great icons of New York. Once in Brooklyn, we’ll get a chance to see the famous brownstones and commanding views of Manhattan. After time for lunch in the iconic DUMBO district, we’ll head over to the Brooklyn Museum to see the highlights of one of the most diverse and interesting art collections in the city, including Judy Chicago’s iconic Dinner Party. The evening sees us head to the Lincoln Center for a true New York experience – dinner at the famous Grand Tier Restaurant, followed by a performance of Strauss’s Arabella the Metropolitan Opera. This elegant romance brings the glamour and enchantment of 19th-century Vienna to the Met stage in a sumptuous production by legendary director Otto Schenk. Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen makes her role debut as the title heroine, a young noblewoman in search of love on her own terms. Radiant soprano Louise Alder makes her Met debut as her sister, Zdenka, and bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny is the dashing count who sweeps Arabella off her feet. Overnight New York (B, D)

Performance IV
Venue: Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center
Program: Opera, Strauss’s Arabella
Artists: Rachel Willis-Sørensen (Arabella), Louise Alder (Zdenka), Julie Roset (Fiakermilli), Karen Cargill (Adelaide), Pavol Breslik (Matteo), Tomasz Konieczny (Mandryka)

For early risers, we enjoy the opportunity to participate in a Gospel church service in Harlem, as joyous music carries the powerful message of praise, sacrifice and hope, before taking in some of the other northern Manhattan sights, including the home of founding father Alexander Hamilton – The Grange, a dignified outpost in a pretty park in Harlem. Returning to the hotel in the afternoon, we freshen up before a matinee show on Broadway. After the show, there will be the option to walk the connecting High Line – a beautiful urban park situated on a former elevated rail line above the chic Chelsea and Meatpacking districts. The evening is at leisure. (Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance V
Venue: Broadway Theatre
Program: To be advised

Today begins with a special private, before-hours tour of the Neue Galerie, housed in a gorgeous Beaux-Arts mansion on 5th Avenue. Specializing in German and Austrian art, it has become a must-see after the famous acquisition of Gustav Klimt’s Woman in Gold. From there it is just a short walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a cultural icon of the city with more than 50 departments covering the entirety of art’s long history. After time for lunch in cafeteria, you may like to join your tour leader on guided walk through the American Wing and some of the highlights of that section, such as Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware. Tonight, we enjoy New York City’s favorite holiday celebration – the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, showcasing dance and choreography at Radio City Music Hall since 1932. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance VI
Venue: Radio City Music Hall
Program: The Rockettes, Christmas Spectacular

Today we see a slice of New York’s storied past, taking the subway down to the Lower East Side where millions of immigrants have started their American journey. We begin with a guided tour at the Tenement Museum, which uniquely preserves some of the apartments and stories of several 19th century immigrant families. We then head down to visit the beautifully restored Eldridge Street Synagogue, a legacy of New York’s history of Jewish immigration. Afterwards, we’ll have time to tour and have lunch in Little Italy, famous for its Christmas cheer and once the heart of the Italian community and the New York mafia. This evening we experience The Queen of Versailles, a bold new Broadway musical inspired by the acclaimed 2012 documentary. Starring Tony and Emmy Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth, the production tells the story of Jackie Siegel, a former beauty queen whose dream of building America’s largest private home unravels amid financial turmoil. With music by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and direction by Tony-winner Michael Arden (Parade), the show explores ambition, excess and resilience with biting wit and Broadway flair. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance VII
Venue: St. James Theatre, 246 W 44th St
Program: Broadway Musical, The Queen of Versailles

A highlight of our tour is this morning’s private tour of MoMA, New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art. Before the doors open to the public, a museum lecturer guides us through the museum’s greatest works, with the likes of Picasso, Gauguin and van Gogh set to delight. After our tour and free time in the museum, we head to our farewell lunch in the private dining room of Gramercy Tavern, an icon of the New York dining scene for more than three decades. There’s free time in the afternoon, before we reconvene for our final performance at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. Here, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra returns to the Stern Auditorium under the masterful direction of Manfred Honeck. The program begins with the New York premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Frozen Dreams, a powerful commission by the PSO, followed by Korean piano sensation Seong‑Jin Cho performing Rachmaninoff’s electrifying Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The evening concludes with Shostakovich’s dramatic Fifth Symphony, the very work that earned the PSO a Grammy in 2018. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Performance VIII
Venue: Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall
Program: Lera Auerbach’s Frozen Dreams (NY Premiere), Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5
Performers: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (Music Director and Conductor), Seong-Jin Cho (Piano)

Before we farewell New York, our final morning is free for those interested in squeezing in some extra shopping or additional sights. (B)