Created in partnership with Portfolio, Condé Nast's new business magazine, our city business guides offer guidance for business travelers hoping to maximize their productivity (and enjoyment) while on the road. Stay tuned for more guides in the months to come.

Last year was richly rewarding for the masters of the universe on Wall Street-investment banks and other financial firms handed out a record $24 billion in bonuses. Pin-striped deal makers search for business opportunities by day and intriguing diversions at night. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a successful entrepreneur himself, manages the city in a competent, no-nonsense style. That's a good thing in a town that remains America's hub for finance, fashion, publishing, and advertising. No place in the world has a more eclectic and energizing vibe.

Where to Sleep
Those who want to be in the business epicenter stay in Midtown, between 42nd Street and 60th Street, where legal lions, advertising mavericks, and media magnates roam. In Midtown East, the Four Seasons New York, a minimalist masterpiece by I. M. Pei, remains the most enviable address, especially now that star chef Joël Robuchon has opened his L'Atelier on the ground floor. In the heart of Midtown, the Peninsula is a 23-story Beaux Arts landmark with a mix of old-world charm and high-tech panache; its Gotham Bar and Lounge is a civilized spot for tea and business chats. Across town, the Mandarin Oriental is a sleek high-rise nestled inside the hulking Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. From there you can view Central Park, thanks to dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows, or take in some music at Jazz at Lincoln Center, next door.

Downtown, the Wall Street set favors the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park for its five-star comforts and dazzling views of the Statue of Liberty. Hipsters gravitate toward the ultra-trendy Meatpacking District and the silvery, nouveau Hotel Gansevoort, with its rooftop bar and (small) swimming pool. And fashion models, actors, and Hollywood executives make the Tribeca Grand-with its own screening room-their home away from home. But for sheer cool, head to lower Lexington Avenue: The place to be is Ian Schrager's recently refurbished (to the tune of $200 million) Gramercy Park Hotel, designed in collaboration with Julian Schnabel. The latter's outsize paintings, along with those of Cy Twombly and Richard Prince, decorate the baroque interiors.

Where to Eat
If you're seeking the proverbial power lunch, try the Philip Johnson-designed Grill Room at the Four Seasons, a favorite of corporate titans such as Sumner Redstone, Barry Diller, and both Senior and Junior Edgar Bronfman. Lever House, on Park Avenue, has a fabulous decor (including a white glass bar) and New American food to match. Le Bernardin may be the place to really impress clients: The ambience is classically elegant, and the subtle yet sublime seafood garners raves from tough-to-please New Yorkers. But the new center of culinary profligacy is the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, with two of the most lavish dining experiences in the city. At Per Se, Thomas Keller is attempting to duplicate the success of his Napa Valley French Laundry. Bring your King Arthur appetite and your Louis XIV wallet-and reserve way in advance. Masa, also in the complex, is a temple of melt-in-your-mouth sushi. The omakase (chef's choice) features lobster shabu-shabu, foie gras with sharp-toothed eel-and a princely price tag (about $500 per person).