NYC in 24 Hours

9am } Fly in style

Remember when flight was glamorous? Recapture that nostalgia by flying Porter Airlines to New York. Taking off from the Toronto Island Airport’s cozy terminal is a welcome reprieve from the rush common at international airports. Porter flies six times each weekday from Toronto to Newark, N.J., a 40-minute cab ride to Midtown Manhattan.
4pm } Late-night laughs
Visit the NBC studio where talk-show legends Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and David Letterman got their start. Get free tickets to a live taping of Late Night With Conan O’Brien by calling the ticket office at 212-664-3056. Or show up early to 30 Rockefeller Plaza on the day of taping and check for standby tickets.
6pm } Steak house redux
There’s still no classic New York dining experience quite like a steak dinner. Satisfy your carnivorous urges at the City Hall Restaurant in Tribeca. Chef/owner Henry Meer has transformed a mid-19th-century shoe factory into a sophisticated setting, complete with semi-circular booths and modern bar. Meer says he welcomes all, “from suits to boots.”
9pm } Cocktails in the sky
Round out your day with a nightcap on a swank rooftop bar. The Peninsula Hotel’s new Salon de Ning offers the ideal perch for a post-prandial cocktail. High above the city’s noise and commotion, you can drink in the panoramic view and sparkling lights of New York’s storied skyline. If you’re not on a budget, check in and sleep it off in a posh room, designed with an eye to the building’s beaux arts architectural heritage.