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Proclaimed a “vertical experience” at its hyped opening in early 2004, the $1.7 billion Time Warner Center purports to offer something for everyone. The two soaring towers and Columbus Circle concourse house Manhattan’s largest food market, the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel, offices for CNN, condos, a jazz center, an exclusive Equinox gym (and its even more exclusive, $24,000/year E Club), extravagant restaurants, and a bevy of shops. Among this high-low mix, only the highest—and astronomically priced—venues offer outstanding, one-of-a-kind experiences. For those visitors with less cash to burn, shopping is the main attraction and likely to disappoint. Why trek here when the same shops can be found while wandering freely through Soho, midtown, and numerous other neighborhoods in or out of the city? The most convincing reply might be to see the building's design. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects have used the unique location to their advantage, conceiving a stunning, intricately designed exterior. The interior design, however, falls short and never quite gels—much like the center itself.

  — Kate Appleton

The 59,000 square-foot gourmet supermarket boasts a wine shop, a 248-seat café, a sushi bar, a brick-oven, a walk-in greenhouse with fresh flowers, the city's first Jamba Juice, a chocolate station, three hot-food bars (Indian, Latin, Pan-Asian and Chinese), an organic cosmetics center, and 49 registers to ring it all up.

The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental
The drink of choice may be Tri-doshic herbal tea instead of tequila, but this two-story oasis is a scene. There's a waitlist for some of the treatments and celebrities like Uma Thurman and Michelle Yeoh have been spotted in the crystal steam room. A visit to the V.I.P area for two will set patrons back around $1,000. Mere mortals will fork over $20 for a polish change or $30 for chin wax.

Jazz at Lincoln Center
Opened in the fall of 2004, the world's first performing arts center specifically designed for jazz consists of three performance spaces, a 3,500 square-foot educational center, and the Jazz Hall of Fame.

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