New York in October
Discussion
Afternoon all,
My folks have very kindly decided to send me to New York for a week in October for my 50th. It has always been a place of interest to visit but sadly I know next to nothing about where to stay, best places to eat, nice bars with music, etc.
Any advice of pointers would be very much appreciated!!
Also looking forward to boarding and turning left
Forgot to say I plan on doing all the usual tourist things during the day but anything in particular to look out for would be good to know!
My folks have very kindly decided to send me to New York for a week in October for my 50th. It has always been a place of interest to visit but sadly I know next to nothing about where to stay, best places to eat, nice bars with music, etc.
Any advice of pointers would be very much appreciated!!
Also looking forward to boarding and turning left
Forgot to say I plan on doing all the usual tourist things during the day but anything in particular to look out for would be good to know!
Edited by coopedup on Wednesday 11th January 14:49
Probably worth doing a search as there are many threads- here's one for starters
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=163...
then give an idea of what sort of stuff you are looking for. There are thousands of places to eat and everyone will have their favourites.
I've been three times in last five years and hope to go back many times- great place and some of the best places i've eaten are little diners tucked away from main tourists spots.
Similarly with hotels- what's your budget and what sort of place are you looking for?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=163...
then give an idea of what sort of stuff you are looking for. There are thousands of places to eat and everyone will have their favourites.
I've been three times in last five years and hope to go back many times- great place and some of the best places i've eaten are little diners tucked away from main tourists spots.
Similarly with hotels- what's your budget and what sort of place are you looking for?
Oooops, thanks for the link 
Budget wise I am not too sure but probably around £1500ish for accommodation.
In the evenings I will be looking for nice wine bars or maybe somewhere that has good jazz players, just somewhere to chill out and relax.
During the day it will be the usual touristy things for a first time visit. Ellis island, Times square, Empire State building, etc. along with a few museums.
Budget wise I am not too sure but probably around £1500ish for accommodation.
In the evenings I will be looking for nice wine bars or maybe somewhere that has good jazz players, just somewhere to chill out and relax.
During the day it will be the usual touristy things for a first time visit. Ellis island, Times square, Empire State building, etc. along with a few museums.
coopedup said:
Oooops, thanks for the link
Budget wise I am not too sure but probably around £1500ish for accommodation.
In the evenings I will be looking for nice wine bars or maybe somewhere that has good jazz players, just somewhere to chill out and relax.
During the day it will be the usual touristy things for a first time visit. Ellis island, Times square, Empire State building, etc. along with a few museums.
http://washingtonsquarehotel.com/Budget wise I am not too sure but probably around £1500ish for accommodation.
In the evenings I will be looking for nice wine bars or maybe somewhere that has good jazz players, just somewhere to chill out and relax.
During the day it will be the usual touristy things for a first time visit. Ellis island, Times square, Empire State building, etc. along with a few museums.
Best area to stay for your evening requirements IMO.
Other things worthwhile
Top Of The Rock
One World Observatory
The Highline and then walk round Chelsea Market
A Food Tour of New York (recommend the Greenwich Village one and the China Town one)https://www.foodsofny.com
The Ride https://experiencetheride.com
Breakfast in Brooklyn (here:https://www.clarksdiner.com/store80/restaurant.php) and then walk back over Brooklyn Bridge
Don't forget Central Park
Hotels- http://www.hotelchandler.com (lovely hotel with great little bar frequented by locals) and http://www.parkcentralny.com- great location
ps- walk through Times Square to have a look and then don't bother going back- tacky place, overcrowded and lots to rip tourists off.
Top Of The Rock
One World Observatory
The Highline and then walk round Chelsea Market
A Food Tour of New York (recommend the Greenwich Village one and the China Town one)https://www.foodsofny.com
The Ride https://experiencetheride.com
Breakfast in Brooklyn (here:https://www.clarksdiner.com/store80/restaurant.php) and then walk back over Brooklyn Bridge
Don't forget Central Park
Hotels- http://www.hotelchandler.com (lovely hotel with great little bar frequented by locals) and http://www.parkcentralny.com- great location
ps- walk through Times Square to have a look and then don't bother going back- tacky place, overcrowded and lots to rip tourists off.
Edited by craig1912 on Thursday 12th January 09:54
Edited by craig1912 on Thursday 12th January 09:55
coopedup said:
Many thanks chaps, Washington Square Hotel was the best deal I could find so far, might very well go for that.
Merc S500 airport transfers: http://www.nycrichlimo.com/The exchange rate is a bit of a killer at the moment; I hope that it improves for you.
As a result, hotels are expensive. We stayed at the Affinia Shelburne - good location, roof top bar, busy lobby bar and free wine for an hour, every evening!
Don't get hung up on staying in a certain location. The subway is easy to use and NY is generally a very safe place now.
You'll spend little time in your hotel, so be relaxed about staying in less popular areas.
Harlem and Bronx are definitely NOT "no go" areas now. Gentrification is happening in NY too.
In terms of things to do.......
Top of The Rock - better than the Empire State in my opinion. Far more space and you get a good view of the ESB.
Make use of the walking tours. Big Apple Greeters are good, but you'll need to register early and don't expect an answer until the week before you arrive.
Get a guided walking tour of The High Line, Chelsea and Greenwich. A 3 hour tour will give you so much info.
A guided walk of 911 and out onto the Brooklyn Bridge is well worth it at night.
Take the free Statten Island Ferry. Great views and it's the only place in NY that you can legally buy and drink a beer on the public transit system.
Grand Central is a must, but again, try to get some sort of walking tour.
Intrepid is worth a visit, if that type of stuff is of interest. We didn't bother with the Star Wars bit.
Walked and cycled in Central Park, which is Ok, but to be honest, it's just a park. It's mostly remarkable as an open space in such a built up metropolis, not for the beauty of the park.
We didn't use the NY Pass thing. Some say its good, some don't.
We didn't use the hop on, hop off buses either. Sub way was a great experience.
We arrived by train and used Uber to get to the airport, so can't comment on cabs.
Restaurants - unless you go toward the top end, I find much of the food served, to be mediocre at best. The mentality is that big portions mean good quality. There is a lot of slop dished out.
Some of the best meals we had were in Greenwich, in small cafés and bars. All individual and with character.
There is some amazing Italian food on offer. Take advice from Italian New Yorkers if you can and be prepared to travel out to good, small, neighbourhood restaurants for the best Italian food.
Music venues - sorry, can't help. Was there with my 12 year old son!
For me, mid town and south are far more interesting than north of mid town.
NY is a photographers dream, so take a half decent camera, set it to auto(if you are not a snapper) and go for it.
Have fun.
As a result, hotels are expensive. We stayed at the Affinia Shelburne - good location, roof top bar, busy lobby bar and free wine for an hour, every evening!
Don't get hung up on staying in a certain location. The subway is easy to use and NY is generally a very safe place now.
You'll spend little time in your hotel, so be relaxed about staying in less popular areas.
Harlem and Bronx are definitely NOT "no go" areas now. Gentrification is happening in NY too.
In terms of things to do.......
Top of The Rock - better than the Empire State in my opinion. Far more space and you get a good view of the ESB.
Make use of the walking tours. Big Apple Greeters are good, but you'll need to register early and don't expect an answer until the week before you arrive.
Get a guided walking tour of The High Line, Chelsea and Greenwich. A 3 hour tour will give you so much info.
A guided walk of 911 and out onto the Brooklyn Bridge is well worth it at night.
Take the free Statten Island Ferry. Great views and it's the only place in NY that you can legally buy and drink a beer on the public transit system.
Grand Central is a must, but again, try to get some sort of walking tour.
Intrepid is worth a visit, if that type of stuff is of interest. We didn't bother with the Star Wars bit.
Walked and cycled in Central Park, which is Ok, but to be honest, it's just a park. It's mostly remarkable as an open space in such a built up metropolis, not for the beauty of the park.
We didn't use the NY Pass thing. Some say its good, some don't.
We didn't use the hop on, hop off buses either. Sub way was a great experience.
We arrived by train and used Uber to get to the airport, so can't comment on cabs.
Restaurants - unless you go toward the top end, I find much of the food served, to be mediocre at best. The mentality is that big portions mean good quality. There is a lot of slop dished out.
Some of the best meals we had were in Greenwich, in small cafés and bars. All individual and with character.
There is some amazing Italian food on offer. Take advice from Italian New Yorkers if you can and be prepared to travel out to good, small, neighbourhood restaurants for the best Italian food.
Music venues - sorry, can't help. Was there with my 12 year old son!
For me, mid town and south are far more interesting than north of mid town.
NY is a photographers dream, so take a half decent camera, set it to auto(if you are not a snapper) and go for it.
Have fun.
Hi
So having lived in NYC for the last 2 years I have to say the comments about food are way out, NYC has some of the best resturants you could want, and not just at the expensive side of the scale, far from it.
It's just about knowing where to go, like every city
So as I'm in a generous mood let spill the beans on where to eat drink and go in NYC from a more local perspective:-)
Essential resturants, these may not be in your midtown comfort zone, but that alone is a reason to make the effort.
Also be warned if you arrive at a peak hours waits of over an hour is not unusual, so try to arrive a little earlier than normal, or being British, just enjoy the queue;-)
Top 10
1) soup dumplings at Joe Shanghai , the rest of the food at this cheap eats place is not so good, but just order double helpings of pork dumplings, be prepared to share your table with 6 other people while checking out the 'celebs ' on the wall who have also visited, goto the China town one and not midtown.
2) ramen, street food in Asia has turned into a NYC obsession . Look no further than Ippudo in the lower east side, you have to order steamed buns for starters , they brought them to NYC and are the best, followed with a big bowl of steaming hot ramen :-)
3) keeping the Asian theme, next stop K-town ( Korea town) where you have to have Korean BBQ at Baekjeong, the mixed beef short rib is superb, along with the customary kimchi
4) staying in k town, next stop KFC, no not Kentucky fried chicken but Korean fried chicken. Best place is turntable chicken jazz, but being Korean it's difficult to find ( entrance next to a cheap pizza joint where you need to walk up some stairs to get to the first floor ( or second, depending on how American you are) where it turns into a cool restaurant where half spicy half sweet wings washed down with some soju is the order of the day.
5 ) the great question, the best burger? For me it's the shake shack, ( I believe they have one in Covent garden too) not elaborate or fancy, just a good honest tasty burger and fries, and to ensure you make the most use of your medical insurance by utalising a defibrillator , wash it down with a peanut butter concrete! Five guys is another popular place, but shake shack I think is the best.
6) can't believe I'm writing this, but like a good dirty kebab shop, I'm going to say buffalo wild wings( know as bww, not to be mixed up with bbw if your using google;-) ) the food is average, it's based in tourist hell near Times Square ,but somehow it's so American with the 100 tv's showing sports, super bright lighting and staff wondering around in American football type outfits, it's some how very enjoyable, chose the buffalo rub, beware on the hot sauce, blows your head off and gives you hic ups!
7) Benihana, hibachi, watching the juggling of food whilst it's being prepared in frount of you is fun, once.
8) posh nosh this time, the clock tower in the flat iron district, owned by English chef Jason atherton, they do some fantastic food, try the yellow tail for appertiser and pork chop for main. Pre drink of a Del Boy cocktail complete with tacky unbrella a must, you will need to book a week in advance at least.
9) For a steak house, wolfgangs on 33rd and park, noisy but the ribeye is huge, just order 1 side between you! Peter Luger is the most famous in Brooklyn as an alternative.
10) Chikalicious, desert only, great place to go foto finish off a fun night.
11) as a bonus suggestion, BBQ food, Brooklyn has the best in red hook but it's a trek to get to, so I would say hill country BBQ , get your fill of brisket and pulled pork not forgetting the beans with burnt ends. If you want jazz with BBQ then blue smoke could be for you ( slight compromise on food though.)
Tip
Only eat at A rated places , B is ok if you really fancy it, ( joes is a b I think) if it's a C , don't touch it even if they are paying you to eat there !
All places have to have a sign by the frount door by law
In short, NYC food is some of the best anywhere in the world, with immense choice , all the above apart form the last 4 are cheap eats under 20bucks.
Drinks
Generally I would say find your own bar to your own taste, it's all out there, just get out of midtown please! Stay lower east side, noho, soho, or Chelsea if you want to be a bit posh and trendy.
The only thing I would recommend is going to a speakeasy, a new trend dating back from the prohibition era.
You can goto griff dogs in lower east side, goto the hot dog shop, walk into the phone both and pick up the phone, a door to the side will open up allowing you into a dark windowless room buzzing with people talking and bearded waiters serving strong cocktails .
Another good one is at spring street called 'the corner' walk into the apparently shabby taco place and through the stainless steel door to your right, go down the stairs , through the working kitchen into a room at the end, that will have trendy looking people drinking cocktails in this red lite , skull decorated ,speak easy.
You may need to blow the illusion and book ahead, these places are small and very popular.
Only other place is mc sorleys in lower east side, saw dust floor, only serve light or dark beers( really, not 1 other drink) I believe it's the oldest bar in NYC and still has the original swing doors
Things to do
Lots of info around, all I would say is , go up the rock during the day for a great view of Central Park, and the empire at night( massive queue ) the empire is a romantic place, even if it's 6 people deep , something about being up there really is special.
Stay out of midtown as much as possible, it's a dump, keep below 20th street but not so far as battery park area, ( so lower east side, the alphabets, noho, soho, Chelsea, Greenwich village etc) this is where the real NY is.
Keep out of Harlem ( Spanish on the east side)at night, it is still dangerous and not been gentrified yet ( today a 12 year old boy pulled a gun on a girl for a chicken nugget,)
Ny is about walking, drinking, eating and people watching, the rest is just tourist crap.
As much as I hate to say it being a Brit myself and working in London most my life, NYC really is the best city in the world, just stay out of midtown!
right, I'm offf for some ramen!
So having lived in NYC for the last 2 years I have to say the comments about food are way out, NYC has some of the best resturants you could want, and not just at the expensive side of the scale, far from it.
It's just about knowing where to go, like every city
So as I'm in a generous mood let spill the beans on where to eat drink and go in NYC from a more local perspective:-)
Essential resturants, these may not be in your midtown comfort zone, but that alone is a reason to make the effort.
Also be warned if you arrive at a peak hours waits of over an hour is not unusual, so try to arrive a little earlier than normal, or being British, just enjoy the queue;-)
Top 10
1) soup dumplings at Joe Shanghai , the rest of the food at this cheap eats place is not so good, but just order double helpings of pork dumplings, be prepared to share your table with 6 other people while checking out the 'celebs ' on the wall who have also visited, goto the China town one and not midtown.
2) ramen, street food in Asia has turned into a NYC obsession . Look no further than Ippudo in the lower east side, you have to order steamed buns for starters , they brought them to NYC and are the best, followed with a big bowl of steaming hot ramen :-)
3) keeping the Asian theme, next stop K-town ( Korea town) where you have to have Korean BBQ at Baekjeong, the mixed beef short rib is superb, along with the customary kimchi
4) staying in k town, next stop KFC, no not Kentucky fried chicken but Korean fried chicken. Best place is turntable chicken jazz, but being Korean it's difficult to find ( entrance next to a cheap pizza joint where you need to walk up some stairs to get to the first floor ( or second, depending on how American you are) where it turns into a cool restaurant where half spicy half sweet wings washed down with some soju is the order of the day.
5 ) the great question, the best burger? For me it's the shake shack, ( I believe they have one in Covent garden too) not elaborate or fancy, just a good honest tasty burger and fries, and to ensure you make the most use of your medical insurance by utalising a defibrillator , wash it down with a peanut butter concrete! Five guys is another popular place, but shake shack I think is the best.
6) can't believe I'm writing this, but like a good dirty kebab shop, I'm going to say buffalo wild wings( know as bww, not to be mixed up with bbw if your using google;-) ) the food is average, it's based in tourist hell near Times Square ,but somehow it's so American with the 100 tv's showing sports, super bright lighting and staff wondering around in American football type outfits, it's some how very enjoyable, chose the buffalo rub, beware on the hot sauce, blows your head off and gives you hic ups!
7) Benihana, hibachi, watching the juggling of food whilst it's being prepared in frount of you is fun, once.
8) posh nosh this time, the clock tower in the flat iron district, owned by English chef Jason atherton, they do some fantastic food, try the yellow tail for appertiser and pork chop for main. Pre drink of a Del Boy cocktail complete with tacky unbrella a must, you will need to book a week in advance at least.
9) For a steak house, wolfgangs on 33rd and park, noisy but the ribeye is huge, just order 1 side between you! Peter Luger is the most famous in Brooklyn as an alternative.
10) Chikalicious, desert only, great place to go foto finish off a fun night.
11) as a bonus suggestion, BBQ food, Brooklyn has the best in red hook but it's a trek to get to, so I would say hill country BBQ , get your fill of brisket and pulled pork not forgetting the beans with burnt ends. If you want jazz with BBQ then blue smoke could be for you ( slight compromise on food though.)
Tip
Only eat at A rated places , B is ok if you really fancy it, ( joes is a b I think) if it's a C , don't touch it even if they are paying you to eat there !
All places have to have a sign by the frount door by law
In short, NYC food is some of the best anywhere in the world, with immense choice , all the above apart form the last 4 are cheap eats under 20bucks.
Drinks
Generally I would say find your own bar to your own taste, it's all out there, just get out of midtown please! Stay lower east side, noho, soho, or Chelsea if you want to be a bit posh and trendy.
The only thing I would recommend is going to a speakeasy, a new trend dating back from the prohibition era.
You can goto griff dogs in lower east side, goto the hot dog shop, walk into the phone both and pick up the phone, a door to the side will open up allowing you into a dark windowless room buzzing with people talking and bearded waiters serving strong cocktails .
Another good one is at spring street called 'the corner' walk into the apparently shabby taco place and through the stainless steel door to your right, go down the stairs , through the working kitchen into a room at the end, that will have trendy looking people drinking cocktails in this red lite , skull decorated ,speak easy.
You may need to blow the illusion and book ahead, these places are small and very popular.
Only other place is mc sorleys in lower east side, saw dust floor, only serve light or dark beers( really, not 1 other drink) I believe it's the oldest bar in NYC and still has the original swing doors
Things to do
Lots of info around, all I would say is , go up the rock during the day for a great view of Central Park, and the empire at night( massive queue ) the empire is a romantic place, even if it's 6 people deep , something about being up there really is special.
Stay out of midtown as much as possible, it's a dump, keep below 20th street but not so far as battery park area, ( so lower east side, the alphabets, noho, soho, Chelsea, Greenwich village etc) this is where the real NY is.
Keep out of Harlem ( Spanish on the east side)at night, it is still dangerous and not been gentrified yet ( today a 12 year old boy pulled a gun on a girl for a chicken nugget,)
Ny is about walking, drinking, eating and people watching, the rest is just tourist crap.
As much as I hate to say it being a Brit myself and working in London most my life, NYC really is the best city in the world, just stay out of midtown!
right, I'm offf for some ramen!
Edited by satans worm on Saturday 14th January 03:36
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