New York New York

[sherman]

andyjo1982 said:

We fly out to NY 3 weeks today.

Missus gave me a list of places to book for food, and so far, we've got breakfasts booked at Bubby's and Sarabeths, and dinners booked at Lil Frankies and Le Pecora Bianca. Sure they wont be cheap, but look nice enough on Insta. $12-15 for an orange juice though

Flying out in 4 days. I havent even considered booking breakfasts

Got thanksgiving dinner booked at the tavern on the green and another dinner booked on tuesday at the Oyster bar in Grand Central station.
Was just planning on winging the rest of the meals.
Will happly slum it in a Mcdonalds or starbucks if needed.

[98elise]

Sun1 said:

Greendubber said:

How deep are your pockets?

I'd rather keep it closer to frugal than "take my money"
I've never really been one for the lavish lifestyle.

NY is a bit like London where you can eat at pretty much every budget. We had breakfast in Pret most mornings which is obviously pretty cheap.

After the first day of sightseeing we were pretty tired so just grabbed a McD's. My wife wanted to do the NY Hard Rock which again isn't that expensive.

I can't remember where else we ate, but it wasn't scary prices.

[fttm]

Led to believe Delmonico's is open again , beside Brooklyn Bridge . Not the cheapest but the Steaks are so good .

[realjv]

andyjo1982 said:

We fly out to NY 3 weeks today.

Missus gave me a list of places to book for food, and so far, we've got breakfasts booked at Bubby's and Sarabeths, and dinners booked at Lil Frankies and Le Pecora Bianca. Sure they wont be cheap, but look nice enough on Insta. $12-15 for an orange juice though

Empire Diner on 10th @ W 22nd is lovely. 'Posh' old school aluminium diner.
Serra at Eataly on 5th @ W 23rd. Roof top Italian, all enclosed in a conservatory and decorated with flowers. Pricy but good.
Lexington Candy Shop on Lexington @ E 83rd. Not a candy shop but a classic New York lunch counter that's caught in a time warp.
Pershing Square on E42nd directly under the Park Avenue ramp to Grand Central Terminal.
Joe's Pizza - Mulitple locations. Possible the definitive NY Pizza place. Huge queues.
Stage Door Deli - Vasey Street. Just a few minutes walk from World Trade in lower Manhattan.
Le Pecora Blanca - Had good food there.

[speedchick]

We went to Kings of Kobe (West 42nd St). Hubby loved his burger and I had a very filling toasted cheese sandwich.

I think that was the only 'proper' meal apart from breakfast that we had. Breakfast kept us going and we filled up on cakes, croissants etc during the day!

[James6112]

andyjo1982 said:

Checking back in, we go 6 weeks on Thursday, and its starting to come round really quickly now.

I know its been covered, but best/most reliable place to book transport from Newark airport to lower manhatten recommendations please?

Thanks

I got train last time, a Nightmare, Newark to Penn St
Wife’s first time there, took some persuasion , an aggressive beggar who looked like Charles Manson gave us grief.
Not a great start!
Return, had a word with hotel
concierge. His mate Carlos, 90$ incl tip for a limo. Same price as train.
Call the hotel & see what they can do?

[andyjo1982]

We have sorted it now, but good idea, and I will speak to the hotel about arranging the return.

Noticing the exchange rate is improving over the last few days, which is no looking a little better.

2 weeks to go, very excited now.

[JimmyConwayNW]

realjv said:

Empire Diner on 10th @ W 22nd is lovely. 'Posh' old school aluminium diner.
Serra at Eataly on 5th @ W 23rd. Roof top Italian, all enclosed in a conservatory and decorated with flowers. Pricy but good.
Lexington Candy Shop on Lexington @ E 83rd. Not a candy shop but a classic New York lunch counter that's caught in a time warp.
Pershing Square on E42nd directly under the Park Avenue ramp to Grand Central Terminal.
Joe's Pizza - Mulitple locations. Possible the definitive NY Pizza place. Huge queues.
Stage Door Deli - Vasey Street. Just a few minutes walk from World Trade in lower Manhattan.
Le Pecora Blanca - Had good food there.

Pershing square had the best pancakes I have ever had in my life.

I also think in NY shakeshack for a fast food lunch whilst out and about is really good. Burgers are exceptionally good, miles better than a 5 guys.

[soupdragon1]

JimmyConwayNW said:

Pershing square had the best pancakes I have ever had in my life.

I also think in NY shakeshack for a fast food lunch whilst out and about is really good. Burgers are exceptionally good, miles better than a 5 guys.

I enjoyed the shake shack meal standing outside more than the diner I went to that was 4 times the price.

Just a really nice burger. They screwed our order up though and we ended up with an extra burger and fries, causing debate between me and my son around who would eat it. A short time after, this young lad, no more than 18 came up to us outside asking if we had any spare food. His eyes lit up as he was passed a fresh burger and fries portion. A very polite young kid, very skinny and obviously very skint.

You come across all sorts in NYC but that was a nice young lad and it felt tragic that he had no money for food.

[sherman]

James6112 said:

andyjo1982 said:

Checking back in, we go 6 weeks on Thursday, and its starting to come round really quickly now.

I know its been covered, but best/most reliable place to book transport from Newark airport to lower manhatten recommendations please?

Thanks

I got train last time, a Nightmare, Newark to Penn St
Wife’s first time there, took some persuasion , an aggressive beggar who looked like Charles Manson gave us grief.
Not a great start!
Return, had a word with hotel
concierge. His mate Carlos, 90$ incl tip for a limo. Same price as train.
Call the hotel & see what they can do?

Got the subway from JFK (jamica street) to 7th/53rd street on the E Libe. Couldnt have been simpler contactless payments on thd barriers and we were 400m from the hotel when we came out of the subway.

[satans worm]

so if your fast fooding it then stop at a chick-fil-a, get the spicy delux with waffle fries and chick-fil-a sauce , best fried chicken sandwich you can get, shake shake also do a decent one

I would suggest avoiding Mc Donald's, burger king, taco Bell and Kentucky fried chicken, these are pretty low ball chains to be avoided.

Wendys, shake shack , Dos Toros, Chic fila, Sweet Green, black burger, Arbys, Dallas BBQ, Mighty Quins are all fast food places that you wont find in the UK (i think Shake Shack might be in Covent Garden), not saying they are all great, but for cheap eats on the go, probably worth a shot.

Note, im really not saying Arbys /Dallas/Mighty Quins are the best BBQ! They just have several branches so you may well stumble upon one and they are not terrible for the price

[Dodgey_Rog]

The missus was in town this past weekend, so we did The Summit at One Vanderbilt. I would avoid the peak times, for obvious reasons. Go very early or as late as you can, otherwise it takes an eternity to get in (and out) and the crowds are quite hectic. Pretty cool, some great views to be had. Just get the standard ticket, don't bother with the drinks or anything else, bloody pointless.

I saw some reco's on the burgers and fast food, they're all pretty sh*t to be fair.

For a decent burger; Corner Bistro
Fried Chicken Sandwich; Wilfie & Nell in the west village, or BUA in the East Village. If you're uptown, try Alberts on 41st/Lex, good drinks and food and a very cool vibe.

Pizza; Arturo's on Houston Street, John's of Bleecker Street and Lil Frankies in the East Village as well.

[Mars]

I'm just back from a week in NYC. Stayed at the Hilton Club Central at 5th which was perfect. Clean modern rooms and bathrooms but no restaurant (such a waste to eat in your hotel where there are so many options).

On day 1 we walked towards downtown from our hotel through Times Sq, to the Highline, Flatiron, and generally wasted time before we caught a bus out to Niagara Falls. The bus was an overnighter so that saved two hotel nights (return journey the following night). On balance, I might not have done that if I'd have realised just how much waiting around we'd have to do in below zero temps but we definitely saw Niagara Falls from every angle, in both daylight and lit up at night, and even walked over the Rainbow Bridge into Canada (only 12 hours before someone drove a car at 100mph at the border gates and caused an explosion).

On day 3 we did two tour bus journeys. The first up to Central Park where we ate in The Tavern (very nice), then the other journey was just a looksee at downtown (we didn't get off the bus because our legs were sore from the over-11 miles we'd walked on day 1).

Day 4 was downtown - we figured out how the subway system worked (easy - tap your card to go in, and get charged just under $3 for "anywhere") and went to the WTC memorial, Wall St, walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, took a photo of the Manhattan Bridge from the Dumbo Manhattan Bridge viewing spot, and finally caught a boat trip out to Liberty Island. Upon returning to the hotel, we freshened up then went out for Chinese at Mala Kitchen, around the block from the hotel. I've never used chopsticks before, and... I'll need more practice.

Day 5 was Thanksgiving, however despite our best efforts and punctual attendance, we couldn't get close to see anything which was a bit disappointing so we changed tac and looked for as many film locations as we could think of. Took selfies in front of the Ghostbuster's Firehouse, MiB HQ, John Wick Continental, The Guggenheim (great shootout in The International with Clive Owen), The Plaza Hotel (Home Alone, Crocodile Dundee).

Day 6... found a few more filming locations including the public library from The Day After Tomorrow, had some proper NYC pancakes, went to the Intrepid and saw an SR71 and the Enterprise Space Shuttle amongst the exhibits (the actual aircraft carrier itself is bigger than my town), and walked back through Hell's Kitchen taking another selfie in front of one of those tenement blocks with all the external steel fire escapes I'd seen in Marvel's Daredevil. This was our last night there, so we found an Irish bar (Connolly's) behind our hotel, where we sat at the bar like extras in a crappy TV cop-series and had a great dinner and drinks. The guy we chatted with sat at the end of the bar even reminded me of Chief Jerry from Denis Leary's Rescue Me.


Having never visited the US but "always" wanted to, this was the first opportunity I had at 55yo. Despite driving alone through Europe and Scandinavia many times over the last 35+ years - countries where they don't necessarily speak English - I feel at home there. However America had always intimidated me a bit and I have waited for an opportunity to go with someone else, almost by way of an intro really, so when my friend needed to go there and asked if I fancied a lads' week, I was absolutely up for it. I'd built up in my head how different America was, and how different Americans are to us Europeans and yet from the moment my feet hit the ground in JFK it felt all so "normal".

Observations... it's expensive there. Not just because of the exchange rate, or even because of the "London pricing" thing. No... everything is way more expensive than you think it should be.

Also, it's true that the city never sleeps, and despite the cars honking pedestrians at the crossings, the actual noise of vehicles there was very much quieter than I was expecting. The old V8 yellow cabs have gone - replaced with small SUV hybrids and EVs. Yes there were loud trucks, fire trucks, buses etc but on the whole I rather thought I'd be shouting to be heard while walking along the streets but that was entirely unnecessary.

My EE mobile contract allows for me to pay £25 and extend my contractual time, texts and data to the US which took away any uncertainty about using maps for guidance there. That said, GPS struggles amongst the tall structures in the city itself.

Lastly, I had believed Americans use cash a lot, and took a few hundred dollars with me. It's completely unnecessary in NYC - you can pay and tip entirely with your phone or credit card.

[fourstardan]

Good write up.

Did you think about a day trip to niagara on the plane?

[fourstardan]

satans worm said:

so if your fast fooding it then stop at a chick-fil-a, get the spicy delux with waffle fries and chick-fil-a sauce , best fried chicken sandwich you can get, shake shake also do a decent one

I would suggest avoiding Mc Donald's, burger king, taco Bell and Kentucky fried chicken, these are pretty low ball chains to be avoided.

Wendys, shake shack , Dos Toros, Chic fila, Sweet Green, black burger, Arbys, Dallas BBQ, Mighty Quins are all fast food places that you wont find in the UK (i think Shake Shack might be in Covent Garden), not saying they are all great, but for cheap eats on the go, probably worth a shot.

Note, im really not saying Arbys /Dallas/Mighty Quins are the best BBQ! They just have several branches so you may well stumble upon one and they are not terrible for the price

Chick fil a looking to open here

https://www.chick-fil-a.com/press-room/2023/10/chi...

[Mars]

fourstardan said:

Good write up.

Did you think about a day trip to niagara on the plane?

No - arranged it in advance but we both assumed there'd be more to do to entertain us between bus rides, and although we checked the weather in NYC, we didn't think to check up at Niagara which was considerably colder.

No regrets though. It's an epic place and I can now look at it on Google Earth with a "I've been there" memory.

[sherman]

Mars said:

I'm just back from a week in NYC. Stayed at the Hilton Club Central at 5th which was perfect. Clean modern rooms and bathrooms but no restaurant (such a waste to eat in your hotel where there are so many options).

On day 1 we walked towards downtown from our hotel through Times Sq, to the Highline, Flatiron, and generally wasted time before we caught a bus out to Niagara Falls. The bus was an overnighter so that saved two hotel nights (return journey the following night). On balance, I might not have done that if I'd have realised just how much waiting around we'd have to do in below zero temps but we definitely saw Niagara Falls from every angle, in both daylight and lit up at night, and even walked over the Rainbow Bridge into Canada (only 12 hours before someone drove a car at 100mph at the border gates and caused an explosion).

On day 3 we did two tour bus journeys. The first up to Central Park where we ate in The Tavern (very nice), then the other journey was just a looksee at downtown (we didn't get off the bus because our legs were sore from the over-11 miles we'd walked on day 1).

Day 4 was downtown - we figured out how the subway system worked (easy - tap your card to go in, and get charged just under $3 for "anywhere") and went to the WTC memorial, Wall St, walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, took a photo of the Manhattan Bridge from the Dumbo Manhattan Bridge viewing spot, and finally caught a boat trip out to Liberty Island. Upon returning to the hotel, we freshened up then went out for Chinese at Mala Kitchen, around the block from the hotel. I've never used chopsticks before, and... I'll need more practice.

Day 5 was Thanksgiving, however despite our best efforts and punctual attendance, we couldn't get close to see anything which was a bit disappointing so we changed tac and looked for as many film locations as we could think of. Took selfies in front of the Ghostbuster's Firehouse, MiB HQ, John Wick Continental, The Guggenheim (great shootout in The International with Clive Owen), The Plaza Hotel (Home Alone, Crocodile Dundee).

Day 6... found a few more filming locations including the public library from The Day After Tomorrow, had some proper NYC pancakes, went to the Intrepid and saw an SR71 and the Enterprise Space Shuttle amongst the exhibits (the actual aircraft carrier itself is bigger than my town), and walked back through Hell's Kitchen taking another selfie in front of one of those tenement blocks with all the external steel fire escapes I'd seen in Marvel's Daredevil. This was our last night there, so we found an Irish bar (Connolly's) behind our hotel, where we sat at the bar like extras in a crappy TV cop-series and had a great dinner and drinks. The guy we chatted with sat at the end of the bar even reminded me of Chief Jerry from Denis Leary's Rescue Me.


Having never visited the US but "always" wanted to, this was the first opportunity I had at 55yo. Despite driving alone through Europe and Scandinavia many times over the last 35+ years - countries where they don't necessarily speak English - I feel at home there. However America had always intimidated me a bit and I have waited for an opportunity to go with someone else, almost by way of an intro really, so when my friend needed to go there and asked if I fancied a lads' week, I was absolutely up for it. I'd built up in my head how different America was, and how different Americans are to us Europeans and yet from the moment my feet hit the ground in JFK it felt all so "normal".

Observations... it's expensive there. Not just because of the exchange rate, or even because of the "London pricing" thing. No... everything is way more expensive than you think it should be.

Also, it's true that the city never sleeps, and despite the cars honking pedestrians at the crossings, the actual noise of vehicles there was very much quieter than I was expecting. The old V8 yellow cabs have gone - replaced with small SUV hybrids and EVs. Yes there were loud trucks, fire trucks, buses etc but on the whole I rather thought I'd be shouting to be heard while walking along the streets but that was entirely unnecessary.

My EE mobile contract allows for me to pay £25 and extend my contractual time, texts and data to the US which took away any uncertainty about using maps for guidance there. That said, GPS struggles amongst the tall structures in the city itself.

Lastly, I had believed Americans use cash a lot, and took a few hundred dollars with me. It's completely unnecessary in NYC - you can pay and tip entirely with your phone or credit card.

We are just back too.

We stayed at Park Central on 7th avenue just up from Times square.
Did Thanksgiving dinner at Tavern on the green. It was really good.
We got to see the parade from a side street near the Hilton on 6th Avenue. TV crew were on top of the aitrium.

Tap and go on the subway was really easy too. Im sure I saw its capped at $35 a week too if you travel about alot.
We walked an average of 9 miles a day around manhattan. Our longest day was 33 000 steps.

Madison square gardens for the NY Knicks v Miami Heat was epic on the friday night.

[GCH]

sherman said:

Tap and go on the subway was really easy too. Im sure I saw its capped at $35 a week too if you travel about alot.

$34 - free after the first 12 fares in any continuous seven day period (not just weekend to weekend).

[Dodgey_Rog]

Mars said:

I'm just back from a week in NYC. Stayed at the Hilton Club Central at 5th which was perfect. Clean modern rooms and bathrooms but no restaurant (such a waste to eat in your hotel where there are so many options).

On day 1 we walked towards downtown from our hotel through Times Sq, to the Highline, Flatiron, and generally wasted time before we caught a bus out to Niagara Falls. The bus was an overnighter so that saved two hotel nights (return journey the following night). On balance, I might not have done that if I'd have realised just how much waiting around we'd have to do in below zero temps but we definitely saw Niagara Falls from every angle, in both daylight and lit up at night, and even walked over the Rainbow Bridge into Canada (only 12 hours before someone drove a car at 100mph at the border gates and caused an explosion).

On day 3 we did two tour bus journeys. The first up to Central Park where we ate in The Tavern (very nice), then the other journey was just a looksee at downtown (we didn't get off the bus because our legs were sore from the over-11 miles we'd walked on day 1).

Day 4 was downtown - we figured out how the subway system worked (easy - tap your card to go in, and get charged just under $3 for "anywhere") and went to the WTC memorial, Wall St, walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, took a photo of the Manhattan Bridge from the Dumbo Manhattan Bridge viewing spot, and finally caught a boat trip out to Liberty Island. Upon returning to the hotel, we freshened up then went out for Chinese at Mala Kitchen, around the block from the hotel. I've never used chopsticks before, and... I'll need more practice.

Day 5 was Thanksgiving, however despite our best efforts and punctual attendance, we couldn't get close to see anything which was a bit disappointing so we changed tac and looked for as many film locations as we could think of. Took selfies in front of the Ghostbuster's Firehouse, MiB HQ, John Wick Continental, The Guggenheim (great shootout in The International with Clive Owen), The Plaza Hotel (Home Alone, Crocodile Dundee).

Day 6... found a few more filming locations including the public library from The Day After Tomorrow, had some proper NYC pancakes, went to the Intrepid and saw an SR71 and the Enterprise Space Shuttle amongst the exhibits (the actual aircraft carrier itself is bigger than my town), and walked back through Hell's Kitchen taking another selfie in front of one of those tenement blocks with all the external steel fire escapes I'd seen in Marvel's Daredevil. This was our last night there, so we found an Irish bar (Connolly's) behind our hotel, where we sat at the bar like extras in a crappy TV cop-series and had a great dinner and drinks. The guy we chatted with sat at the end of the bar even reminded me of Chief Jerry from Denis Leary's Rescue Me.


Having never visited the US but "always" wanted to, this was the first opportunity I had at 55yo. Despite driving alone through Europe and Scandinavia many times over the last 35+ years - countries where they don't necessarily speak English - I feel at home there. However America had always intimidated me a bit and I have waited for an opportunity to go with someone else, almost by way of an intro really, so when my friend needed to go there and asked if I fancied a lads' week, I was absolutely up for it. I'd built up in my head how different America was, and how different Americans are to us Europeans and yet from the moment my feet hit the ground in JFK it felt all so "normal".

Observations... it's expensive there. Not just because of the exchange rate, or even because of the "London pricing" thing. No... everything is way more expensive than you think it should be.

Also, it's true that the city never sleeps, and despite the cars honking pedestrians at the crossings, the actual noise of vehicles there was very much quieter than I was expecting. The old V8 yellow cabs have gone - replaced with small SUV hybrids and EVs. Yes there were loud trucks, fire trucks, buses etc but on the whole I rather thought I'd be shouting to be heard while walking along the streets but that was entirely unnecessary.

My EE mobile contract allows for me to pay £25 and extend my contractual time, texts and data to the US which took away any uncertainty about using maps for guidance there. That said, GPS struggles amongst the tall structures in the city itself.

Lastly, I had believed Americans use cash a lot, and took a few hundred dollars with me. It's completely unnecessary in NYC - you can pay and tip entirely with your phone or credit card.

Crikey! I've lived here 17 years and not done half of that, well done sir!

Agree on the cash front, it always used to make me chuckle when I'd see tourists change up a load of cash at the airport, when you can easily use your card. To be fair, I only have a wad of $20's, $10's and smaller stuff in case I pop in somewhere for a beer and can't be arsed to wait around for the check. To add to your Niagara trip, I flew up as the flights were cheap and saved a lot of time, if you can fly from LGA, all the better.

[Mars]

Dodgey_Rog said:

Crikey! I've lived here 17 years and not done half of that, well done sir!

Agree on the cash front, it always used to make me chuckle when I'd see tourists change up a load of cash at the airport, when you can easily use your card. To be fair, I only have a wad of $20's, $10's and smaller stuff in case I pop in somewhere for a beer and can't be arsed to wait around for the check. To add to your Niagara trip, I flew up as the flights were cheap and saved a lot of time, if you can fly from LGA, all the better.

Would you believe the agenda was largely made up as we went along. We had listed a series of "intentions" but apart from booking the buses to and from Niagara, the rest was properly "winged". It became obvious as we were chasing down filming locations just how much of NYC had become part of our mutual history through films and TV.

And to your opening statement... when you live somewhere there's always time to do those things. I have temporarily lived and worked extensively in London and have done almost none of the usual touristy things there. In fact, I only climbed up the Monument once because I was too early for a reserved seat train home and needed to waste time. One of my offices even overlooks St Paul's Cathedral yet I've never been inside.

The other thing about NYC is that I never once felt unsafe there. Admittedly I never went north of Central Park but even so, coming from rural England it is a huge culture change from my normal life yet everyone we met was friendly and extremely polite.