What are your cheap must-do's when you go to New York?

[kungapa]

Originally Posted by scourage

nonsense. almost all the pizza in new york is good. yes there are special places that use better ingredients and are really exceptional but the basic slice of cheese sets the standard.
it's not fine dining, but local, cheap, dirty pizzerias are a new york classic for good reason.

Sure - the slice joints in NYC are better than most cities. Most cities don't even have anything that comes close to Two Boots.

But to say they are a similar experience is to do places like DiFara a disservice - Dom DeMarco makes a pie far and above anything Famous Ray's or Two Boots ever put out.

Originally Posted by ter1413

grimaldi's is an ok tourist spot where you have to wait for a 1/2 hr for a slick. BS!

Agreed. But it can be nice if combined with a stroll across the bridge. Also, stay away from Lombardi's - a real tourist trap. Even for authenticity's sake it is no longer worth the visit - they changed their pie a few years back so now it is a rather standard Neapolitan pie.

 

[scourage]

Sure - the slice joints in NYC are better than most cities. Most cities don't even have anything that comes close to Two Boots.

But to say they are a similar experience is to do places like DiFara a disservice - Dom DeMarco makes a pie far and above anything Famous Ray's or Two Boots ever put out.


-completely agree with this. some places really do stand out. but doesn't mean that the other places are bad in any way.
I grew up in park slope and every single pizza place i could walk to was either good or great.
i guess my point is you don't need a map or a guide book to find good things in new york, especially pizza.

manhattan doesn't seem quite as good though. a little too over ridden by chains. papa gino's IN NEW YORK
wtf

 

[changy]

Dom DeMarco is the soup nazi of pizzas

 

[kungapa]

Originally Posted by changy

Dom DeMarco is the soup nazi of pizzas

He is a decently nice guy, just so painfully slow. But it is tasty.

Anthony Mangieri might be the real soup nazi. So hard core and into the game that NYC just wasn't good enough for him anymore - the bastard.

 

[kungapa]

Originally Posted by kungapa

Sure - the slice joints in NYC are better than most cities. Most cities don't even have anything that comes close to Two Boots.

But to say they are a similar experience is to do places like DiFara a disservice - Dom DeMarco makes a pie far and above anything Famous Ray's or Two Boots ever put out.


-completely agree with this. some places really do stand out. but doesn't mean that the other places are bad in any way.
I grew up in park slope and every single pizza place i could walk to was either good or great.
i guess my point is you don't need a map or a guide book to find good things in new york, especially pizza.

manhattan doesn't seem quite as good though. a little too over ridden by chains. papa gino's IN NEW YORK
wtf

The risk is, when you tell an NYC novice that any Pizza place is good they won't end up at a pie-restaurant in park slope, they will instead end up at famous ray's or some other crappy slice joint in midtown.

 

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by kungapa

Agreed. But it can be nice if combined with a stroll across the bridge. Also, stay away from Lombardi's - a real tourist trap. Even for authenticity's sake it is no longer worth the visit - they changed their pie a few years back so now it is a rather standard Neapolitan pie.

lombardis is no good? I thought it was supposed to be one of the best. SHould I take that off my to-do list? Anything else around there I can hit up after a visit to the statue of liberty

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by jaychiz

awesome stuff, very helpful with scheduling out specifics on days

tips for getting into the guggenheim or natural history museum for cheap?

i get in at 7am on a red eye on Sunday, staying on the upper westside, what's the first thing i do once i've arrived in manhattan at 8 or 9 considering i wont be able to check in until after noon or so

Go to Bouchon bakery.

 

[Garbage Mouth]

If you head over to Brooklyn, there's a boardwalk right under the Verrazano bridge in Bay Ridge. It leads from Bay Ridge to Bensonhurst and on. It makes for a good bike ride or a walk. Afterwards, eat at Tanoreen for good Arabic food in the area.

 

[Garbage Mouth]

Also, don't know if it was mentioned but if you're in Chinatown, definitely get some bubble tea. I don't know the best place, but I like Vivi Bubble Tea on Bayard St. Also, right next to Vivi is the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

Both are good places to check out.

 

[lemmywinks]

Halal food cart is one of the best <$10 meals I've had. Red sauce and white sauce are both fantastic.

 

[SField]

Go to Toto Ramen. Seriously. It's the best ramen I've had in the US. Get the chicken... absolutely delicious. The pork over rice side dish with the yuzu mayo (and you know I don't usually eat mayo) is beyond good.

 

[amnesiac]

Is it better than ippudo? If so I must try it. Either way I will though. And again, I repeat, get a levain cookie

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by amnesiac

Is it better than ippudo? If so I must try it. Either way I will though. And again, I repeat, get a levain cookie

Levain are nice but they make you sick if you eat the whole thing. Much prefer Bouchon for baked goods. I prefer Toto Ramen to ippudo. Having spent so much time making stocks, and working for someone who basically made his name on the thoroughness of his stocks, I can say that Toto Ramen makes a very, very satisfying chicken soup. Noodles could be a bit better, but for like $10 who the **** cares. And get the pork over rice. It was so simple, and maybe I was just hungry, but I found it so delicious. Going again this weekend.

 

[amnesiac]

good point about the whole cookie, it's a meal.

i'll definitely have to check it out then. thanks for the tip.

 

[Deluks917]

I also think Toto has very good ramen. I'd recommend all ther flavors including the spicy (the extra spicy is extremely hot). The place often has a line and is very cramped inside. The wait for Ippuduo is crazy long sometimes but the food is good. Don't go to Men Ku Tei. Its a five minute walk from Ippudo and one day I decided to go their instead of waiting on line. Spacious interior but so so Ramen.