Going to New York - shopping/restaurant recommendations?

[poorsod]

Originally Posted by norcaltransplant

I second this recommendation. The Frick is not my favorite but an incredibly well edited collection of artwork. The Neue Gallery across the street from the Met is also a less known resource. The latter caters to German/Austrian artwork from the early 20th century which is very difficult to find outside Belvedere in Vienna.

I also like it for their Viennese style coffee house, Cafe Sabarsky.

Originally Posted by IndianBoyz

I believe this is far too mundane for edmorel.

 

[teddieriley]

^^Do they serve spaghetti there?

 

[Leffot]

The Highline is a new elevated park on the west side that has fantastic views of the Hudson River.

http://www.thehighline.org/

 

[philosophe]

Originally Posted by poorsod

I also like it for their Viennese style coffee house, Cafe Sabarsky.

The Neue is great. Ditto the Frick.

Moo, I wouldn't plan two major art museums on a single day. The Met is gigantic, and MoMA isn't exactly small. Also, check the hours carefully.

If you decide to go up to the Dia, the peak time for leaves in the Hudson valley is mid-October. It will be glorious.

 

[Nick V.]

www.artisanalbistro.com. A bit different, loud but fun and great food if you care to share some Fondue.
2 Park Av.

For brunch: www.balthazarny.com.
80 Spring St.
You can visit the Village and Soho after chowing down.

 

[edmorel]

A lot of generic places being suggested here. Moo, aren't you Russian or something?? I would think that the Russian Tea Room is a national obligation for you. I'd skip Brooklyn, but I'm not into the whole Hipster "this is so much more real" than manhattan ethos. Anyway, there are a ton of romantic/quality restaurants, some suggested here, I know nothing of french food but would recommend One If By Land or Il Mulino for a good quality NYC restaurant. Not sure why anyone would visit the UWS unless you lived there. Its a great family neighborhood but I can barely get up enough energy to go up there from midtown much less from out of town. For a fun evening with the missus, go to the meat packing district, walk around and just walk into any restaurant that tickles your fancy, I am partial to Son Cubano but that's for reasons I won't go into in this thread. After dinner, grab a cab and go to the Bowery. Walk around. There will be homeless people, hipsters, bikers, trust fund babies and bridge and tunnel. Pick a bar, any bar. Get some stiff drinks, tip the bartender well, and enjoy/partake in the "scene" (people dancing on the tables, hot girls making out with each other etc).

 

[randallr]

Originally Posted by edmorel

A lot of generic places being suggested here. Moo, aren't you Russian or something?? I would think that the Russian Tea Room is a national obligation for you. I'd skip Brooklyn, but I'm not into the whole Hipster "this is so much more real" than manhattan ethos. Anyway, there are a ton of romantic/quality restaurants, some suggested here, I know nothing of french food but would recommend One If By Land or Il Mulino for a good quality NYC restaurant. Not sure why anyone would visit the UWS unless you lived there. Its a great family neighborhood but I can barely get up enough energy to go up there from midtown much less from out of town. For a fun evening with the missus, go to the meat packing district, walk around and just walk into any restaurant that tickles your fancy, I am partial to Son Cubano but that's for reasons I won't go into in this thread. After dinner, grab a cab and go to the Bowery. Walk around. There will be homeless people, hipsters, bikers, trust fund babies and bridge and tunnel. Pick a bar, any bar. Get some stiff drinks, tip the bartender well, and enjoy/partake in the "scene" (people dancing on the tables, hot girls making out with each other etc).

I believe Mafoo has been proven wrong about his theory that the UWS would be a good place to stay. Yes, it's nice to live in the area but not if you are here for four nights.

 

[randallr]

Moo--as far as what I'd recommend in SoHo, that's where I'd do my shopping. There are tons of boutiques down there including one of your favorite, Barker Black. There are also a lot of high fashion stores that can be fun to check out, I personally like the Rick Owens store. Not that I wear anything they have but it's a pretty cool experience, only do it if you feel comfortable feeling like you have walked into a bat cave with vampire SA's.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

My wife and I will be making a trip to New York City for our 1 year wedding anniversary in October. We don't have any family or close friends there, so we'll likely be on our own. We are going to be there for 5 days. I haven't been there since I was 12 and she has never been, so we'll be very touristy. I'm looking for recommendations about must do/must see things, including shopping to keep it MC approved.

Interested in restaurants, buildings, cool photo op places, best shows to see, etc. Also, do you recommend renting a car or should we cab/subway it the whole time? Also, what would be a good one day trip to take (i.e. leave early in the AM and come back in the evening)? Niagara Falls seems like it's too far for that (800 miles round trip). Any other ideas? Thanks guys!
I recommend Bice, its on 54th between 5th and madison avenues. Fantastic food, and the waiters wear cream dinner jackets and some wear bowties. The best Italian place I've been to is a restaurant in Queens called Don Pepe's, if you get a chance to go there, take it! Try the veal.

 

[iyorito]

From my experience,

Donguri is an excellent "non sushi" Japanese restaurant
309 East 83rd Street
212.737.5656
(between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Sushi Yasuda is great for "sushi" obviously.
204 East 43rd Street
212.972.1001
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

Safe trip,

iyorito

 

[gregaz]

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

As for hotels... we are staying in the Roosevelt. It's cheap and in a good location. I'd rather spend the money on activities/shopping/food than a nicer room. Location is prime. Anyone agree?

Weird ... last time I was in NYC (for work), I stayed at the Roosevelt. To show you how long ago that was - one of the things I did was go to up to the top of WTC. Didn't bother taking photos that time, but have photos from the first time I went up there which is on my 2nd day in the US in 1991. That was magic view.

 

[teddieriley]

Well, if you're going to the meat packing district, I would recommend Spice Market. If not for the food, for the ambiance, and the best Mojito I've had.

 

[MrDaniels]

Originally Posted by MrDaniels View Post
I second this. Be sure to sit on the left side of the train facing forward...if you are there during Peak Foliage, you should not miss this...do not underestimate the beauty of the Hudson Valley. And Beacon is a cool little town-don't miss the glassworks if you go.

I will look into this trip. Is the Beacon a museum or a neighborhood?

Beacon is an old Dutch town up the Hudson. The Dia Beacon is a huge museum specializing in large modern art installations too large for the average museum.

Be sure to stay clear of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty on Saturdays...those are the days when the untrained tourists are there. And if your trip is on Columbus Day Weekend, God help you. You'd be surprised though, at how empty they are on Sunday mornings.

Since we are flying in on a Wednesday, perhaps we will go there as soon as we land... or just after check in.

An evening visit could be nice. Wednesday nights will not be crowded.

If you really want to experience Ellis Island, take the damn boat...but other than that I think going to Liberty Island is a huge waste of time. Just look at it from Battery Park...it was designed to be viewed from the harbor, not looking up her gown. I hate it when people come here to visit and waste half a day waiting in line and taking the boat there and back just because they think "it's the thing to do in New York"...the time could be better spent visiting distinct neighborhoods like the Villages, the Lower East Side and SoHo.

So what can I expect on the boat? Can I get some decent shots from the boat? Are people still allowed to go up Lady Liberty to the top? If so, I may have a hard time skipping that. It just seems very New York. Is this really a half-day affair?

Is it very New York? Almost no New Yorker has ever done it unless dragged by relatives. Unless you have an endless fascination with Oversized French Statuary of the Mid-Nineteenth Century it is not worth it. Take a nice ride on the Staten Island Ferry, be on the right side of the boat and you will get great shots. I believe you can now go to the top, which I am sure was a very big deal back in 1883 when the statue first opened.

When visiting Ground Zero, walk down into the PATH station...this will actually allow you down inside the hole itself

Will do. Is the PATH section different, or labeled, or...? Basically, is it not something everyone knows about?

It is very well marked, and just around the corner from Century 21. Most visitors would not know to go down there.

Don't listen to the snobs who are saying not to see Times Square at night. That would be like telling someone going to Vegas not to see the Strip. It is what it is and is very exciting...just promise not to eat at the Olive Garden or TGI Fridays.

We will definitely be in Times Square at least one night. All the people and lights will make for a good time.

Believe it or not, the double-decker red bus tours can be good...but ONLY if you go on a slow day (weekdays!) and you have to luck into one of their better tour guides (which can be tricky). Though you may feel nerdy, the view/ photo ops from the second level is unparalleled and you will see more things in three hours than you could ever cover by foot-and it's a great way to get your bearings.

Really? Interesting... maybe we'll do that. I always assumed they were pretty crappy in any city... but you may be right.

The Roosevelt is a decent hotel and I believe it is a very good location for the things that you want to do. As a matter of fact, my buddy Don Draper stayed there when having marital problems last season.

It's between the Roosevelt, the Grand Hyatt and the Milburn

The Grand Hyatt is essentially in the same location and probably a lot nicer.

Class dismissed!

 

[greg_1006]

You probably know this already, but if I went to NYC and wanted a bargain I would check out century21.

 

[skefferz]

For a romantic dinner I suggest:

Greenwich Village - Blue Hill (American) 75 Washington Place $$$

East Side - Central Park BoatHouse (American) - center of Central Park (East 72nd Street) $$$

East Side - Cafe Boulud (French) 20 East 76th Street $$$$

East Side - Convivio (Italian) 45 Tudor City Place (East 42nd Street) $$$$

East Side - Park Avenue Autumn (American) 100 East 63rd Street $$$