Going to New York City

[ShyGuy68]

I'll be going to NYC with a friend in September, and thought I would check in with my friends here, to see if they have some tips of places to go and see while we're there.

We do have some places that we want to go, but it's always nice to get more suggestions, so feel free to share the places you like to go in NYC

 

[naxalite0906]

Go to the meadowlands for the nfl....

One thing I love is getting the subway to brooklyn and walking back across the bridge, some good views

Go up rockerfella instead of the empire state too.. Better views there too in my opinion.

I also thought alphabet city was very very cool. Some good places to go drinking, and some amazing restaurants.

That is what comes to mind for now, but I will probably add more later..

 

[Kajira Callista]

The aquarium
Staute of Liberty
Ellis island
Empire State building
Nathans in coney island
Brooklyn heights prominae at night
Verranzano bridge
Jones beach
There are prolly 500 more things i could add but if i were going back to visit, these are where i would go.

 

[00Syd]

The only thing I'm going to suggest right now is that you go to Coney Island. It's on the verge of being torn down and being re-built as condos and hotels and a mall, so you should really go see it now while its still somewhat like its old self. Go to Nathan's, eat a hot dog, ride The Cyclone, take a trip around The Wonder Wheel, see The Sideshow.

If you want specific suggestions about specific neighborhoods, or if you want to know about stuff like eating or entertainment or bars or whatever, feel free to ask, I can give you some good suggestions. For now, though, I'll just recommend Coney.

 

[Shagly]

I'll be going to NYC with a friend in September, and thought I would check in with my friends here, to see if they have some tips of places to go and see while we're there.

We do have some places that we want to go, but it's always nice to get more suggestions, so feel free to share the places you like to go in NYC

For a twist on things check out Paddles in Manhattan on a Fri. or Sat. night, I was there a few times.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

The aquarium
Staute of Liberty
Ellis island
Empire State building
Nathans in coney island
Brooklyn heights prominae at night
Verranzano bridge
Jones beach
There are prolly 500 more things i could add but if i were going back to visit, these are where i would go.

And Junior's, for the cheesecake. Can't miss that.

 

[00Syd]

For a twist on things check out Paddles in Manhattan on a Fri. or Sat. night, I was there a few times.

Paddles really, really isn't that great. There are much better fetish events/parties than what goes on at Paddles, if you want suggestions in that vein.

 

[Shagly]

Paddles really, really isn't that great. There are much better fetish events/parties than what goes on at Paddles, if you want suggestions in that vein.

There are events on the East / West side of the village and then there are some open house parties out on L.I. for sure.

 

[Homburg]

I can't think of a thing or place that I would want to see in NYC. When I go there, it is all about the people I want to see. Place-wise, I'm as happy in LI as I am in the city. I'm all about who I'm with, as you can find something interesting pretty much wherever you go there.

 

[Shagly]

I can't think of a thing or place that I would want to see in NYC. When I go there, it is all about the people I want to see. Place-wise, I'm as happy in LI as I am in the city. I'm all about who I'm with, as you can find something interesting pretty much wherever you go there.

Exactly.

If you want something to happen in the Big Apple you have to create it.

 

[Miki647]

NYC is my hometown, and whenever I get back there for a visit, I always go to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its a fun and interesting place.

 

[Shagly]

NYC is my hometown, and whenever I get back there for a visit, I always go to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its a fun and interesting place.

It is very educational also.

 

[eastern sun]

What are your interests?

I also recommend the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, from the Brooklyn side to Manhattan, and then continue walking north past City Hall, through Chinatown and Soho to Greenwich Village. Another good walking tour is from Times Square up through Central Park to Harlem. Or you could just find a coffee shop with outdoor seating and just watch the people walk by. The people watching anywhere in the city is great.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is incredible. And I like the relatively new Rubins Museum that specializes in Himalayan art. There's also a Museum of Sex that might interest you.

A ride on the Cyclone is well worth the subway trip. And much of the F train to Coney Island is elevated which means you can get some great views (including the Statue of Liberty between Carroll Street and Smith and 9th). I saw a plane hit the World Trade Center from those tracks on 9/11.

And I would recommend a Broadway show. They've gotten really good lately. I liked Wicked. And The God of Carnage, if it's got an interesting cast.

If you like music, check out the calendar at B.B. Kings on 42nd Street. They have some good old rock and blues musicians in a relatively small and intimate club. And I like to just drop in on Terra Blues down in Greenwich Village. The musicians are great, though largely unknown. There's also great opera, symphonic music, and ballet at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

There are lots of good restaurants. I like Blue Water Grill off Union Square, and Saigon Grill on 5th Avenue, and the East Ocean all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Bensonhurst. If you want to spend a lot of money on a meal, but have fun doing it, try Boulet or Nobu in Tribeca.

Finally, if you want to venture into Brooklyn, you might want to visit Greenwood Cemetery. It's a beautiful and peaceful place to walk, full of historical landmarks. It's also a Revolutionary War battle site.

I also recommend a ride on the Staten Island ferry or the Circle Line. Seeing the city from the river is a really interesting perspective.

There's also a lot of smaller places that might interest you, depending on what kind of experience you're looking for. What kind of experience are you looking for?

 

[intothewoods]

I can't think of a thing or place that I would want to see in NYC. When I go there, it is all about the people I want to see. Place-wise, I'm as happy in LI as I am in the city. I'm all about who I'm with, as you can find something interesting pretty much wherever you go there.

*gasp*

 

[intothewoods]

Someone should bump Nax's thread. I've done a lot of the tourist things already, so when I go to NYC I usually have a food agenda and a shopping agenda (budget permitting).

I loved Ellis Island, but I don't know what it would be like to a non-American. I also love the museums, but, again, it all depends on your interests. I tend to like modern stuff.

Oh, and just walking around the neighborhoods!

 

[Homburg]

*gasp*

Aroo?

 

[intothewoods]

Aroo?

Heh heh. I'm just giving you a hard time, but I love NYC and could go alone, visit no one and have a great time! As a champion shopper (budget permitting, which it's not right now!) and a girl, of course, I have a different perspective. Plus the restaurants...I mean, the NYC high end restaurant experience is in a category unto itself, and I am happier at casual ethnic eateries in S.F., or eating just bread and butter in France (ohhh I'm having a moment...), but I think some of those places are wicked cool for a once in a lifetime kind of experience.

 

[Homburg]

Heh heh. I'm just giving you a hard time, but I love NYC and could go alone, visit no one and have a great time!

Even at a fine restaurant, the food is wasted on me if I have no one to share the experience with. Travel is much the same way. I did enough wandering on my own as a kid and as a teenager, and learned that I enjoy things more when I have someone with me.

Almost 15 years ago, my friend B and I went to NYC. Part of the the reason was to visit a record store, now sadly out of business, but a good portion of that reason was just to go. We walked all over, saw very little that anyone would consider touristy, and had a blast. But if I'd done it solo, I would've been bored by much of what I saw. The experience is so deeply rooted in the conversation, jokes, and stories we told afterwards that it would lose much of its' flavour by itself.

Then again, I am all about the stories I can tell of events like that. Those stories always work better when I have someone else living it with me.

 

[naxalite0906]

Someone should bump Nax's thread. I've done a lot of the tourist things already, so when I go to NYC I usually have a food agenda and a shopping agenda (budget permitting).

I loved Ellis Island, but I don't know what it would be like to a non-American. I also love the museums, but, again, it all depends on your interests. I tend to like modern stuff.

Oh, and just walking around the neighborhoods!

Yup.. walk, walk and walk some more...

Which thread, did I do an NYC one too? I forget?

ETA... Here is one thread I did.. It doesn't contain a lot, but it might help http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=568844

 

[ShyGuy68]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll make sure to make a list, and share it with my friend. She doesn't know about me being on this site, so I'll have to change a bit

I loved Ellis Island, but I don't know what it would be like to a non-American. I also love the museums, but, again, it all depends on your interests. I tend to like modern stuff.

Oh, and just walking around the neighborhoods!

My friend did have Ellis Island on her list, but I visited it when I was there about 2½ years ago, and found it very interesting. But I'm sure it depends on your interests, so if you like me are interested in US history, it's a great place.

 

[eastern sun]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll make sure to make a list, and share it with my friend. She doesn't know about me being on this site, so I'll have to change a bit

My friend did have Ellis Island on her list, but I visited it when I was there about 2½ years ago, and found it very interesting. But I'm sure it depends on your interests, so if you like me are interested in US history, it's a great place.

If you're interested in US history, you may want to check out the Old Stone House in Brooklyn. It's another Revolutionary War battle site, and though it stands now in the middle of a neighborhood playground, it's in Park Slope which is one of those neighborhoods people either love or hate depending on their point of view. (Lots and lots of gentrification issues at play. . .) It has good lunch spots. And is a short walk from the infamous Gowanus Canal where you can go canoeing for free. (The British Army tried to sneak up the Gowanus Creek, but were easily spied by the Americans standing at the top of Battle Hill in what's now Greenwood Cemetery, thus launching the Battle of Brooklyn.)

And there's the Wyckoff House in Brooklyn, which is a historical landmark dating from Dutch colonial times - when New York was New Amsterdam. My kids have come back from school trips raving about it.

Fort Hamilton, a revolutionary/civil war army fort (that is still an active army base) sits under the Verrazano Bridge. The local neighborhood there (Bay Ridge) is also fun to walk around with good Italian restaurants and great views of the Hudson River.

And finally, there's Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island that is a compound of historical buildings. All of these places are quaint destinations, that allow you to explore different corners of the city that you might not get to otherwise.

Finally, I thought I'd add Brighton Beach to my original list. It's a Russian neighborhood with a great beach, right next door to Coney Island. I like going there in the early morning, and then walking down the beach to the amusement park before I head back on the subway.

 

[00Syd]

Everyone has done a great job of throwing out awesome stuff to do around these parts. I'll also suggest The Museum Of Natural History which is my favorite museum. The animal diorama's are more impressive works of art to me than half of the stuff at The Met.

And if you are interested in NYC history like Ellis Island I would recommend The Tenement Museum on Orchard St. It's a museum of the kind of living situation immigrants most often found themselves in upon leaving Ellis Island. They have an apartment that is decorated as though it is still the turn of the last century and they have an actor "living" there, to tell you about her life as an immigrant in NYC. It was my favorite museum as a kid, and I still think its totally fascinating.

And as far as eating goes, I'll recommend one high end and a couple low end places worth visiting. The only high-end (read: EXPENSIVE) place I'll recommend is Keens Steak House on 36th b/w 5th and 6th. It's incredibly old, and used to be a male-only club where men would go to smoke pipes and eat a lot of steak. The entire ceiling is covered in pipes that used to belong to members of the club, and they even have a cabinet of pipes that once belonged to famous people and former presidents (including, if I remember correctly, Teddy Roosevelt). They are most famous for their mutton, which is astoundingly good. Even if you don't want to go there and pay to eat, I'd suggest going to their gorgeous bar for a drink. It's ancient and beautiful and the bartenders are always really, really good at their jobs. It is an excellent place to relax.

As for the lower end of things, I'm going to recommend three old time Lower East Side institutions, all on Houston st. within the same stretch of three blocks. First I'll recommend Yonah Schimmels Knishery. It's been around since 1910 and my mother remembers being taken there by here mother when she was a kid and being told how her grandmother (my great-grandmother) took her mom (my grandma) there when she was a kid. Best knish in NYC.

Second, go to Russ and Daughters which is just down the street from Yonah Schimmels. It's this very old "appetizing" store, selling everything from (excellent) bagels, lox, and cream cheese to herring in creme sauce, gefilte fish, and smoked herring. On the other side of the store they sell amazing chocolates and other sweets, which are really disconcerting to look at since the entire store smells strongly of fish and nothing like chocolate. Even if you don't buy anything, it's really worth it just to go look around inside. It's a wonderful old place.

Thirdly, go to Katz's Delicatessen, which is only a block or so further East from Russ and Daughters. It's also been there forever, and has the best Pastrami and Corned Beef in the city. Go with en empty stomach, though, because the sandwiches are massive. And if you want an even bigger sandwich, slip the guy making it a buck and he'll put even more meat in. One of the best things about Katz's is this one sign in the back that says "Send a Salami to Your Boy in The Army" which only really rhymes correctly if said with a heavy NYC accent.

 

[naxalite0906]

Thirdly, go to Katz's Delicatessen, which is only a block or so further East from Russ and Daughters. It's also been there forever, and has the best Pastrami and Corned Beef in the city. Go with en empty stomach, though, because the sandwiches are massive. And if you want an even bigger sandwich, slip the guy making it a buck and he'll put even more meat in. One of the best things about Katz's is this one sign in the back that says "Send a Salami to Your Boy in The Army" which only really rhymes correctly if said with a heavy NYC accent.

This is near alphabet city.... And is in every guide book for NYC I have ever seen. I never got around to going though, plus I am a veggie so it means the options are a little limited.
I would love to hear the salami phrase said though, it made me laugh reading it.

For me the best thing about ellis island and liberty island was the boat trip out and back again, good for photo ops of the statue and the NYC skyline. But this can be done for free on the staten island ferry or from the brooklyn bridge but you probably won't get closer to the statue.

I would also say to try the brooklyn lager that is always on draft everywhere.... It tastes much better than the bottled stuff. Maybe a trip to the brewery is worth a shot too if you like that sort of thing.

 

[ShyGuy68]

Thank you for all your suggestions, I do have a couple of questions, that I hope that you all can help with.

1. Can you recommend a good vegetarian restaurant? My friend would like to try that out.

2. I'm trying to figure out if you pay sales tax on clothes you buy in NYC, but am a bit confused, can anybody help?

 

[eastern sun]

Thank you for all your suggestions, I do have a couple of questions, that I hope that you all can help with.

1. Can you recommend a good vegetarian restaurant? My friend would like to try that out.

2. I'm trying to figure out if you pay sales tax on clothes you buy in NYC, but am a bit confused, can anybody help?

1. Try Angelica Kitchen in the East Village. It's great!

2. You don't pay sales tax for clothes or shoes under $110.