NYC is a living playground. There's something for everyone, but you have to seek out its special spots. If you're visiting NYC, avoid doing what the standard tourist guides tell you to do and seek out the advice of someone who lives there or is a frequent visitor.
Some basic pieces of advice:
1) Walk walk walk... NYC is a walking city. Some of the most interesting things to see and do can only be discovered by walking the streets.
2) Learn the subways. If you can't walk there, use the subway.
3) Pick adjacent neighborhoods and fully explore it.
4) Broadway is great, but there are some amazing shoes off Broadway and off off Broadway. Don't forget to check music venues for other entertainment options. If there's a show you really must see, it's best to plan ahead and buy tickets. If you're more flexible, then look at all the options published in the local papers and magazines.
5) NYC is an eating town, but don't feel you have to go top shelf. Some of the best places to eat are dirt cheap and I list some of my favorites in this guide. My best advice; pick a neighberhood, go early, and pick the restaurants that have the biggest crowds.
6) NYC weather is finicky in all seasons, so pick your museums out ahead of time and visit them on bad weather days. If you like art, the Met is a must but I also love MOMA.
7) Best times to come to NYC is off season; March/April and Sept/October. Novemember and December are festive, but crowded. If you can brave cold weather, come in Jan/Feb and the city is yours for the taking. Avoid May/June - most crowded time of the year.
The Plaza has specials over the winter months when tourist bookings are low. We went for a weekend a few years back and staying there on the footsteps of central park makes for a very romantic weekend.
(Yes, I know the Plaza is gone. But it was a NYC landmark!)
If you love fresh pasta and have access to a kitchen while visiting NYC, make a stop here and pick up fresh ravioli or tortellini. Or stop by here the day before you head home. The variety of pasta is impressive and you'll have a hard time choosing just one or two options.
Even if you just like baseball; if you're in NYC during the summer you should really try to get out to Yankee Stadium. Don't drive - take the subway (4 or D train) or take the Yankee Clipper ferry. If you're going with the family, avoid the bleachers and seats in deep right field. If you enjoy being around the most dedicated fans then definitely go early and score a bleacher seat.
I've always had a nice time visiting the NY Botanical Garden and find something to and interesting to see with every visit. If you're in NYC and looking to spend the day outdoors, consider putting the Botanical Gardens on your agenda.
On this trip I saw tulips, trees blooming, and the Caribbean Gardens - a special exhibit. We also took the kids to the children's gardens.
For $6 you can walk the grounds. If you want access to all the special exhibits, you'll either need to pay $18 for a full ticket or pay for individual exhibits.
One option to get there is Metro North. It's approximately 30 minutes from Grand Central.
The Aquarium makes a good day trip for families visiting in NYC. The shark tank alone makes it a very interesting zoo to visit. The jellyfish exhibit is the best Ive seen.
After your visit, you can walk the boardwalk and then grab a hot dog at Nathan's!
This museum is really excellent for families, nature lovers, and history buffs. The dinosaur wing is excellent and the kids love it. I also recommend the Hall of Biodiveristy, Ocean Life and the Hall of Minerals for kids. There's room for them to walk around on their own and check out the exhibits that interest them.
If you're a first time visitor, I'd avoid buying the extra tickets for the IMax and other movies. There's plenty to see and do, including short films in the exhibits themselves.
The museum is connected to the Rose Center for Earth and Space, so you can look to do both in one day. Also, Central Park is right across the street.
If you're any kind of hockey fan, and even if the Rangers are only playing average hockey, seeing them play in Madison Square Garden is an unbelievable experience. It's hard to find a more dedicated and passionate fans in any sport. And if the game goes south, the fans will not be hide their feelings. Sit in the upper deck for a real fan's experience. Don't wear another team's jersey and if you must, then best keep your head down.
Head down to the 300 level for the best selection of beers and food.
Weekend day games are filled with families and the crowd is a bit tame. Go on a Thursday night if you want a rowdy crowd.
If you want to see really good performers doing the trifecta; dancing, acting and singing then there's no better play to see than A Chous Line. There's no fancy sets or costumes to fluff up the production and this show is bang or bust on the strength of the performance. From this perspective, A Chorus Line is a bang.
But it is an expensive ticket (my tix were $100 face value) and I wouldn't pay a full ticket price for this show.
I'm not an expert on all the best places and things to do in central park. In fact, it seems that every time I go there, I discover a new area of the park, a new event, or something new to do.
As a visitor to NYC, visit the park on the weeken to really feel the NYC vibe and see what real New Yorkers do with their time off. The 6.1 road around the park is closed off for bikers, joggers and roller bladers. Bladers beware, it is very hilly especially the north end of the park. Also, if you like to roller dance, there is a DJ and dancing area in the 60's on the West side. Also in the spring, visit the pond on the east side 60's to watch the hobbyists sail their model sail boats.
The park's playgrounds, especially on the east side all offer kids unique playing experiences. Long slides, sprinklers, and climbing areas are some of the features that you'll find.
Best of all, grab a bench or plot of grass, read a book, and people watch.
In the winter time, visit the ice skating ring on the south end of the park.
9th ave and 49th. Cash only. Rustic. If you're looking for a really good Thai dinner in the theater district, Pam's Thai is a really good choice. We were in and out in under 45 minutes on a busy theater night. A very good menu with many options.
A good but expensive midtown lunch. Steak salad was very good. In the summer, make a reservation to join the scene outdoors. If you're looking for a quiet business conversation, take a table indoors.
I'm usually negative of the restaurants around the theater district and am picky about sushi restaurants. But I liked Hakata. My sashimi set had a nice presentation and a good selection. Salmon was very good.
One of the best deals in NYC for breakfast or lunch. You can get a nice lunch for under $7 and sit outside. Breakfast is available all the time. Near Astor Place
One of my favorite places for a reasonably priced power lunch or for an interesting dinner for two or four. Crowded and noisy. A fun menu and hard to pick just one item. If all else fails, you can always go with the steak frites. A good wine selection and drink menu.
My favorite dessert spot and bakery on Mulberry St in Little Italy. The berry tart, gelato, and canoli are all excellent. The prices are a lot better than other bakeries and restaurants on the street.
Good place to 'be seen'. The food is just ok in my book - not a bad choice but nothing spectacular. A fun brunch menu. Their Bloody Mary was pretty good.
The restaurant is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and the menu is very interesting, but Chinatown Brasserie is just too expensive for me to give it a high recommendation or get me enthusiastic to eat there again. Personally, I'd rather take the 6 train down to Canal Street. If you do go, try the Dim Sum.
Brunch, Burgers, Sandwiches and a nice selection of beers, wines and cocktails. Very family friendly and has a $6.95 kids menu. The burgers are excellent. The fries are good, but not great. 72nd Street and Columbus.
A really good vegetarian and kosher Indian restaurant on Curry Hill (Lexington Ave around 30st.). The decor of this restaurant is very nice and Pongal is a great restaurant to bring a date. The crepe dinners are very interesting, so pick one of these dinners to try out.
One of the better places that I frequent for sushi. The sushi is good quality and the plating is very elegant. Check out the specials to try something different. If you come here for dinner, head to Decibel down the block for some after dinner sake.
Really good restaurant if you like spending too much money on your burger or omelette. Then again, you can check out the photos of all the hollywood stars and other VIPs that have enough money to spend on the average food served at this diner.
On the plus side, I've been told the soups are quite good, but I've never had them. Also, the service here is very fast, so if you're in a rush, it's not a bad option.
Crispy squid, grilled pork chops, hot and sour soup, summer rolls, chicken chile and lemon grass, Vietnamese coffee – these are some of the wonderful things that you’ll find at this Chinatown landmark. It seems that every time I go there, I run into another New Yorker friend that regulars this gem. Avoid the 1-2pm lunch rush hour if you can.
If you want a quick, no frills, super fast lunch of dumplings then this spot is for you. Pork dumplings are their best, but I also enjoy their vege dumplings. Their scallion pancake rates up there with the best. They have a lunch menu of rice dishes which are also very good. Avoid ordering off the Americanized picture menu.
Pasta Pesce is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in NYC. This is a small, dark, cozy, romantic eatery in the heart of Bleeker Street’s old Italian neighborhood. Their snapper livornese is top notch and I have trouble ordering anything else off the menu because it’s sooooo good. Their prices are very low and you can get a fish dinner for as low as $15. I don’t think the restaurant takes reservations and the lines can get quite long after 6pm especially on weekends. Also, the place is small, so best to come here if you’re party is four people or fewer.
They have several locations in NYC, but I regular the one on 45th st and 3rd. Comfort diner is not your NYC/Greek diner with everything and anything on the menu and focus on comfort food specialties. I love breakfast at the Comfort; their omelets are fluffy, potatoes are crunchy and tasty, their pancakes are light, they serve maple syrup and excellent coffee. I love their pies, but quite frankly, I rarely have room for this decadence after their hearty meals.
It’s been a long time since I last visited Walkers, so I miss it. You can visit Walkers at any time during the day and you’ll find a warm crowd and some excellent food. I highly recommend ordering off the specials of the day especially their fish specials. They have a nice selection of beers and several wines that you can order by the glass. The brunch is underrated and they make one of the best bloody marries in the city.
The high prices made this restaurant a once in a lifetime for me (so far), but it was well worth it. Now I’ve been to several celebrity chef restaurants and many of them are overhyped and focus on highly reproducible meals with gourmet ingredients and presentation. Not so at Babbo and you’ll get pretty much what Mario preaches; great ‘simple’ Italian food made with the best, freshest ingredients. The wine list is outstanding, but expensive. We really enjoyed our meal at Babbo and I recommend going when you can splurge a little. But skip desert. We found it underwhelming.
One of my favorite night spots to sample sake and Japanese appetizers. Decibel is hard to find with its nondescript entrance on 9th st near 2nd avenue. Step downstairs and inside to a very dark cellar bar playing dance lounge music. If you're a small group and get there early, sit at the bar.
Sake is the name of the game at this club and if you're a novice, you'll have a hard time making selections. Ask for advice, the staff is friendly.
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