Going to New York - shopping/restaurant recommendations?

Originally Posted by nahneun

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If you're into museums, the Guggenheim is right next to the Met. The Met is superior. The NYC MoMA >>>>>>>>>> SF MoMA. If you go across Central Park from the Met, you'll run into the Museum of Natural History.

Excellent, thank you.

Originally Posted by gomestar

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Do not rent a car, you will regret it terribly. Get a 7-day subway pass, it's good for the busses too. Cabs can add up, I only use them for crosstown travel.

For day trips, you might want to consider the Finger Lakes - relax on the lakes, take a boat tour, and visit some of many wineries in the region. I'd rent a car for this, however.

For museums, MoMA is nice, but usually crowded. The Met is spectacular and massive. Almost too massive. The Guggenheim is right across from the Met, both are like 3 blocks away from where I live.

For stores, Bergdorf Goodman is about as good as it gets for both men and women. I could shop there and there alone and be happy (though SFers will probably balk at the lofty price tags and lack of 98.9% off sales).

Met sounds like a winner. MOMA as well. The 7 day pass sounds like a great idea as well.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Sweet, thanks. The observation deck at Sunset sounds nice.

Any particularly nice restaurants in the $100-$200/person range for a nice anniversary dinner?

I had a spectacular meal at Eleven Madison. It was $125 a person w/o wine, worth every penny. Very under the radar compared to the big boys, but I don't think it'll be this way for long. The setting is very romantic too, massive cathedral ceilings to the side of Madison Park. The usual suspects like Daniel, Le Bernardin, Chanterelle, Per Se, and Jean Georges are also safe bets, but they can be very hard to book.

For a day trip - take the Hampton Jitney (bus) out to the Hamptons for a tour of how the uber rich live. Or you can rent a car and drive out there.

There are lots of things to do / see in Brooklyn as well.

It's been covered, but do not rent a car for city use. Get a week's pass and ride with the rest of the city.

I've said it before on this forum, but Babbo is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. It is a Batali restaurant and boasts the finest Italian dining there is (in my opinion). I spent about $240 when I went there with my wife. we had the sampler menu and a bottle of wine.

If you're looking for sushi - i really enjoy Tomoe in the west village. Not the nicest decor, but fresh as they come.

Katz deli, Bleecker St pizza (get the Nona slice), John st pizza, shake shack, 53rd & 6th halal, ippudo ramn, setagaya ramen...all are nice cheap spots to eat as well.

Congrats, Moo.

For a day away from the urban rush, I'd consider a trip to the Dia Museum or the Cloisters.

Re restaurants: If you like fish, I'd recommend Estia, which is in the theatre district. I second the recommendation for Babbo. But of the array of excellent restaurants is vast.

If you're a fan of good beer, you should consider checking out the Blind Tiger in Greenwich Village.

The 21 Club is mid-town is also a very cool, unique experience. Unfortunately, as of January this year, ties are no longer mandatory at dinner. Thankfully, jackets stll are. I should note that it will not be cheap.

I'm not that familiar with French food, as my father refuses to eat anything but Korean or spicy food. Very unfortunate for both me and my mother, as we both are dying to try these restaurants, but he's the breadwinner so he calls the shots on our expenses

I think your best bet is to dig through www.yelp.com for food. It'll narrow down your searches, give you a good idea of whether or not you'll be able to get seated, and let you know how the quality of the food/ambience is.

Moo - have you researched hotels yet?

For a nice dinner, i would recommend Gramercy Tavern. Service is excellent and not at all pretentious. If you tell them at the time of your reservation that its your wedding anniversary, you'll likely get free dessert and probably dessert wine.

Originally Posted by philosophe

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Congrats, Moo.

For a day away from the urban rush, I'd consider a trip to the Dia Museum or the Cloisters.

Re restaurants: If you like fish, I'd recommend Estia, which is in the theatre district. I second the recommendation for Babbo. But of the array of excellent restaurants is vast.

Do you mean Esca? Good idea.

Yeah, pretty much.

Moo-for only 5 days I'd skip a day trip and stay in the city/Brooklyn.

I forgot pizza!

Best places:

John's on Bleeker
Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn side)
Lombardi's on Spring
Difara's on Ave J and 13th St in Brooklyn (but you'll wait and its a hike)
Nick's in Forest Hills Queens (also a hike)
L&B Spumoni Gardens Brooklyn (another hike) but the best Sicilian in the world...

Not sure if the Manhattan Sales Alert has been updated recently, but do a web search to see if there are any sample sales going on now. Might mean some good shopping for you or your wife, or both.

for good pizza, walk a few blocks uptown from the Met and take a stop at Luzzo's. Don't take my word for it, it was recommended on here by Mr. Ambrosi.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Sweet, thanks. The observation deck at Sunset sounds nice.

Any particularly nice restaurants in the $100-$200/person range for a nice anniversary dinner?

At this price, if you want to do something French and are ok with it being a little on the formal side, I would suggest either Bouley (downtown) or Daniel (uptown). Both recently redid their rooms and are worth checking out.

Other options to check out with be Corton, Eleven Madison Park, the Modern etc.

If you arent stuck on french, I would go somewhere like Scarpetta/Convivio/Aldea

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

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Authentic Italian cuisine (not the crap that people call "Italian" that pisses Italian Americans off.

As an Italian-American, I can confidently say that a large portion of most Italian-Americans have no idea what authentic Italian cuisine is either.

Wow - info overload! Awesome, guys, thank you - everyone. I will be putting this stuff into an Excel spreadsheet, methinks. I forget that NYC really is a gigantic place compared to where we live... so perhaps a day trip is not the best idea since there is a ton to explore just in Manhattan. 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?