With our Best New Band winners coming to New York City for our Monday concert, it’s like some of our coolest friends are visiting — and we want to show off our town!
So we’ve picked a few places for each artist, and if they take our advice, we guarantee a good time for all.
Books and Brasil with La Vida Boheme

The New York Public Library. Photo Credit: Getty/Image Source
First up: La Vida Boheme, dance punkers blowing up out of Caracas.
Not to pigeonhole them as our token Latin American artists, but they’ve got to check out Tropicalia in Furs, a one-of-a-kind mecca for Brazilian vinyl from Os Mutantes to Joao Bosco.
Odds are they’ll run into owner Joel whom they can quiz on samba psychedelia, and then debate Venezuela versus Brazil in next year’s Copa America.
And anyone who can quote 20th century philosophers from memory needs to make a pilgrimage to the Rose Reading Room of the New York Public Library.
It’s the most peaceful, beautiful place in NY to page through some Marshall McLuhan, or the latest teen vampire novel. And the best part is that it’s free.
Yuna’s Art and Fashion Haven

Leafy Brooklyn. Photo Credit: Getty/Michael Grimm
Soulful Malaysian songwriter Yuna has told us that San Francisco is her favorite city, so for that refined, slightly more relaxed vibe, then she needs to beeline it to leafy Cobble Hill in Brooklyn.
There, she can snack on a whoopie pie at One Girl Cookies, and maybe browse with all the other chic girls at Bird on Smith St.
Or if Yuna wants to explore the island, she can head all the way west to it’s most peaceful, arty side — the Highline Park.
Three stories above street level, she’ll get that airy San Francisco energy, with lots of contemporary public art to ogle.
But for this fashion designer and style icon who’s always tasteful yet unique, we recommend heading across to the East Village and its tiny vintage shops, like Tokio 7 and Tokyo Joe.
Turning Up The Heat For Gyptian

A hot spa for cold NYC. Photo Credit: Getty/Comstock Images
Now, we’re worried that Kingston’s-finest Gyptian is going to alight from his plane, hit the harsh winter air, and turn right back around and go back home.
So how about a stream room? There are always the Turkish baths in the East Village, but personally we think that for this emergency tropics-to-arctic transition, he’ll need to take a ride out to Queens. At Spa Castle, a four-floor Korean super-spa, he’ll find everything he needs to thaw, from steam rooms to hot, hot saunas.
And when he’s relaxed enough to brave the cold again, he won’t want to miss out on Deadly Dragon Sound System in Chinatown, the city’s premier reggae vinyl shop.
Then, after taking a disco nap he can amble over around midnight to the just re-opened nublu in the East Village, where he can jam with some of the city’s finest reggae, dub and jazz musicians.
2NE1 Paint The Town Leopard

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Photo Credit: Hal Bergman
Finally, the ladies of 2NE1 have been to LA, but not New York City, and these pop wunderkinds will want to devour the city from top to bottom.
They’ve already hit the Met, so we suggest the infinitely cooler New Museum for a shot of culture before stepping over to SoHo and New York City’s greatest sport — shopping. The edgy, one-of-a-kind girls will find that designer knuckle ring they’ve been searching for at Oak, follwed by bondage fashion inspiration for their next music video at gothic lingerie boutique Agent Provocateur.
Then of course, they’ve got to cab it over the bridge to the ‘Burg. They can build up energy by eating one of Peter Luger’s amazing steaks, and then burn it all at one of the local second-hand emporia, from Beacon’s Closet to Buffalo Exchange.
And if they have still have the energy left, they can gun it back to the city, to Cielo in the Meatpacking District, to show off their fierce finds and enjoy the 360 rooftop view of their new favorite town.
Does this sound good to you? Well, the beauty of this guide is that you don’t have to be a pop icon to enjoy what New York has to offer. So hit up the spas, clubs, and shops we’ve mentioned, and who knows — maybe your music idol will be trying on clothes in the changing room next to you!
