New York City: Your favorite things to do or places to go

[steel108]

Where was this thread in January when I went to NYC. Damn you Diablo and your forum.

[W. Deranged]

This is a great thread idea El D. I've been living in New York (Little Italy, above an Italian restaurant) for about six months now. Here are some of my reflections:

-The main reading room at the New York Public Library: I "stumbled" in here about a year and a half ago when looking for a place to do some thesis work while in New York to see the Breeder's Cup. It has a uniquely "great library" feel to it (probably better than Widener in Cambridge MA but a step behind the British Library), but feels even more ominous and majestic because it is right in the middle of midtown and across from a Sean John store. Definitely worth spending a few hours there if you have something to read...

-Lower East Side, about 2am: I've really fallen in love with the LES since moving to New York. It has a kind of grainy vibrance that few drinkin' haunts I've been to have. There are tons of great bars, quirky but excellent restaurants (some of which stay open very late), and a characteristically "New York" feel that you don't get in a lot of other areas. The LES is great for every way it is NOT like the Meatpacking District. A favorite bar is Iggy's, at Ludlow between Rivington and Stanton.

-Poker: Oddly enough, New York is one of the few places I've been where playing poker takes on a kind cultural resonance. I have encountered the greatest cross-section of New York personalities at various games, and the "honor among thieves" ethic that prevails means that I get suprisingly frank insight into a lot of different New Yorkers who I would never encounter otherwise. I have often cited poker as one of the most "definitely New York" experiences I've had since living here, and I recommend it to anyone who both enjoys poker and wants to see New York at it's seedy best.

[JordanIB]

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1) Frick Museum, Brooklyn Art Museum/Botanical Gardens. Frick has 3 Vermeers in it, plus some other greats, and is just a stunning 'house,' see what rich guys lived like in the old days.

2) Met/NYC Opera. La Boheme/Magic Flute/Tosca, etc. Even if you just go once, at least go...once. You might like it.

3) Yankees game/Bronx zoo. Great spring/summer events also good 'date' things to do.

4) Qualifying rounds at US Open. Go early, you get to see the stars of tomorrow [and some of yesterdays/current recovering from injury] and see Federer/Roddick/Maria/Venus practice while sitting in the front row.

5) Shakespeare in the Park - another must-do, the talent there is usually quite high both on-stage and off.

6) Dim sum in Chinatown. Speaks for itself.

7) Go play Bethpage Black. If you are really, really good at golf that is.

8) Drinks on roof of Met Museum at the sculpture garden, best views in the City, always a good crowd up there, relatively little known.

The weekly, free outdoor movies summer in Bryant Park is also a ton of fun, get there early, bring food & drinks + blanket, invite some female friends, can't go wrong. The piers on the West side highway have cool sand volleyball courts, mini-golf, batting cages, trapeze school, lotsa outdoor concerts + dance stuff.

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Some great stuff in here. #5 is an excellent recommendation. I only started going 3 summers ago, but Shakespeare in the Park is fantastic. The 2004 production of Much Ado with Jimmy Smits, Sam Waterson, and Kristen Johnson was fantastic. I saw it like 4 or 5 times, each time on stanby tix...once getting the front row center seats.

[turnipmonster]

my list:

1) brooklyn botanic gardens, this is obv best in spring but laying around in the cherry tree fields after walking around the garden is one of my favorite things to do.

2) I counted once that I own around 27 albums recorded live at the village vanguard. the vanguard is easily my favorite top level jazz club in the city. not at all touristy or overpriced, and some of the best jazz musicians in the world.

3) another music thing, tuesday nights at smoke (bway and 103rd) is hammond b3 organ night and it usually features peter bernstein on guitar, one of my favorite guitarists ever. once in a blue moon george benson stops by to sit in!

4) the nyc marathon. if you're going to run just one, run nyc. nothing beats seeing tons of different neighborhoods all over the city, and having people cheering you on the entire race. for added fun, wear a shirt with your name on it and the entire way people will cheer for you by name!

[danzasmack]

Terra Blues on bleeker has free, live blues. The house band is good. I don't get around to that neighborhood much anymore though.

Right around there is the only place in that neighborhood I actually go to a lot - Minetta Tavern. It used to be a speak-easy. The current owner is a young guy who started there as a bus boy. The old owner wanted to retire/sell the place and he sold to him under the condition that he kept the place exactly the same. Food is great, atmosphere better. The final scene of "Sleepers" was actually filmed there. After i came to school it was the 1st restuarant i went out to with my dad, and we go back often.

Also, 4am Korean BBQ on 31st and 6th is jackpot.

I will sheepishly admit I like to shop around Prince and West Broadway. People in those stores are so nice. But I hate the Mac store, too crowded.

Final note - A haircut and a shave from Antonella's Barber Shop down by city hall is probably my favorite thing to do in the city. On your worst of worst days, go and get one. You will walk out feeling better. Get the big guy with the Mullet though, not the old guy. You will know what I mean when you go. The haircut is great - bet in the city though I haven't ever paid more than like $30 for a haircut, but the shave is where it's at.

[NajdorfDefense]

LES, Film Forum, and random Russian clubs in Brooklyn [go with Russian friends] are all great places to hit up randomly, I can vouch for the number and high ratio of incredibly hot E.European/Russian women drinking straight vodka there.
The Russian and Turkish baths are also nice, try those at least once, they are scattered all over.
The re-releases/remastered versions of classics at Film Forum are not to be missed: Raging Bull, Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, Rififi, et al.
Obvs things like Luger's and B'way are must-dos. Even a drink at the 4 Seasons on 57th is worth it, go on a Fri/Sat night, have some really, really good drinks and hang out. Incredible people-watching.

[slickpoppa]

Never heard of these Russian places in Brooklyn. I've always had a thing for hot Russian and Easter European women. I'll have to check that out. Anyone have specific names?

[Evan]

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Never heard of these Russian places in Brooklyn. I've always had a thing for hot Russian and Easter European women. I'll have to check that out. Anyone have specific names?

[/ QUOTE ]
Read my second post in this thread.

[gdsdiscgolfer]

Sounds cliche, but walking owns.

There's some great stuff around the NYU (downtown) and Columbia (upper-west side) campuses. Tom's Restaurant at 110th and Broadway is the exterior of the diner in Seinfeld; typical diner food with some Seinfeld memorabilia, but it's cool to say you've been. There are also some great ethnic restaurants within a 5-10 block radius of Columbia (the ones right across from the campus are much more commercial).

My personal favorite foods are the middle-eastern Kebab (pitas, not skewers) places. It can be hit or miss, but some of the lamb kebabs I've had are absolutely delicious. Filafel is also great for the vegetarians out there (I used to be). Amir's at 114th and Broadway is the only specific name I can remember (there's are a little crispier and over-sauced, but still delish), but there are tons by Washington Square Park.

Everyone should go to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island once in their lives. I've met sooo many native New Yorkers (I'm not one--actually live in CT anyways) that have never been. It's a must, just for the awesomeness and cultural significance. There's a book in Ellis Island of every person who passed through; check for your family's name (I forget if it's native names or American-ized names)!

Walk 5th avenue. Especially 42nd street to 60th. Tons of high-end shopping. Rockefeller Center is great fun as well. Ice skating in that rink in the middle of winter (I was visiting from Texas at the time) is one of my best NYC memories--and it's usually not too crowded. I haven't yet been, but I hear that the view from Top of the Rock is even better than the Empire State Building; one of these is a must do.



I'm sure I'll think of more things to write eventually, but those were my first ramblings.

[TiK]

For some nice sights of the downtown skyline, you should take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. It takes about 25 minutes each way, but the views are great. If you take it at night, you get a very nice view of the Statue of Liberty all lit up as well as the downtown skyline.


Dollar dumplings at Dumpling House on Eldridge between Broome and Grande. Delicious dumplings 5 for a dollar. They also have these sesame pancake things that you can have stuffed with a variety of items. Delicious.

Congee Village, they're open 'til about 2AM for some late-night snacking. They're on Allen St. right off of Delancey. I think they recently opened up another location on Bowery between Delancey and Rivington. I've only really had their congee (porridge) with a variety of things in it, their other foods are meh, and it's ridiculously cheap. If you're drunk, hungry and on a budget, this is the place to go.

Oh, another place to go if you're drunk and hungry and Congee village has closed for the night is a Chinese place called 69 on Bayard St. between Elizabeth and Mott in Chinatown. Cheap as hell, open real late, and again, cheap as hell. Service sucks, it's a shithole (dollar bills provided by patrons over the years serve as wallpaper), but it's cheap and open late and the food is half decent.

There're some to start. More to come as I think of them.