Going to NYC

I hear the big financial buildings are nice this time of year.

 

if you are short on time.. try the hop on hop off double decker bus tour, very thorough

or get yourself a metro pass and use the the subway

 

A few ideas:

- Financial District/Downtown. Historical old NY, Wall St, Fraunces Tavern, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, etc. The Federal Reserve bank tour is supposedly pretty cool and underappreciated (remember die hard 3 where they kept the gold?) Also lower manhattan has the best clothes shopping in town (Century 21, across from the WTC site-- Designer, 5th ave clothes for Liberty street prices)

From here, you can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (about a mile or so) to Patsy Grimaldi's right underneath the Bridge on the Bklyn side -- one of the two legendary pizza places in town, IMO

- if you don't feel like going to brooklyn for pizza, head to Little Italy. Lombardi's on Spring St. Damned good, though long lines at night. Spring Lounge, one of my favorite bars, is down the street so you can always order takeout and then eat there.

Most of my other favorite spots are restaurants and bars below 23rd street, mostly the latter. Sitting outside at Petes Tavern, Zum Schneider's anytime, and a number of other spots if you're into that kind of thing.

Also the East and West villages are great for just walking about and hanging around (get a hamburger from the Corner Bistro). The West 4th Street League ("the Cage" famous playgoround b-ball spot where NBA legends used to play and in all the NBA Street series, Mario Elie made his name there) is usually playing games in the afternoons all summer. It's great free fun to hang out and watch. (West 4th & 6th, down the street from Wash Square Pk)

No matter what your scene, music, bars, shopping, museums, sports, whatever, you should be able to find something to do. It's NYC after all!

 

i heard about this place, and that it's the oldest and best pizzeria in the country...so i decided to check it out when i was in nyc earlier this year...was not impressed at all...i'd prefer gino's in chicago any day over lombardi's on spring st...

 

There's so many good restaurants here you can't go wrong just by going to Citysearch. I've been here for a year and rarely go to the same place more than once.

The Lombardi's suggestion is a great idea too. The little Italy area is nice. Make sure you try an Italian ice there. Little Italy is also right next to Chinatown and the lower east side. So there are plenty of restaurants to try there if you don't like pizza.

For night life, you should check out the new Scores on the west side (if you like that kind of thing) or a Broadway show (TKTS in Times Square offers half priced tickets). Of course, the Statue of Liberty opened today so you should check that out, as well as the other regular tourist attractions. Since you're a Seinfeld fan, check out the NBC studio tour.

 

The best hidden attraction I would do is check out some improv. Call on Friday and make reservations for the UCB's ASSCAT 3000 show on Sunday. Usually one or two folks from Saturday Night live, writers from Conan, and local improv people will put on some of the funniest stuff you will ever see. I know that David Cross is in town right now, and performing their Weds night. If he's still in town, there is a decent chance he'll show up for ASSCAT.

Tickets are only $8. If you don't want to pay the $8 you can get in for free but you will have to wait around for hours for them to hand out tickets for the free show.

 

Only wanted to add that it's a lot cooler to take the subway over and walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan. Amazing view.

Not sure if these are off the beaten path or not:

I'm an atheist, but I still think St. Patrick's is amazing (5th Ave. at 50th). Go in between masses (and if you're not an atheist, ignore the gift shop intruding on holy ground), preferably on a sunny day to get the stained glass' full effect. If you were going to hit Rockefeller Center anyway (tiny, and vastly overrated, in my opinion, especially without the seasonal skating rink), it's right across the street.

My personal favorite is the block (40-42nd St. from 5th to 6th Ave.) that contains the Patience/Fortitude main NY Public Library, and behind it, Bryant Park. The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and closes at 6 or 7:30 the rest of the week. If you don't have time to lose yourself in Central Park (itself absolutely amazing in design: you're surrounded on all sides by the city yet can hear no honking, nothing but the occasional plane; it feel as if you're in the middle of an actual forest), Bryant Park is a close second: a small oasis from the pavement with great sightlines all around. And if you need to use a laptop to check up on work the internet there is free.

I like the architecture of Grand Central Station (Park & 42nd); Penn, not so much. As far as buildings go, even though it's been in the news lately, the Citicorps Building is quite impressive (Lex & 53). It's a skyscraper on stilts. Walking down from the top of the Guggenheim is a unique experience, though as a museum, it offers much less broad a perspective than the Metropolitan Museum nearby (5th and 80s). Lincoln Center is impressive (what amounts to 9th Ave. & 66th). Columbia has a gorgeous campus (Broadway and ~110-20). I like to go there, sit on the steps, and pretend I'm smart, until the security guards find me out and run me off. Not too far away is Grant's tomb, which isn't all that interesting except for the surprising answer to the old trick question: Who lies in Grant's tomb? The answer: Grant, and his wife!

Whatever you do, please don't be one of the tourists I pass by in Times Square (oh yeah, unless the ball is falling, Times Square is also overrated. All the p*rn was forced to move a block west; now all it has is a Virgin and a Cup of Noodles) every nightt who go to all the trouble to fly to New York just to take the family out to a movie and then the Olive Garden. Come to the best city in the world in terms of dining, outside of Paris, and arguably the best in terms of entertainment, only to get a potato wedges appetizer from Applebee's and take in White Chicks. This phenomena always baffles me.

Also, if you don't have time to just walk (the best way to get around), it's a lot better to take the bus than the subway. It's the same price, and though the subway is faster, the bus has the better view.

Have a good time. Won't be hard to do.

[Actually, pretty much everything I've said you can find in a halfway-decent guidebook. Thus, I will complete the effect and boldface my derivative suggestions.]

Also, although it is an oft-repeated observation, it is worth repeating: if you like Starbucks, you've come to the right freakin' city.

 

Food Food Food Food Food Food Food Food Food...............

Deli - Second Avenue Deli, 2nd Ave. @ 10th Street. The real deal.

Pizza - Patsy Grimaldi's, underneath the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side. Nothing but Sinatra pix on the walls and Sinatra tunes in the jukebox, and some of the best pizza on the planet.

 

if you visit Second Ave Deli there is this awesome place that serves belgium style fries nearby called Pomme Frites. best tasting fries and they have over 20 different sauces to go with your fries.

 

I forgot to mention that! one of my favorite spots also.

 

Try the poutine there- fries, cheese and gravy. It's really good.

Also nearby (I think around 8th st & 1st ave) is a place called Caracas that's a good little restaurant. Plus there's the New York Milkshake company on 2nd & St. Mark's- try the waffle ice cream sandwich.

Sam's suggestion of a Corner Bistro Burger is a good one, but be prepared to wait for a while for a table (or eat at the bar). Great and cheap. Beer is $2 there (go for the dark), a Bistro burger (bacon & cheese) is maybe $5.

I've heard that another good place for a Burger is "rare", I think it's at 38th st. or so and Lexington. Haven't tried this one personally though.

There's a good all you can eat sushi place called Kinoko on the west side (I think around 80th and broadway?) Not buffet, you order whatever you want off the menu, as many times as you can stand. $20, plus soup and salad.

There's also cool exhibits at the moma (in queens) and the Guggenheim right now.