Going to New York - shopping/restaurant recommendations?

Originally Posted by teddieriley

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Well, I will say the UWS has SHAKE SHACK, which is another not-to-miss.

If you do the carriage ride, make sure they weren't feeding the horse BEEFARINO.

Although, the original Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park, which has tons of stuff going on day and night.

Originally Posted by TC11201

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Although, the original Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park, which has tons of stuff going on day and night.

Too busy. Plus, i think Shake Shack is a nice reward after traversing Central Park from the East Side.

The thing with hotel location is that you often end up spending more time near your hotel and midtown is not really the place I'd want to be spending a lot of time. But an improvement over Times Square, for sure.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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The horses smell like horse$hit but again, Moo wants to do the NY tourist thing, not sure why people are making some of these off the wall recommendations.

You mean you wouldn't recommend he go all the way out to Brighton Beach in his 4.5 days? I don't know if I'd even get that on the list if someone had 3 months.

Ha ha. Shake Shack in Madison Square Park is better, although waiting that long for that food is a little crazy (unless you just want to be outside).

Originally Posted by TC11201

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I'm suggesting south of midtown for a number of reasons which may resonate - 1) it's closer to all the downtown stuff you are eager to see (Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Battery Park, Ground Zero, C21, etc.), 2) the downtown neighborhoods are more interesting and much more diverse than midtown both day and night, 3) more lively and interesting neighborhoods once you get past quitting time (much better evening and night street life), 4) equally well served by public transportation (just as many subway lines and they're actually closer together in many places since the island narrows), 5) there are more excellent, unique and diverse restaurants downtown, 6) from say Union Square, it's only 10 mins in a cab to B'way, 15 mins to Central Park (the stuff you're interested in seeing in midtown). All in all, IMHO, you'll get a truer flavor for NY and won't lose anything.

Interesting points. What is that area called when I am looking for it at the travel sites? (it lists hotels by area)

Originally Posted by teddieriley

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Too busy. Plus, i think Shake Shack is a nice reward after traversing Central Park from the East Side.

Fair enough. The crowds in Madison Square can get a bit stupid - still baffles me why one would want to wait in line for over an hour. But at least they have that handy webcam so you can figure out how many hours you'll need to wait! Oh I miss the days when it first opened when you could actually call ahead and then send a summer analyst / intern down to get the order...

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Mr. Moo and hip really don't go in the same sentence. The guy is coming to visit and wants to see all the $hit you typically see in movies/postcards/stories about NYC, the typical tourist stuff, not some rich hipster hangouts. Also, he is not looking for people to hang out with after work, he is bringing the missus. What would he possibly do in the LES in the mid afternoon?
Then he should pick up a goddamn guide book and stop wasting everyone's time. lefty

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Interesting points. What is that area called when I am looking for it at the travel sites? (it lists hotels by area)

I'd suggest starting with the Union Square / Gramercy Park area and if that doesn't work, looking into anything in the Central or West Village (probably also listed as Greenwich Village) or the Meat Packing District (far west Chelsea) and then Soho. Sorry, didn't get through the whole thread in terms of pricing, but the W Union Square is often available around $200 as is the Giraffe, but there are certainly other places.

Le Bernardin. Incredible French seafood. http://www.le-bernardin.com/
Oh, and Vox hates it which should add to your dining pleasure.

Originally Posted by TC11201

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I'd suggest starting with the Union Square / Gramercy Park area and if that doesn't work, looking into anything in the Central or West Village (probably also listed as Greenwich Village) or the Meat Packing District (far west Chelsea) and then Soho. Sorry, didn't get through the whole thread in terms of pricing, but the W Union Square is often available around $200 as is the Giraffe, but there are certainly other places.

Thanks. So... the red is where we are thinking of staying. Is what you're referring to directly south of that?

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Actually, I think Randall lives in the UWS and vehemently opposed staying there...

Randallr is in New York on a summer field trip. He recommended that you stay in the Meatpacking District.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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But I know what you mean - however I wasn't really given any alternatives that were in our price range and which were explained as to why we should stay in place A vs Midtown. The Roosevelt seems to be 1) Conveniently located, 2) Relatively inexpensive, 3) Historic in a "fun to stay there" sort of way, 4) Conveniently located (I know I mentioned this, but it's worth saying twice).

I explained. Anyway, I'd pick the Village, Chelsea, SoHo, etc., before staying at some random hotel in Midtown. You have to keep in mind two things: NYC is built up of neighborhoods, each with its own personality, and Midtown is largely a business district. It is telling that nobody lives there. The nicest hotels tend to be on the outskirts of Midtown, or completely outside of it.

You will never see all of Manhattan on a single trip, but you can at least get a genuine sense of the city as you are doing your touristy things by staying in one of its neighborhoods. Keep in mind, subway transportation is insanely easy. Also, you can walk. When my wife and I first moved to Manhattan and neither of us were working, we just walked down through Central Park to Fifth Avenue every day, stopping at a bagel shop or cafe for breakfast. It's a beautiful 45 minute walk that lets you absorb the city. That's how to experience Manhattan, not staying in the most commercialized, least personal part of the city so that you can save four or five minutes a day getting to tourist attractions--it's the 'getting' there that makes the Manhattan experience complete.

A lot of other people recommend against the UWS because it is slower-paced than what a single guy with money and time would typically want. I recommend it because it is convenient to virtually all parts of the city (I don't think anyone disagrees with that) and it's well suited to a couple who wants a scenic area with nice stores and restaurants to stumble into. I've said over and over again: if you want dazzling lights and an active night-life, the UWS is not for you.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Why should I stay anywhere but Midtown? You have to understand from my point of view, as someone who has no knowledge of "why" I should do something in New York that doesn't make sense to me, aka "why" I should stay seemingly further from places I want to see, in an over all less convenient location.

See my explanation above. Midtown is the city's business and commercial center. It's mostly office buildings. There are no cute little shops to browse or wander through. Most restaurants are tourist traps or cafeterias geared toward office workers who need a quick, bland bite to eat. Fifth Avenue is largely a premium shopping mall. You must see Midtown (Fifth Ave., Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, etc.), but that doesn't mean you need to stay there. The most interesting upscale shopping is uptown (east) and downtown--that is, unless, you find value in lining up to get into Abercrombie & Fitch.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Mr. Moo and hip really don't go in the same sentence. The guy is coming to visit and wants to see all the $hit you typically see in movies/postcards/stories about NYC, the typical tourist stuff, not some rich hipster hangouts. Also, he is not looking for people to hang out with after work, he is bringing the missus. What would he possibly do in the LES in the mid afternoon?

Plenty to do in Union Sq, Washington Sq, Soho, Tribeca, Chinatown, Nolita, Noho, Chelsea and Gramercy, E and W Villages during the day - shopping, eating, all the same stuff you do in other parts of the city, just more interesting versions of it (sans the carriage rides). Point is, you have a much more interesting vibe in the neighborhoods where people actually live after hours - there is a street life which midtown doesn't have. So, he gets more without giving anything up since half the stuff he wants to do are downtown anyway. What exacly does one do in midtown when all the office workers have gone home?

Originally Posted by KObalto

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Le Bernardin. Incredible French seafood. http://www.le-bernardin.com/
Oh, and Vox hates it which should add to your dining pleasure.

I don't hate it...I just have found meals there kinda, "meh."

Or as el grande tempo would put it, "competent but not enjoyable."


- B

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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Thanks. So... the red is where we are thinking of staying. Is what you're referring to directly south of that?

Union Sq is about 25 blocks directly south of that (Park Ave South / 4th ave on the east side, between 18th and 14th sts north to south), Gramercy park is between Park Ave South and 3rd ave in the high teens / low 20s (they're pretty much the same neighborhood, with Gramercy being the quiet part - private park very reminiscent of London's squares) - Union Sq is an active / 24/7 neighborhood, with lots of great restaurants in short walking distance and convenient to both stuff further downtown and to midtown.

The Village is directly south of that - Washington Sq (so 5th Ave and 8 st) and Bleeker St are the foci.

Soho is the area south of Houston (hence Soho), from Broadway west about four blocks (until you get to 6th Ave) - tons of high end shopping, heavily touristed, but great industrial architecture.

The Meat Packing District is on the far west side in the mid teens.

Originally Posted by TC11201

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Plenty to do in Union Sq, Washington Sq, Soho, Tribeca, Chinatown, Nolita, Noho, Chelsea and Gramercy, E and W Villages during the day - shopping, eating, all the same stuff you do in other parts of the city, just more interesting versions of it (sans the carriage rides). Point is, you have a much more interesting vibe in the neighborhoods where people actually live after hours - there is a street life which midtown doesn't have. So, he gets more without giving anything up since half the stuff he wants to do are downtown anyway. What exacly does one do in midtown when all the office workers have gone home?

I don't understand the appeal of Union Square. It seems like the place to go if you want a sanitized, surburbanized version of the city, complete with a Whole Foods and gimmicky theme restaurants.

I don't disagree that downtown is a must-see and certainly 'interesting'. But, particularly from a vistor's point-of-view, the edgiest part of a city is often not the most compelling or attractive. Both the UWS and UES are interesting, just in a different way. If I had all the money in the world and wanted to live it up in Manhattan for a week, I'd stay on the Upper East Side because I prefer elegant over edgy. I also think it's a huge benefit to stay near the park. Ostensibly, as a tourist, you don't want to spend all day hanging out in Central Park, but you still want to see it. Staying uptown allows you easy access and a way to incorporate it naturally into your itinerary. The view toward Midtown, coming south from northern points in the park, is what gets put on postcards.

Originally Posted by chorse123

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You mean you wouldn't recommend he go all the way out to Brighton Beach in his 4.5 days? I don't know if I'd even get that on the list if someone had 3 months.


I think Moo should spend his entire trip in Midwood Brooklyn, to get a real NYC experience. Great supermarkets and bagels

Originally Posted by lefty

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Then he should pick up a goddamn guide book and stop wasting everyone's time.

lefty

This is Moo, attention whore par excellance.

Originally Posted by TC11201

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. What exacly does one do in midtown when all the office workers have gone home?

Shopping on 5th up to 57th, tourist places like ESB, Rock Center, west side TV tapings like Letterman, Daily Show etc, walking distance/short cab ride to Central Park, tons of restaurants, sporting events at Madison Square etc etc.

Anyway, Moo stay wherever teh phuck you want. I truly don't care where you or any of these other folks stay, just stay away from me.