STRATEGIST BEST OF NEW YORK

WELCOME TO THE SECOND YEAR of an entirely reimagined “Best of New York,” where you’ll find dozens of standout services, shops, and spots across only a handful of categories— because the best framer for someone looking to conserve a 27-foot-long Richard Serra quintych is quite different from the one for the person just looking to put a photograph in something simple and oak. To source our recommendations, we polled hundreds of savvy and stylish New Yorkers, among them architects, curatorial directors, art advisers, and authors. On Curbed.com, you will find updates to our best housepainters, upholsterers, playgrounds, woodworkers, toy stores, home-goods stores, exterminators, colorists, caterers, fitness instructors, and florists as well as the new entries found on the following pages. These include the laser-hair-removal studio frequented by several beauty editors (and a threader who is a master of the feathery, ’90s-esque brow), bicycle shops for used wheels or Tour de France–caliber bikes, and karaoke bars for all types—ranging from one with piano accompaniment to another where you can scream-sing Evanescence.