Noo Yawk

[00Syd]

My favorite is the one that makes you feel elf sized, with the giant bugs and the acorn the size of a Pilates ball.

That one always grossed me out when I was a kid. Giant bugs. Yuck!

 

[culloden]

Next to the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal is my favorite NYC building, with a fascinating history. They have tours some days of the week - check the MTA's website for info.

Touristy, but you have to go up the Empire State Building. Early in the day finds shorter lines. It'll be cold outside, really cold, but you can duck back in any time. Central Park is another must see. Lots of great Asian restaurants in the vicinity of 4th Ave and 20th Street.

I love the Met, as well as the Cooper Hewitt.

There are admissions packages to be had where you pay one price for access to a certain number of landmarks. I can't remember the website, but if you google something like NYC discounts it should turn up.

 

[00Syd]

Going to the top of the Empire State Building is way, way, way too expensive to be worth it, in my opinion. The view isn't even that great.

But I agree that Grand Central is gorgeous, and well worth walking through.

 

[rida]

*bookmarking for future reference*

 

[naxalite0906]

I would suggest all of below (although most suggestions on here are awesome) as well as anything Syd has said due to the fact she knows the place better than most of us

For architecture, I recommend the Chrysler Building. Don't be shy about walking right on into the lobby.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/chrysler.html


For culture, I recommend Ellis Island. There is no place more quintessentially American in New York.

http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_visiting.asp

I know, and part of the problem is security. It's worse than a fucking airport at Thanksgiving.

But viewing Ellis Island from a boat, and actually taking the tour, are two very different things. I like the tour, and think it's worth the hassle.

For scenery only, you're right about the ferry - no question.

The ferry is good and free and staten island is a nice place to see too, but Ellis Island is definitely somewhere to visit due to the nature of the place etc in relevance to the history of the city. I found that the lines were never bad when I did the trip, but I guess the simple advice here is to avoid weekends and holidays. The plus side would be that in Jan/Feb the lines probably wont be huge as the weather won't be as great!

I'm sure Syd would have something to say about this, but I find the 2nd Ave scene kind of touristy. If you really want THE BEST Jewish food, you need to go to the boros, like Brighton Beach. That's a long haul though.

Well worth a trip out there, the beach in winter is kinda cool. Coney Boardwalk in winter, right out of a Springsteen song.

I wouldn't of thought the Jewish deli style stuff would be great in Brighton Beach, but I would still recommend going there. Rosco is right in that the boardwalk is a cool thing to walk along and if you have any interest in Russian culture then it is well worth a visit. I guess the only downside to this is it is away from Manhattan (about an hour on the subway) and isnt the obvious thing that relates to what comes to mind when you think NYC.

My favourite thing to always do is a subway to brooklyn and walk back along the brooklyn bridge. A walk through central park has to be done too as something about that place just fascinates me. There is something incredible about somewhere so green and peaceful in the middle of such a huge city. This also brings me to another point. The best thing about going up the Empire State is saying you were in the tallest building in the city. The downside is the lines are usually long and its not a great view from the top. A far better one is going up to the top of the rockafeller centre. This is usually not as busy (just make sure you have a clear day as it can make a difference) and you get better views such as being able to actually see the Empire state from the top and a view like this one too (again this ties in with my point about the park amazing me)

In terms of food and drink, my best experiences for food were in the East Village/Alphabet city. You are spoilt for choice in terms of restaurants there. I know its not Jewish, but Supper Restaurant is one of my fave places I have ever eaten. I loved it here and can highly recommend it.

Other than that, most other things have been mentioned. Just go and walk around and keep exploring as it is a cool place to do it. Just don't forget to keep looking up as you will see some incredible buildings - like grand central, the chrysler and 1000s of other places too.

 

[00Syd]

The art deco architecture around Rockefeller Center is really great, but it's always mobbed with tourists, and near impossible to walk through.

But if you're already in the neighborhood (At the King Cole Bar, perhaps?), then Rock Center is really worth checking out. Tiffany's is nearby there, too

 

[FurryFury]

*Subscribing for bookmarking*

I went to New York over 30 years ago as a senior class trip. I really enjoyed trying all kinds of cuisines that, at that time, we didn't have where I live. Now we do have most of them though!

I enjoyed plays on and off Broadway as well.

Shopping was fun. Again, much of what I could get there I couldn't get here. Now I can.

I really enjoyed the Empire State Building, United Nations tour and Statue of Liberty.

Singing in a piano bar and being asked to join an orchestra to provide vocals on a song the next night was fun too.

Over all it was a fun trip. I hope to get back there someday, preferably with my kids and/or husband.

FF

 

[00Syd]

Over all it was a fun trip. I hope to get back there someday, preferably with my kids and/or husband.

FF

And we'd love to have you!

 

[YourCaptor]

What I remember most was ground zero, the liberty ferry building and the island in the distance (didn't make it on time ), and time square.

 

[Netzach]

If you find yourself on the upper west at Natural History or at Lincoln Center, I also suggest channeling your innner well heeled upper west Sider and grabbing a knish or lox etc . directly from Zabars - the grimy sitdown section is still a favorite for me - depends if you plan on doing LES stuff or not in which case I'd opt for that scene.

The Tenement museum is a great suggestion.

If you're in SoHo there's not much left of the goodness that was there when I last was, but I've never seen a bad show at the Drawing Center on Wooster. Dance Theater Workshop is usually a pleasant surprise if you like dance. Venture into Hoboken and see who's at Maxwells, I think it's still cheaper than the same act 2 days later in Manhattan.

 

[Netzach]

The problem with Ellis is long ass lines for the boat out there. The Staten Island ferry is free, comfortable, sells beer, runs every half hour, and gives you an excellent view of the Statue, Ellis Island, the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, and the downtown skyline with no waiting.

I agree that this is the best deal in the city.

 

[Netzach]

My recommendations:

Take a walk along the top-most stretch of Riverside and/or through Central park (weather permitting), and check out as many museums as you can manage (The Met, Brooklyn Museum, and the Natural History Museum all have "suggested" admission prices). A lot of the oldest buildings will be found downtown and in the outlying boroughs, but I'm not sure how far you want to travel, so here's a list of "Historic Places" in downtown that you can check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation...laces_listings_in_Manhattan_below_14th_Street

Basically, a nice long walk down Broadway would seem to do the trick too. (Uptown Broadway is very nice as well.)

As far as food goes... I hear 2nd Ave is famous for it's Jewish delis, though I've never been. And there's always Katz's Deli, if you're looking for a 100+ year old place that purportedly makes the best sandwiches in the country. Also, Veniero's on 1st and 11th is the best dessert place I've ever been to. They're also over 100 years old.

Have fun when you're here~

+1 for Veniero's. It's less polished than Ferrara, but better and less expensive

 

[00Syd]

+1 for Veniero's. It's less polished than Ferrara, but better and less expensive

I prefer DeRoberta's (sp?), which is just a hop and a skip away, on 1st Ave b/w 11th and 10th. It's true that the pastries probably aren't as good as Veniero's, but I don't care. It's less well known, so less crowded and no lines ever, and their seating area feels to me like it hasn't changed since 1910. It's where I used to always bring my Grandma whenever she visited us from Florida.

They also used to have a giant cannoli in the window that was stuffed with a million normal sized cannoli's. I used to beg my mom to buy it for me whenever we walked by it when I was a kid.

 

[00Syd]

If you're in SoHo there's not much left of the goodness that was there when I last was...

For anything even close to what used to be great about the L.E.S. and SOHO, you have to go to Brooklyn. Maybe even Queens now.

---

Also, for a pretty nice bar in the Lower East Side, I'm going to recommend Rue B ( http://nymag.com/listings/bar/rue_b/ ). I've never eaten there, but the bar is small, stylish, comfortable, and the bartender is friendly and knows his shit. But most importantly, they have the single most amazing drink special ever. Every drink, everything, is buy one get one free until 8pm, every day of the week. This includes literally everything: booze, beer, cocktails, wine, whatever.

Seb and I were waiting for some friends who we were meeting for dinner at a restaurant up the block, and we stumbled unwittingly into Rue B to have a drink while we waited. We both got a bourbon (generously sized, I might add), and then the bartender explained the buy one get one free policy, and then by the time our friends showed up, we were tipsy. And then by the time we left, we were all drunk (for the price of only two drinks each!), and we went and had an absolutely wonderful dinner.

So, ah, yes. I'm a fan.

 

[naxalite0906]

For anything even close to what used to be great about the L.E.S. and SOHO, you have to go to Brooklyn. Maybe even Queens now.

---

Also, for a pretty nice bar in the Lower East Side, I'm going to recommend Rue B ( http://nymag.com/listings/bar/rue_b/ ). I've never eaten there, but the bar is small, stylish, comfortable, and the bartender is friendly and knows his shit. But most importantly, they have the single most amazing drink special ever. Every drink, everything, is buy one get one free until 8pm, every day of the week. This includes literally everything: booze, beer, cocktails, wine, whatever.

Seb and I were waiting for some friends who we were meeting for dinner at a restaurant up the block, and we stumbled unwittingly into Rue B to have a drink while we waited. We both got a bourbon (generously sized, I might add), and then the bartender explained the buy one get one free policy, and then by the time our friends showed up, we were tipsy. And then by the time we left, we were all drunk (for the price of only two drinks each!), and we went and had an absolutely wonderful dinner.

So, ah, yes. I'm a fan.

Is the "4th round free" thing a myth, or does this happen in bars in NYC?

 

[00Syd]

Is the "4th round free" thing a myth, or does this happen in bars in NYC?

Every bar is different. I've seen it happen, but not every bar does. Some bars only do it if you tip really well, some will only give you one buyback even if you've been buying three beers a round, others do it as policy. *shrug* No universal rule here.

 

[rosco rathbone]

The Subway Bar on the corner of 60th and Lex by the subway station is a great midtown old man bar with a good jukebox and usually a very generous buyback policy.

 

[00Syd]

I like old man bars.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I like old man bars.

I think "a good working first name relationship with an old man bar bartender" should be on every New Yorker's list of must-haves.

 

[Cattypuss]

The Subway Bar on the corner of 60th and Lex by the subway station is a great midtown old man bar with a good jukebox and usually a very generous buyback policy.

translations please:

old man bar

buyback policy

 

[rosco rathbone]

translations please:

old man bar

buyback policy

Old man bar is just a local unpretentious joint where people on fixed incomes can afford to drink while waiting for the early bird special at the diner. Buyback is where they give you every third or fourth drink for free. It's a loss leader.

 

[Cattypuss]

Aha! Thanks

 

[Cattypuss]

Tipping!

What are the rules for tipping in hotels, bars and restaurants?

I know it's very different from here, where you never tip at all in hotels, very very rarely in pubs (and when you tip in a pub it's just by telling the bar person to buy themselves a drink out of your money when you hand it over) and you tip between 10% and 13% in a restaurant.

 

[00Syd]

I think "a good working first name relationship with an old man bar bartender" should be on every New Yorker's list of must-haves.

Oh. Definitely. Unfortunately, since I've been primarily in Boston since turning 21, I'm still working on it

 

[eastern sun]

I prefer DeRoberta's (sp?), which is just a hop and a skip away, on 1st Ave b/w 11th and 10th. It's true that the pastries probably aren't as good as Veniero's, but I don't care. It's less well known, so less crowded and no lines ever, and their seating area feels to me like it hasn't changed since 1910. It's where I used to always bring my Grandma whenever she visited us from Florida.

They also used to have a giant cannoli in the window that was stuffed with a million normal sized cannoli's. I used to beg my mom to buy it for me whenever we walked by it when I was a kid.

I totally agree with you Syd. It's DeRoberti's and we've always preferred it to Veniero's. Veniero's has the hype and the visuals, when you're looking for a scene, but if you're looking for good coffee and dessert and a place to rest while you're sightseeing, I'd choose DeRoberti's too.