Going to New York City

[Mr.Sparkle!]

Saturn,

I live in NYC. I'm 5 mins away from that hotel. I can tell you where to go and where to eat (best ethnic foods in NYC) just shoot me a PM. And I always wanted to know how it would of felt being a tourist in NYC for the first time... Something I will never feel.

[inolen]

I've lived here for 6 months and sadly don't have many recommendations as I haven't had time to do much exploring aside from coffee shops, but if you're an espresso nut, 9th Street Espresso wins hands down for espresso in NYC.

http://www.ninthstreetespresso.com/

Also, if you'd like to get a good laugh, skip Brooklyn Heights and go to where I live, Williamsburg. I think half the photos on this site are from the hipsters in my area:
http://www.latfh.com/

[Mr.Sparkle!]

Inolen: Didn't know you lived in NY. Williamsburg is always awesome, my friend used to live on Driggs and 9th. Where are you located?

[inolen]

Inolen: Didn't know you lived in NY. Williamsburg is always awesome, my friend used to live on Driggs and 9th. Where are you located?

Like I said, just moved here 6 or so months ago now. It's absolutely fantastic though, I can't wait for Winter.

Bedford and N 5th here.

[Mr.Sparkle!]

Inolen: Didn't know you lived in NY. Williamsburg is always awesome, my friend used to live on Driggs and 9th. Where are you located?

Like I said, just moved here 6 or so months ago now. It's absolutely fantastic though, I can't wait for Winter.

Bedford and N 5th here.

Cool, where are you from originally? There is an awesome diner close by to you (IIRC) called "Relish." It's on Wythe. Go try their onion rings and buffalo chicken burger.

[inolen]

I'm originally from the middle of nowhere TN. I spent the past 4 or so years in Los Angeles though.

We've been to Relish, it's awesome! We went there for dinner one night sometime after we first arrived expecting some greasy diner food, I think I ended up with a $30 plate of shrimp risotto, lol. I just wish they opened before 11 AM.

[Underpants?]

wow, i said best a lot in my post... replace that word with "personal favorite" and "fwiw." Another fwiw, NYC is a very good destination for couples, for many reasons (rickshaws, paddleboats, nightlife, controlled insanity of clubs tempered with the soothing wealth of very nice and quiet outdoor tabled restaurants, etc etc etc), this time of year, especially because it's still warm at night but cooler in the day. i'll be interested to hear your perspective. Have a great time Sat, it's an amazing place, too many people but if you're ok with crowds, I'm certain you'll have a really fun time!

oh, one more thing, if you're a sushi fan, don't hit the main strip (Ave of Americas), but rather stay in the times square area and go a few blocks to the west and find some really good food at a very nice price.

[saturn]

just returning from the city tonight, in fact sitting at gate 20 in JFK.
Midtown is sweet, it's kind of in between the best places, with a TON of fantastic restaurants.
I'm listing my favorite spots in order of nearest to farthest from Midtown:
Blue Dog Cafe - best coffee and breakfast hand stuff
Chelsea Hotel - sid vicious died here, tons of famous authors and artists have stayed / stay there. You can't even peek inside at the famous staircase unless you have a gun, lots of money or prestige.
Black Door bar - swing open up the front windows and have a few drinks, professional young and fun.
Nisos - off 8th and 19th Mediterranean style standard fare but the best of that. http://www.nisos-ny.com/
Times Square - get a pastrami on rye at the Carnegie deli off 7th ave - reasonably priced and hands down the best genuine NYC deli http://www.carnegiedeli.com/
Central Park -cool, but not much to say other than it's a massive park. The Boathouse is rumored to have good food, but always has a 2 hour wait, so I don't know.
Union Square - tons of stunning architecture all around, just wander a bit, you'll be amazed.
East Village - Grano Trattoria off 9th st and 6th ave.--best Italian and feels like home. http://granonyc.com/
Little Italy - get a Cannolli, some Gelatto and a fat zepoli anywhere. The San Gennarro festival may still be going on down there, which is a clusterfuck of good food and craziness. There are these pancake cornbread things with mozarella sandwiched in between, i think they're called mozepas-they are fantastic. Noho, Soho, Chinatown--all in the same general area, all have their distinctions. Get some cheap gear, perfume, handbags, etc. etc. but definitely get a stuffed pork sweetbun, there's a place at the southwest corner of Canal and Baxter, can't remember or maybe even pronounce the name but on my nut, I swear it is good.
Caracas - off 7th Street and 1st ave, which is near st. martin's, where the thrashcore fuckheads hang out and sing folk songs and pass doobies after piercing their skulls, scrotums and sacks. http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/caracas-arepa-bar/
Ground zero's boring but lots around it--plain old construction site, most of which is obscured by fences and cranes.
Wall St. - take a ride on the bull and get a picture of it for us.
City Hall - check out the oldest park in NYC--still lit up with gas lanterns after dark.
Battery Park- southernmost tip of Manhattan, launch point from which you can launch to tour the statue.

TIPS: walk everywhere when you can, there's too much to see, but when in a hurry, ride a subway!
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
While the stations are dirty, they are totally safe and more importantly, the quickest route around the city during rush hour. Get THE MAP from any manned subway Kiosk. The 1 takes you from the bottom of the island to Central park in less than 20 minutes. If you need to get to the airport quickly, take the LIRR to Jamaica from Penn station--always roughly 40 minutes--taxi cabs are hit and miss, i've been fucked by traffic any time of day there. If you have time, the E train will take you to Jamaica, which you can catch the Airtrain to JFK for about 7 bucks a person. These seem to be the most modern and the locals I work with claim it almost never breaks down

Wow, these are really good tips. It's almost like you're a local.
I'm definitely taking the Airtrain to Jamaica and stepping on the LIRR to Penn station. I was wondering if I could get a 7-day Unlimited Metrocard and use it on the JFK Airtrain. We shall see....tomorrow!

I was checking out Carnegie Deli and there's a lot of mixed reviews. It's probably too crowded and touristy, but lets see if I can eat a whole Pastrami with Rye Sandwich

[saturn]

Saturn,

I live in NYC. I'm 5 mins away from that hotel. I can tell you where to go and where to eat (best ethnic foods in NYC) just shoot me a PM. And I always wanted to know how it would of felt being a tourist in NYC for the first time... Something I will never feel.

Where do you live, Hells Kitchen? Is it true that you need reservations for most restaurants? I registered at opentable.com just in case I need to make quick online reservations. I got a few tips of friends of friends for places in the Meatpacking District like Pastis, Florent and Cafe Habana near Little Italy.

[saturn]

Shit, that's the hotel I stayed in, it's fairly standard as hotels go - a room to sleep in if nothing else. I don't remember it having those big red letters on it. tho i never looked up o.O. There's a good little pizza shop the next block north

It was probably the most decent (3 stars) and affordable hotel to get on a short notice. I didn't want to spend more than 400 bucks a night for a hotelroom that I would barely see.

*scribbles down Pizza Shop block north up*

[saturn]

Again, thanks everybody for some awesome recommendations. It's past midnight and I have to get up in 5 hours, but I'm packed with energy thinking about what things to do in NY. One thing is for sure, it's probably worth another few visits in the future.

I'll post a few thoughts when I"m back

[Underpants?]

airtrain card is airtrain only 5 bucks one way, and watch the airtrain message boards--there are i think 3, and only one goes to jamaica, the rest will eff you around. definitely get the 7 day subway tickets though and shove em in your wallet, they're cheap and useful !! enjoy the time out there and post a lengthy message detailing all the illegal / immoral / unchristian stuff you got into !

[Zyte]

have fun man.

[vileliquid1026]

I just noticed you'll be there for 6 days. IMO, use some of that time to head out of the city and check out the surrounding area.

If you can get to Boston or vicinity, do that.

And if you're willing to travel, try getting into upstate NY or Vermont or somewhere similar. Fall colors are starting to turn.

edit: what xer0s said.

Boston in the vicinity? you fucktard Boston is a 5 hour drive up the Taconic on a good day. Upstate NY? Longer drive if you take the NY state thruway. Where the fuck do you live for you to make such stupid presumptions?

Take a ride with the Staten Island ferry. Cheap (or even free?) and a great view. Does Webster Hall still exist? 15 years ago it was a quite good club to spend the night...

I don't think it's free anymore, but it if not it is relatively cheap. Bust turn around and get back on, Staten Island is garbage. That's where I grew up *NOTE* Okay apparently it is still free. It'll take you an hour or two with the wait, but it offers a nice view of the city if you have a chance to do it.



I would very highly suggest going to the American Museum of Natural History, especially since you are going to MoMA. I'll have to assume you don't mind museums

I also suggest the Statue of Liberty. Dress cooly, as you will be standing in line the whole time surround by sweaty gross people. And then look out tiny windows in the crown. But at least you can say you went. Going up takes a couple of hours but going down is like 20 minutes maybe. It's worth doing once.

[shaft]

whats 5hrs when he already flew a few thousand miles? I visited Rome and Venice in the same trip. calm down

[Captain]

Boston in the vicinity? you fucktard Boston is a 5 hour drive up the Taconic on a good day. Upstate NY? Longer drive if you take the NY state thruway. Where the fuck do you live for you to make such stupid presumptions?

[obsidian]

I also suggest the Statue of Liberty. Dress cooly, as you will be standing in line the whole time surround by sweaty gross people. And then look out tiny windows in the crown. But at least you can say you went. Going up takes a couple of hours but going down is like 20 minutes maybe. It's worth doing once.

Go really early if you actually want to go up inside. Find out when they open and try to get there as soon as possible. The lineup is pretty ridiculous. I skipped it when I was in New York for this reason, though to be honest, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Looks better on the outside anyway.

I went to New York back when the WTC was still standing and got to check it out from the observation level. Sad that it's just an empty pit (and why haven't they done something with it yet?).

[Chupacabra]

Boston in the vicinity? you fucktard Boston is a 5 hour drive up the Taconic on a good day. Upstate NY? Longer drive if you take the NY state thruway. Where the fuck do you live for you to make such stupid presumptions?

lol

[Doombrain]

whats 5hrs when he already flew a few thousand miles? I visited Rome and Venice in the same trip. calm down

really? must of been a very quick trip.

[LawL]

must have

[werldhed]

Boston in the vicinity? you fucktard Boston is a 5 hour drive up the Taconic on a good day. Upstate NY? Longer drive if you take the NY state thruway. Where the fuck do you live for you to make such stupid presumptions?

Take a ride with the Staten Island ferry. Cheap (or even free?) and a great view. Does Webster Hall still exist? 15 years ago it was a quite good club to spend the night...

I don't think it's free anymore, but it if not it is relatively cheap. Bust turn around and get back on, Staten Island is garbage. That's where I grew up *NOTE* Okay apparently it is still free. It'll take you an hour or two with the wait, but it offers a nice view of the city if you have a chance to do it.



I would very highly suggest going to the American Museum of Natural History, especially since you are going to MoMA. I'll have to assume you don't mind museums

I also suggest the Statue of Liberty. Dress cooly, as you will be standing in line the whole time surround by sweaty gross people. And then look out tiny windows in the crown. But at least you can say you went. Going up takes a couple of hours but going down is like 20 minutes maybe. It's worth doing once.

Get off my dick. I know you're looking for a man to nag, but I've already got a wife. He's on a 6 day vacation and can't manage to travel 5 hours to another location? That must suck. What kind of crappy staycations do you take?

...And then you suggest taking a couple hours to go to the top of the statue of liberty! Yeah, the statue is certainly more worthwhile than checking out a whole different city.
Why go through all that trouble to fly over just to stay in one place the whole time? God, it must suck being such an uncultured troglodyte who can't travel more than 5 minutes out of her safety bubble.

ps... @saturn: Now I know your 6 days include travel time. So with a shortened itinerary, none of this post applies to you.

[Dark Metal]

I suggest eating some of the Apples from which the nick name 'The Big Apple' was dubbed.

[Big Kahuna Burger]

boston is only 3 1/2 hrs from nyc, morans.

[shaft]

whats 5hrs when he already flew a few thousand miles? I visited Rome and Venice in the same trip. calm down

really? must of been a very quick trip.

10+days iirc, and we spent a couple nights in Rome, Florence, Venice, and a town up near the Austrian border named Brixen (skiing). We got around.

[Doombrain]

cool bra