I’m working on a a project for RWA this year to help everyone navigate their way to interesting places in NYC. But I need your help: what landmarks, museums, places of interest, stores, and different locations are MUST-SEE spots in Manhattan?
Tell me tell me, so I can plot them out. Mwaaaahahahah, plotting.
Among my list of spots to recommend to visiting romance writers:
Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum (one of my absolute favorite places in NYC)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Sex
MoMA
Central Park walking paths of awesomeness
Woo Shoe (for all your shoe shopping needs)
Bloomingdale’s
Macy’s Herald Square
Barney’s (for what I call ‘aspirational shopping’)
Feel free to give me shopping locations, food locations, or just awesome stuff to see when you’re in New York City. But please do include a location when you make a suggestion – an address or avenue with cross streets, or vice versa. I may not be able to use them all, but I’ll include as many as possible.
Thank you, oh wise people!
Don’t forget the Empire State Building!!
How about a Literary Cocktail Tour? Start the tour with afternoon tea at The Plaza, made famous by Eloise (there’s a bar there, too). Visit Bemelman’s Bar in the Carlyle Hotel, with every wall painted in murals by Ludwig Bemelman of Madeline fame (he did them to pay his rent). Then the Round Table Room at the Algonquin Hotel, the 1920s stomping ground of literary lights including Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, Harold Ross. To stretch “literature” to include nursery rhymes, add the St. Regis Hotel, with the historic King Cole Bar with a mural of the jolly old soul by Maxfield Parrish—and where they invented the Bloody Mary.
http://www.fairmont.com/theplaza/GuestServices/Restaurants/AfternoonTea.htm
http://www.algonquinhotel.com/round-table-room
PS: The New York Library has the original toys that inspired Winnie the Pooh.
…one more to add… for anyone interested in shopping (or rather, browsing!) for the home, ABC Carpet & Home in the Flatiron.
Now that Jon Stewart has admitted having been a waiter there, I can reveal that Panchito’s (103 MacDougal) is a Really Fun Mexican Restaurant.
(If you’re in the area, Brother’s Barbecue is also worth the effort—far superior to Virgil’s or the Dallas BBQ chain.)
Utterly selfishly, there’s the Fales Library and Special Collections in NYU’s Bobst Library, where the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance will be holding its conference from Sunday June 26-Tuesday, June 28, the three days before RWA. 🙂
Can anyone suggest decent used bookstores (especially those that stock romance)?
Hey Sarah, when you’re done, can you please post your compiled list here so those of us not attending RWA National (but who dream of visiting NY) can use it? Thanks!
Has anyone mentioned Starlight Diner ?
http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/
The wait staff are Broadway Show singers or hope to be Broadway singers. They go through the restaurant singing Broadway show tunes. Not. To Be. Missed.
I second almost everything that’s been said but want to add a walk through the Chelsea Market. The smell of bread will intoxicate you.
And go to Washington Square! Enjoy the students and their student-y-ness. They moved the fountain a couple years ago to put it in line with the arch, a completely crazy thing to do that ended up working out really well (at least it did when I was last there, last year)
My son’s at Columbia, so I always try to catch the latest happenings when I’m in NYC. Broadway shows are a must. In May, I’ll be seeing Book of Mormon, the new show at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. It was written by the duo who created South Park, and it’s supposed to be hilarious. I’ll also be catching the Pompeii exhibit at the Discovery Museum in Times Square, which would be easily accessible for RWA attendees. The Sean Kelly Gallery on 29th Street is having a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit, and since I recently read Just Kids by Patti Smith, the story of her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, I’m anxious to see this iconic photographer’s work. Have fun, everyone.
GAH! Jealousy! I love love love the South Park boys. Being the musical just received 14 Tony noms yesterday, I’m thinking finding cheap tickets isn’t very likely. I’m considering shelling out full price.
Another vote for the Strand and Books of Wonder. I will also suggest Midtown Comics.
Even if you’re not going to ride the train, everyone should visit Grand Central Station. And I’d recommend visiting Zabar’s. It’s a grocery store on Broadway between W 80th & W 81st. Get some food from the deli – they have wonderful smoked fish – and take a picnic to Central Park.
I second The Strand and Books of Wonder. Also, Sarah, you might want to include this extremely helpful website in your roundup: http://www.hopstop.com . It gives you directions via walking/subway/bus, and can even estimate taxi fare for you. I like it especially because it includes every stop you pass, e.g. Pass 28th st, Pass 23rd st. So there is much less panic about when your stop is approaching.
And if you’re a fan of cheesecake, Junior’s is a must! http://www.juniorscheesecake.com
One really great thing to do (especially in the summer) is to take the tram to Roosevelt Island. For the price of a MetroCard swipe, the aerial tram takes you on a short scenic trip over the East River to Roosevelt Island, an odd little residential island in the middle of the river. Great views of NYC and the river, and the island has a totally strange past: it used to be where they sent the cities undeirables (the poor, diseased, etc.). It’s nice now though, and off the beaten path for tourists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island
I lived in NYC for 9 years and the most fun thing i did with out of towners was take the double decker bus tour. You get to see a lot, you can get off when you want, and if you are sneaky, go to the top with a nice bottle of wine to really enjoy it.
I’ve lived in New York since I came here for college, and my fifteenth reunion is next year, which makes me both old and full of New York knowledge (though I’m sadly not as up on the clubs as I was in my younger days). Here are some thoughts:
SHOPPING: First of all, take Macy’s off your list, unless you want to personally experience the ninth level of hell. It’s horrible – overcrowded and understaffed with merchandise in disarray. The only cool thing about it are the wooden escalators, which my grandmother (who was born in NY in 1910) tells me were the first escalators in New York. Nobody who lives in New York ever goes there unless forced too. I probably haven’t been in nine or ten years.
For department stores – Bergdorf’s is definitely great – they have an amazing cosmetics department in the basement (both hella expensive stuff like Cle de Peau (sp?) and brands you’d find in any department store), and the fifth floor is dedicated to contemporary (i.e. less expensive) designers. Herni Bendel’s is a few blocks down fifth avenue and is in a beautiful old building. They’ve turned it into a cosmetics and accessories only store, and the stuff they have is amazing, though sometimes pricy. If you like wearing hair clips, hair jewels or headbands of any kind, their selection is second to none. The prices on some of the stuff seem outrageous at first, but the quality is amazing. In the winter, they also have a really good selection of beautiful hats/gloves/scarves. And if you wander in when they’re having their end-of-season sale you can score some beautiful things for really good prices. If you want to window shop/wander around the really high-end boutiques, your best bet is Madison Avenue between 57th and 72nd streets. It’s also really fun (if the weather’s good) to wander SoHo/Tribeca, so long as you leave Broadway and go to the side streets or West Broadway. The buildings are pretty and they have lots of little boutiques. I personaly have a fondess for Saks because the store is huge and they have a great selection. Their fifth floor is similar to Bergdorf’s, and the 4th floor has contemporary brands that are geared toward more conservative tastes. My boyfriend also gets his suits there because they have really great sales.
For lingerie shopping, Saks actually has a really great deparatment. For high end sexy stuff, you can’t beat Agent Provocateur, which is a British company that has a store in SoHo and one on Madison. That’s probably my boyfriend’s favorite, but their stuff is mega expensive (which is why I tell him to buy it for me!). I also really love Intimacy, which is on Madison and 90th or something like that. People also talk about Brasmyth, but I’m not a huge fan.
MUSEUMS: I pretty much agree with what people have mentioned – Frick, Cloisters, Natural History, MOMA, Met, East Side Tenement Museum, the Morgan, NY Public Library. You can’t really go wrong – for writers it really depends on what kind of mood/experience they’re looking for. But if it helps, a little known fact about the Natural History Museum is that you can rent it out for events – I once went to a really cool black tie affair held in the whale room, which has a life-size whale hung from the ceiling.
PARKS: I run marathons and triathlons and live a block from Central Park, so I have a particular fondness for it. There are SO many cool things about it, from its history and design to its statues to the constant tension about how best to use it, which is so very New York. It’s fun just to wander the paths and get lost, but I’d also suggest taking a walking tour. And don’t miss the Alice in Wonderland statues, or the gardens at the northern end of the Park. I would probably say don’t bother with the horse carraiges or the pedi-cabs, but renting bikes is definitely fun. Just make sure you wear a helmet!
Other great Parks are Prospect Park (in Brooklyn), Riverside Park, Bryant Park (which is behind the NY Public LIbrary, and where they show movies for free every Monday night during the summer), Washington Square Park (that’s the one with the arch everyone knows from When Harry Met Sally), Madison Square Park (don’t miss eating at the original Shake Shack!) and Tompkins Square Park (which is in the East Village and used to be really sketchy, but is now absolutely gorgeous).
OUTER BOROUGHS: Most people who visit NYC stay in Manhattan, but that’s kind of a shame because there’s tons of cool stuff across the river(s). Brooklyn especially is pretty awesome. The areas around Prospect Park – especially Park Slope – are full of funky shops, great restaurants and beautiful old NY architecture. Queens also has an amazing restaurant scene, and one of the most beloved beer gardens in the City. The hipster scene is still focused on Williamsburg, which is not personally my favorite area, but is definitely the place to go for live music, cutting edge art galleries and people watching. And there’s a really good barbecue place out there (although my favorite bbq is actually Dinosaur in Harlem).
FOOD: That’s a whole other post, and I’ve already gone on way too long. But I will say that, bar none, the most amazing meals I’ve had in the last year or two have been at Momofuku Ko, which I’ve been lucky enough to get into twice. David Chang, the chef, is a mad genius and eating some of the dishes was close to a religious experience. If anyone has questions about restaurants, let me know and I’m happy to blather on.
Hope this was helpful! Sorry if I went on way too long. I just love this city and feel lucky to live here (even this morning, when a drunk, smelly guy in a wheelchair on my bus started screaming obscenities at the little old lady sitting across from him, and the bus driver had to kick all of us off – in the rain – so the transit cops could come and arrest him).
Oh! I can’t believe I forgot to mention this in my earlier comment, but Governor’s Island is an ABSOLUTE MUST. It’s only open Fridays-Sundays from late May to October, but it’s probably the best view that you can get of lower Manhattan. Plus views to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can rent bikes and enjoy some fresh air. There are tons of free (and paid) special events there during the season (Prince Harry played in a polo match there the last two summers). Definitely check their schedule of events. It’s a great place for a picnic, but there’s also places to eat including a Water Taxi Beach outpost.
Ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
For great ambiance and fabulous pub food, McCormacks Irish Pub
365 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10016-9074
(212) 683-0911
between 26/27.
There is an amazing little restaurant called Rice to Riches- all they serve is the most amazing rice pudding! Totally unique, totally NYC. Here is their website:
http://ricetoriches.com/puddy.aspx#
Oh my gosh, this is amazing! I will definitely compile and organize all the recommendations I can use, and repost it closer to RWA-NYC- – but those attending RWA will see these recommendations again. 😉
-Strand Book Store as mentioned before. If you are in Union Square go to Max Brenner for a magical experience with chocolate. I mean what could be better than chocolate and used books? Nothing! Nothing I say!
Honestly for shoe shopping (if you want to splurge/aspirational shop) go to Saks Fifth Avenue’s shoe department. It’s massive and spectacular! Also check your calendar and try to find out about events. There are things like private sale/friends and family/etc etc.
I heart The Russian Tea Room. It’s a beautiful old world experience you just won’t get somewhere else. I had a tiny silver spoon to spoon sour cream on my borscht there. YUM!
Captcha: ran42, does this mean I ran the meaning of life, the universe and everything?
Have to mention Riverside Park as an exceptionally beautiful spot, and the entire greenway along the west side of Manhattan is nice, except for the parts in midtown around the Intrepid and where the cruise ships leave from where there isn’t much green.
Here’s a guide for uptown, for people with a little extra time who want to get out of the tourist prison of midtown: Those of you with kids (or who are young at heart) may know the picture book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.” The bridge in the story is the George Washington Bridge, and the little red lighthouse does indeed sit below it. I believe there are lighthouse tours on Saturday afternoons in summer, and the park area around it is a favorite spot for locals to do outdoor barbecues and fish and (illegally) swim (!) in the Hudson. Take the subway to 181st St and enter Fort Washington Park, or rent bikes or rollerblades, and take the above mentioned greenway path along the Hudson from wherever on the West Side you happen to be.
For anyone who is searching for the romance of the Alhambra (palace, not ballroom) and Spain in general, you might also consider the Hispanic Society, at 155th-156th St and Audubon Terrace (just off Broadway). It’s a neglected place because it’s out of the way, but they have a few nice Goya paintings, as well as some truly monumental Sorolla murals that are just gorgeous.
Around Columbia University, there’s the Cathedral of St John the Divine (113th St and Amsterdam Avenue) which has both tours and concerts. The Columbia campus itself is also worth a visit (116th St between Broadway and Amsterdam). It was designed by McKim Meade and White, and is quite a pretty spot. The neighborhood also has the advantage of supporting several bookstores, including the independent Book Culture (Broadway and 114th), and the kid-oriented Bank Street Bookstore (Broadway and 112th). Anyone interested in African American literature should check out Hue-Man on Frederick Douglass Blvd just south of 125th Street.
I love, love, LOVE the city but most of my faves have been mentioned already. I would add, though, that museums are hella expensive so check websites for special deal days (ex: the stunning Morgan library is free from 7-9pm Friday nights). I also had fun taking the Big Onion walking tours http://www.bigonion.com/
Ooooh. What are you plotting? Is RWA going to put out an app? I would definitely recommend the Union Square Farmer’s Market (best days are Wednesday and Saturday) because it’s beyond amazing in June – especially if we get a good tomato season. Also, if it’s not too crazy hot, people should check out the new Highline park. It’s pretty wacky. I also like to bring people to Pearl River Mall on Broadway because a) they have a great range of expensive and cheap, nice and strange, practical and random things to look at and b) it’s huge and air conditioned.
Forbidden Planet (sf/f bookstore) is close enough to the Strand to be convenient on the same trip. Most of the used bookstores have left Manhattan because of rents, but there are still a few in that area (south and east of Union Square Park).
The Staten Island Ferry is free. You see the Statue of Liberty but do not go to it. You see Governor’s Island and all of the other stuff on the way to Staten Island and you get an amazing view of the Battery. There is a long line on nice weekends in the summer and you must leave the boat and re-enter if you are not actually getting off in Staten Island. The breeze is wonderful and there is a good happy-tourist feel in the crowd during the summer. (I don’t find myself doing this during the winter for some reason.) Take the Number One Subway Line to South Ferry and walk upstairs.
I go to Jackson Heights, Queens on the subway to experience one of the most diverse neighborhood in the world. It is an amazing opportunity to try Tibetan food (I wimped out after reading the number of menu items featuring yak butter), Filipino food, any type of Asian and Indian you might want to try. The people watching is really excellent there, because of the clothes. The outer boroughs have higher crime rates. They look more run-down and they may not be for everyone. No one has ever bothered me, but I am a tall white woman who is often with her tall Irish-American (and therefore cop-like) husband. People tend not to hassle me unless they are way too drunk to be a real menace.
I like to shop for cloth and notions in the 30’s between 7th and 9th avenue in what is left of the garment district. You still can go to “Spandex World” (228 West 38th Street) or its competitor “Spandex House” (263 West 38Th Street). This is neighborhood where people on Project Runway shop. (Mood Fabrics 3rd Floor
225 West 37th Street is the one they were always mentioning if I remember correctly.)
If you go further East towards Broadway and Sixth avenues and start back down to the 20’s, you will see more bead stores and lots of wholesale import stores of all flavors. As you walk down Broadway on a nice weekend, entrepreneurs set up business selling clothing or perfume or accessories outside of the wholesale stores for those without the desire to buy in bulk. (It takes a long time to go through a case of perfume.)
My great-grandmother used to collect money from her neighbors until there was enough for a wholesale shopping trip to purchase blankets or umbrellas for her neighborhood. I like to see that this is still common practice.
If you have any interest in yarn, you should go to Habu (135 W 29th St # 804). It is just an office suite in one building on one street of the City. In the same building you will find (135 W 29th St # 205) which sells jewelery making supplies. These two make me think that every office is potentially a wild adventure and the City is full of secret places which do most of their business through the mail or internet. If you do have an interest in jewelery making, Metalliferous (34 W 46th St # 2) has an amazing store that is slightly more user friendly than All Craft. You need to know what you want before you go in at All Craft, the customer area is tiny and the stock behind the counter is most of the store. Metalliferous lets you look around more.
Clearly from my shopping trips, I live in Chelsea. My neighborhood is often used for filming Law and Order or movies. You will recognize my neighborhood vaguely as “dangerous” because you have seen bodies on the sidewalk so frequently. They are not real and the neighborhood is eerily safe. (There were some burglaries on my block, when the police went from building to building, they found that many, many people were not locking their front doors at all. We are not actually safe enough to not lock ever… but we like to pretend we are.)
Last, the gallery district of Chelsea is between 10th avenue and the West Side Highway (which would be 12th if the numbers continued). The galleries start in the teens (18th St?) and go throughout the 20’s and up. There are buildings filled with galleries, you ride the elevator to the top and walk down. Saturday is an excellent day to go to galleries, but they do tend to close in the high summer so this is for spring, fall and winter. It is a good way to see an array of art, all for free. Some of it will not be to your taste, but if you keep looking you find a gem or two. This is fun when you are alone or in a group.
The U.S. Customs House at the lower tip of Manhattan, by Bowling Green is my favorite building in NY. It’s an amazing piece of architecture, with allegorical statues of the continents of the world by the front steps, and allegorical statues of the seafaring nations around the top of the building(bring binoculars). Inside is the Museum of the American Indian, but even if you don’t have time to go inside, check the outside. The sculptor was Daniel Chester French, creator of the Lincoln Memorial. I usually take visitors on a walking tour of Lower Manhattan, lots of history packed in a small area. Besides the Customs House, there’s Castle Clinton in Battery Park right next door, Fraunces Tavern(where George Washington gave his farewell address to the Continental Army), Federal Hall(where GW was inaugurated), the Stock Exchange on Wall St., Trinity Church(intersection of Broadway & Wall St.), St. Paul’s Chapel at 209 Broadway which has a beautiful and moving 9/11 memorial, and the WTC site itself.
The U.S. Customs House at the lower tip of Manhattan, by Bowling Green is my favorite building in NY. It’s an amazing piece of architecture, with allegorical statues of the continents of the world by the front steps, and allegorical statues of the seafaring nations around the top of the building(bring binoculars). Inside is the Museum of the American Indian, but even if you don’t have time to go inside, check the outside. Sculptor was Daniel Chester French, creator of the Lincoln Memorial. I usually take visitors on a walking tour of Lower Manhattan, lots of history packed in a small area. Besides the Customs House there’s Castle Clinton in Battery Park, right next door, Fraunces Tavern(where GW gave his farewell address to the Continental Army), the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall(where GW was inaugurated), Trinity Church & St. Paul’s Chapel nearby on Broadway, which has a beautiful & moving 9/11 memorial and the WTC site itself.
It all depends on what you’re interested in, of course. My favorite museums are the Frick and the Met. No kids under 10 at the Frick. The Met is pay what you will, and the cocktails on the roof are quite nice. Their food in general is better than one expects at a museum, and the UES is not food friendly, so I’d recommend eating there (basement is cheapest option). There is a Shake Shack on 86th just east of Lex, and Lexington Candy Store on the corner of 83rd is standard deli but adorable atmosphere and for real malted milkshakes.
Natural History Museum is awesome, also conveniently situated to a Shake Shack, and Zabars, plus the UWS is full of decent if not overwhelming restaurants.
I find the Museum of Sex, The Tenement Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum (unless you’re into Egypt) generally underwhelming, and the Guggenheim hardly has a permanent collection to speak of, so only go if you like the exhibit they’ve got on.
I’m breaking this into smaller posts because I typed an enormous long one and my computer ate it.
Anyway, if the Kandinsky exhibit is still at the Guggenheim, it’s just what it was built for, so it’s a particularly happy blend of art and architecture.
Regarding big department stores, i second Lauren’s advice.
Best thrift shopping is probably in Brooklyn, I can provide information if anyone is thinking of venturing out of Manhattan. Most of my favorite restaurants and bars are in Brooklyn or Queens, are those recommendations useful, or would youguys rather have the best of the bad options in midtown, or the fabulous, fabulously expensive places?
For cocktails in Manhattan, be prepared for them to be very expensive, but if someone else is paying, go to the St. Regis or Pegu Club on Houston. Also, regarding literary cocktail tour, I think Dylan Thomas drank himself to death at the White Horse Tavern, and O. Henry wrote his short stories at an equally mediocre pub somewhere in Grammercy.
Oh, and I’m not a jewel person, but my cousin who is says that Harry Winston (also on 5th ave) is better than Tiffany’s. It’s set up more like a little museum than a place you might actually purchase things.
My favorite yarn store is School Products 1201 Broadway (it’s an office building with no visible store front). The Garment District is much diminished but still fabulous. Be prepared to bargain – almost all the stock overlaps, so if you don’t like the price in one place go on to the next. Elegant Fabrics on 40th between 7th and 8th is one of the biggest, and they actually label things with the price and mean it, if you find that sort of thing reassuring. There’s a place on the south side of 38th, also between 7th and 8th where you can buy leather and fur by the hide, and there’s at least one millinery store still left, I think on 38th just east of Broadway. And lots of fantastic places to get trim. heh.
I wish I knew a good bookstore to get used romance novels. I like the Strand anyway. Forbidden Planet and Midtown Comics are both great, and if you’re looking for back issues so is the one on St. Marks that I actually can’t go near anymore. Indy comic fans will find it worth venturing into Brooklyn to the French, Italian, Sicilian Bread and Comic Booklets store on Metropolitan Ave, just north of the Lorimer/Metropolitan stop on the L/G (they do not actually sell bread).
(The best bakery in NYC is hands down Balthazar on Spring Street in SoHo.)
Staten Island Ferry is extremely pleasant.
For serious garden people, the Botanical Garden in the Bronx is infinitely superior to the one in Brooklyn, plus a zillion times bigger, and only 2x as expensive. Tho the Brooklyn one is free on Tuesdays if you just have to go there. The Bronx one is conveniently located to Arthur Avenue, which is what Little Italy used to be before it became a tourist trap largely obliterated by Chinatown. It’s not bad to get to via metro north, and Grand Central really is worth seeing anyway (please don’t block the stairs while gawking). But if you just can’t borough, the genius who does those gardens is also responsible for the gemlike conservatory gardens in the north east corner of central park (walk through the park or take the 6 to 103rd). There’s a French, and Italian, and an English Garden, and lots of people go to take wedding photos or get married. It makes me happy to watch this.
I don’t do musicals if I can avoid it, but from what I understand, the lottery individual shows do is better than tkts, which best case gets you 50% off, and the south street seaport location has shorter lines. I don’t know how the lotteries work, because whenever someone wants to go to a musical with me I am as unhelpful as possible in an attempt to get them to coerce them into succumbing to opera instead. But opera season is almost over. Shakespeare in the Park is a (seriously hit or miss) institution. I think it’s Measure for Measure and All’s Well that Ends Well this year. Or you could go see the Cyclones out at Coney Island, and get frog leg’s at Nathan’s (whatever, or hotdogs) or pizza at Totonno’s on Neptune Ave.
I can’t even get into single best pizza in NYC, but Totonno’s is a contender. If you’re serious about your pizza, you will have to go to Brooklyn. For food in general…I’m sorry, I’m going to try to stop pimping the boroughs.
For high tea I like Alice’s Teacup, Tea and Sympathy, and the Met. The Plaza’s, alas, is ghastly. The now defunct Dahesh museum used to have the best…anyway. I’ve heard Lady Mendle’s is now the best but I’ve never managed to go. For non-british-y, try Radiance. http://www.radiancetea.com/
I almost never go out dancing anymore, so I don’t have really current recommendations, but Basement Bhangra, first Thursday of the month at SOB’s on Varick just south of Houston used to be a good time.
that’s all for now.
Awww…y’all are making me miss NY! I grew up there, lived there most of my life (briefly lived in Paris, Hawaii and Chicago), but moved to San Francisco two years ago.
I don’t know what the hotspots are these days—my son and daughter would be more hooked into all that, anyway—daughter’s last FB post was bemoaning the end of gay Tuesdays at B Bar, which is one of her favorite haunts, and my son is big on Warren 77, but he’s a sports fan, so maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, unless you want to try to snag a NY Ranger.
Speaking of tea, someone mentioned Alice’s Tea Cup which is utterly charming, or at least the one on the UES is, and really good, to boot.
@henofthewoods
I grew up in Jackson Hts. GREAT neighborhood! Best Indian food in NYC at the Jackson Diner. I grew up in the Towers at 80th and 34th. What great memories I have! Went to St. Joan’s. Tons of kids, incredible diversity, and easy commute into Manhattan. My grandmother used to take me into the city on the 5th Ave. bus to get my hair cut at Best’s and then have a strawberry ice cream soda at Schrafft’s. I commuted into the city for high school every day on the 7 train.
You brought back such memories, Sharon, my mother used to bring me in from NJ to get my hair cut at Best & Co.! I didn’t cover the food angle in my comment @ 6:36 about touring Lower Manhattan, but there is plenty of street food, especially the falafel carts, or cheap noodle bars if it’s too cold to eat outside, all along the way. And if you want to venture north of the Customs House along the East River, there is the very moving NY Vietnam Vets Memorial at 55 Water St. and the South St. Seaport. I think all the places I listed are free, except the Fraunces Tavern Museum. The NY Public Library @42nd St. & 5th Ave. has exhibits inside, also free, and don’t forget to check out the statue of General Sherman on horseback in Grand Army Plaza @Central Park South. Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker just named it the 2nd best public statue in the city, but I don’t know what #1 was, maybe the Statue of Liberty?
Le Sigh. I was going to def suggest a trip to the Statue of Liberty. I remember scaling that massive circular stairway when I was in the 9th grade, and upon reaching the crown…wondrous.
But times have changed. We don’t live in that world anymore.
La Nonna in Little Italy is really good and decently priced. I highly recommend!
If you are going to a Broadway show, try eating at the Boucheron Bakery in the Time Warner Center (Columbus Circle). If you are just passing by, stop in and pick up some yummy cookies for the road at the take-out window. My daughter adores Carnegie Deli, which is also convenient to the Theater District (7th ave and 55th street). If you like all things Japanese: Kinokunyi book store – right across from Bryant Park on 6th Avenue. They have cute toys and stationery supplies as well as books.
Momofuku Milk Bar (east village and midtown locations) has soft-serve cereal milk ice cream that you can get with cereal toppings. Not the healthiest breakfast, but certainly the most interesting. And delicious.