NY, NY!
The Subway makes getting around New York City easy and affordable — and the New York City Subway is often the fastest way to reach your destination.If you’re driving to NY, you might want to consider staying in Newark – as the subway ride over is only about 30 minutes. You’ll save a lot on hotel and parking fees!!
Start off in Queens and check out the 5 points, Graffiti Museum. It’s an outdoor warehouse with grafiitt everywhere you look. Once you’re finished you can either check out the nearby MoMa exhibits or hop on the M train to 5th Avenue.
Manhattan
The Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, is known for its Christmas tree, ice skating, Top of the Rock Observation Deck (six-level observatory atop the Art Deco skyscraper, 30 Rockefeller Plaza), Radio City Music Hall and numerous shopping and dining opportunities. Top of the Rock might not be as famous as the Empire State Building Observation Deck, but that is one of its prime advantages making it far less crowded. Rockefeller Center is a great destination for visitors any time of year [Subway: F, B, D or Q trains to 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center stop].
Midtown is also great for department stores like Bloomingdales (1000 Third Avenue), Macy’s [712 Fifth Avenue (55th/56th)], Lord & Taylor’s [424 Fifth Avenue (38th/39th)], Saks [712 Fifth Avenue (55th/56th)], and Takashimaya [693 Fifth Avenue (54th/55th)].
Fifth Avenue boasts shops like H&M (640 Fifth Avenue ), Gap (645 Fifth Avenue ), Lindt (692 Fifth Avenue), Disney Store (711 Fifth Avenue ), Hugo Boss (717 Fifth Avenue), Abercrombie (720 Fifth Avenue ), and the Apple Store (767 Fifth Avenue).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s (1000 Fifth Avenue)collection and special exhibits offer something for everyone — from Ancient Egyptian Vases and Roman Statues to Tiffany Stained Glass and Rembrandt Paintings there is something for nearly everyone.
Serendipity (225 East 60th Street, between second and third avenue). A cool place to take a date (especially if she is a fan of the movie) for a delicious frozen hot chocolate. The food is all right, but pretty expensive.
Manhattan’s Chinatown is a popular tourist destination, restaurants in Chinatown are affordable and delicious! Specializing in Shanghai cuisine, Green Bo restaurant (66 Bayard)is a great place to get Lions Head, yellow fish with dried seaweed and rice cake dishes, as well as soup dumplings. Ping’s Seafood (22 Mott St) is known for serving delicious dim sum. The pleasant atmosphere and credit-card friendly policy at this Cantonese seafood restaurant mean that there are often lines, but they move quickly.
Central Park has offered a welcome escape from the concrete jungle of New York City for over 150 years. Take a walk, a boat ride or just enjoy a picnic in Central Park and discover for yourself why Central Park is so popular. The American Museum of Natural History is one of New York City’s most popular attractions. Four floors of exhibits cover a diverse range of topics and nearly everyone will find something of interest. Children and adults alike are impressed by the large dinosaur fossils, the great blue whale and the many cultural halls.
Times Square is a popular destination for visitors to New York City, but the area is plagued with mediocre chain restaurants. Skip the tourist traps and have a great meal at Becco (355 West 46th St), all you can eat pasta special, orJohn’s Pizzeria (260 West 44th St), renowned for its coal oven pizza. B.B. King’s (42cnd street) is great for live music. Don’t forget to visit the Toys R Us store before you leave Times Square.
Brooklyn
The coolest borough. Brooklyn is really a neighbourhood made of neighbourhoods. From the Russian-speaking residents of Brighton Beach to the Polish communities in Greenpoint and the large Hasidic Jewish population in Williamsburg, the borough is filled with diverse cultural enclaves. Brooklyn also boasts a thriving arts scene. Head to Coney Island for a day of fun at Astroland, New York City’s only amusement park; make your way to the New York Aquarium; or just sample a Nathan’s Famous hot dog while sitting on the beach.
Favourite Brooklyn museums include the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the New York City Transit Museum. The Brooklyn Academy of Music offers incredible cultural events throughout the year, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a must-see for plant lovers, and Prospect Park -one of the borough’s greenest gems – provides residents and visitors alike with 585 acres of grassy respite from city life.
If you have any spare time on weekends, check out South Street Seaport. Then get sexy southern food at Night of the Cookers (767 Fulton Street). Notable dishes include Blackened Catfish, Bourbon Chicken, Spinach Ravioli, and the Blackened Seafood Platter.
Grimaldi’s (19 Old Fulton St) outstanding coal oven pizza is worth waiting for – and the line outside even moves more quickly than you’d expect. Don’t forget to take a post-dinner stroll down to the water to experience the outstanding view of Manhattan’s skyline. [subway: A/C to High Street in Brooklyn]. DiFara’s (1424 Avenue J) is another spot for great pizza after a long wait. They offer both square and traditional pizza pies, in addition to a menu of classic Italian dishes in a Spartan setting [subway: Q to Avenue J in Brooklyn]
SoHo
New York’s artistic haven. Very trendy, but still one of the best places to shop and eat. There’s a funky building mural at the corner of Prince and Greene. Match and SoHo Kitchen& Bar are two food favourites.
Established in 1905, Lombardi’s Pizzeria (32 Spring St) claims to be America’s first full-fledged pizzeria. Checked tablecloths and black and white pictures hanging on painted brick walls offer a great backdrop for enjoying top notch coal oven pizzas. [Subway: 6 to Spring Street]
Walking Tour: If you’re looking for a delicious way to experience Greenwich Village while in New York City, the Original Greenwich Village Food and Culture Walking Tour is a great choice. On the three hour tour, your knowledgeable tour guide will lead you around the neighbourhood’s winding streets, sharing the neighbourhood’s rich history and delicious foods. Or just check it out for yourself. Two if its featured stops are Rocco’s Pastry Shop and Espresso Cafe and Chumley’s Speakeasy.
West Village is endless with great choices for a place to eat. The waits are long (some as long as two hours), but most places are well worth it. The Fatty Crab (643 Hudson St, between Gansevoort St & Horatio St) is probably my favourite restaurant in NY. Even when you finish the crab, you’ll be attempting to drink the sauce it is served with. Get there early though, otherwise you might be waiting two hours for a table in this small place! The Spotted Pig is even more legendary, but I have yet to visit thanks to the insanely long wait for a table. Takashi (Korean, 456 Hudson St, between Morton St & Barrow St) is another unique place that serves up great bbq and some of the best meat in the city. For great falafels try Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar on Waverly.
Benny’s Burrito’s (113 Greenwich Ave) is best-known for their burritos, and if you stick to that section of the menu you won’t be sorry. The most popular is also the most basic—shreds of tender chicken, beans, rice, and jack cheese pack the Bay Burrito torpedo that’s full to bursting. Shrimp burritos are great picks as well, and for something more Cal than Mex, crispy avocado rolls are a simple, refreshing option.
Bronx
You can try the legendary cheesecake at S&S Cheesecake (222 West 238 street) or look out for some great, authentic Mexican food at Mexicocina (800 E 149th St). Just try saying no to the sangria! For tasty Chinese takeout you can’t go wrong at Number 8 Chinese Restaurant (2233 Boston Road). Nothing fancy, but cheap and good!
Harlem
The Harlem Grill is great for comfort food. Check out The Den for good live music and drinks.
Katz’s Delicatessen (205 East Houston Street) is famous as the location of the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. The delicious food makes up for the sparse decor and the ticket system.
Museums
Whether your family passed through Ellis Island when immigrating to the United States or not, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum is well worth visiting. The ferry ride offers you fantastic views of the New York Harbor and Statue of Liberty, and the museum is loaded with interactive exhibits and displays that offer an amazing amount of insight into the immigrant experience.
The Frick Collection is great because it’s housed in the former mansion of Henry Clay Frick on Fifth Avenue, so you can experience his opulent home first-hand, while checking out his art collection. The museum’s collection is also a manageable size, allowing visitors to explore the entire place in a single visit.
Cheap Stay: Check Quality Inn (96th & Broadway) or go for a hostel: http://www.hostels.com/hosteldetails.php/HostelNumber.30641 or http://www.newyorkcityhostels.com/
Cheap Shopping: Century 21 (Finanical District) “New York’s Best Kept Secret” is hardly a secret — you’ll have to battle the throngs of “in the know” shoppers, but you won’t mind when discover discounts.
