Wife and I are taking a 20 anniversary trip to the Big Apple. Aside from the usual things (Lady LIbery, Empire State Bldg, Brooklyn Bridge etc...) anything we should check out. Yes we already got our Wed Night Amauture night tickets for the Apollo Theater.


Any restaurants we should visit? Just don't wanna get back and then say "we shoulda coulda" did this or that!

I loved the area around Beeker street near the Village. It didn't have anything spectacular there, but was a really nice environment and a great place to stroll.

Cborgman knows of a really nice bookstore that sells used books (it's massive) near there too.


Other than that, I was floored by central park. So beautiful.

If you're hungry and in the area, I recommend my new fav restaurant "Sazón".

105 Reade Street, NYC (close to Chambers Street subway station)

It's Puerto Rican, which for whatever reason is rare (as compared to Mexican, Cuban or Dominican).

The food is GREAT, the drinks are exquisite, and the atmosphere is contemporary.

check out menu & such here; http://www.sazonnyc.com/

TheVoid said:

I AGREE! Bleeker Street is very cool! Get a cannoli at Rocco's while you're there (it's heavenly)... Oh and Central Park might be one of my favorite parts of the city
I like the area around Houston Street too!
Oh, and Bryant Park was really nice, so go through there too.

Maybe you should see a show too while you're visiting

I always recommend museums. One of my favorite things is to go to the Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where you'll get a great view of Central Park and Manhattan. (Admission is suggested as $18, which means you can pay whatever you wish and they have to let you in.) And of course, if you want to see all sorts of famous paintings, hit the Museum of Modern Art. Be sure to check the museum websites prior to visiting because they are closed on different days of the week.

Central Park is great, especially nice is the Reservoir. There is walking/running path around it, and when you get to the northern part there are very nice views of midtown Manhattan.

Personally I would skip Ellis Island and take the Staten Island Ferry instead. It goes right by the Statue of Liberty but it's FREE. You take the subway to lower Manhattan (South Ferry subway stop) and get on the ferry -- make sure you go to your right (starboard side). When you get to Staten Island just get off the ferry, walk quickly around and get back in line to go back to Manhattan. I think it takes about 1.5 hours total. Circle Line Boat Tours are nice, too; especially near sunset.

Here are some (not too fancy) restaurants I like:

Cascina Ristorante in the Theater District (Italian)

El Centro in Hells Kitchen (Mexican)


Papillon in Midtown (French/Bistro) - love their fries, and the lobster salad is supposedly really good. (I don't eat meat.)

There are some record stores on Bleecker Street that have *ahem* rare *ahem* Prince cd, if you're into that sort of thing.

ps. feel free to orgnote me with specific questions.

TheVoid said:

Okay, firstly, how come you were in NYC and we didn't go museuming? It's because I'm not gay, right?

Secondly, I think you're talking about The Strand




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[Edited 3/11/10 14:57pm]

To jone70's excellent post, I would add a suggestion for going to Governor's Island (instead of Staten Island). It's a free ferry ride (on Fridays last year, they had free bike rentals; I'm hoping they continue that this year). The island's really pretty and serene, and you can also get a nice (but distant) view of the Statue of Liberty without enduring the lines for that.

I love the roof garden at the Met. I second that recommendation highly.

Efan said:

If the weather is nice, I take all my out of town visitors to the Met Roof. It's like a little secret where you get to be touristy (sightsee the city from a high up) but it's not in the tourist books. Plus, I get my guests and myself in free with my badge from the museum where I volunteer, and they serve alcohol.


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[Edited 3/11/10 15:05pm]

jone70 said:

Same here! Well, except for the part about having a museum badge, because I don't have one of those. But since the entrance fee is a "suggestion," I take advantage accordingly (if I'm only going to the roof, where I'm going to pay a pretty large price for each drink, I don't feel guilty at all about giving a token admittance fee; if I'm going to tour the museum, I give the full amount). I'm seriously considering joining, but I have a MoMA membership that I enjoy and use more.

jone70 said: