In NYC for a few days - Recommendations?

Hey y'all

I'm going to be in NYC for a few days on vacation with my parents. Looking for some local recommendations on things to do/places to eat/things to see.

So far we have:

  1. Dinner at Carbone
  2. Top of the Rock
  3. Highline
  4. The Frick Collection
  5. Bagels somewhere (where though??)
  6. Pastrami sando from katz

Anything else I should check out?

115 Comments
 

Get bagels and lox at Russ and Daughters, restaurant or store.

Don't order any meat with cheese at Katz's. Literally it isn't kosher and people will look at you funny. Just in case you didn't know.

Emellion Taqueria or Ofrenda for mexican food.

Prime Rib at Keane's

A fun night can be had at Houston Hall, but I'm old and not cool anymore.

Koreatown - Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong. Get the prime ribeye and the beef soup. Seafood pancake is outa this world.

 
"C.R.E. Shervin" Don't order any meat with cheese at Katz's. Literally it isn't kosher and people will look at you funny. Just in case you didn't know

Look at you funny? It's f'ing Katz in NYC. He can order anything on the f'ng menu.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
"Angel Molester" New York blows, NEWARK is where all the fun is at!

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"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

At this point, hamptons montauk and fire island are probably off the table or only for that PE guy choosing between the aston martin and maserati. You could look for something upstate like Lake George but I would think you would want to be on the beach, wearing a tank, crushing a Boggs light.

Ocean City, MD and Dewey Beach, DE are fun but a little far. All depends on what you're looking for.

Budgets are tough on MDW.

 
BankersGoBonkers

Hey guys,

Since Memorial Day is in two weeks, I just wanted to see what are some good options if I wanted to get out of NYC for the weekend. I'd be leaving Friday at 7PM and coming back whenever on Monday.

I've thought about Boston, Atlantic City, Rhode Island, Philly. Unfortunately all the hotels jacked up their rates to insane levels and I'm trying to keep this under a budget.

Do you guys have any ideas as to where I can go and enjoy the weekend?

Thanks!

Have you tried Airbnb-ing it?

Second the upstate comment, though you could keep it a lot more local than Lake George and check a few of the towns in the lower to mid Hudson Valley. Some are Metro-North accessible, and your lady friend will probably love the little boutiques and such.

If nothing else, a 3 day bender in the city when everyone has cleared out is always a fun option...

 

Memorial Day IN the city is pretty nice. Uncrowded restaurants and bars, empty streets. Hard to beat that. One of the best Memorial days I have ever had.

"Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money." - Mickey Bergman - Heist (2001)
 
AcctNerd

Memorial Day IN the city is pretty nice. Uncrowded restaurants and bars, empty streets. Hard to beat that. One of the best Memorial days I have ever had.

Last year was the first Memorial Day I have spent in the city and uncrowned is hardly the word I would use. Granted, I find NYC pretty unbearable most weekends due to the crowds. The park was still swarmed to the point of being unbearable and everywhere on the water was packed. There are certainly worse places to be, but last year it was packed here.
 
jrt336Most places do card. I was in NYC when I was under 21 and it's not impossible to get in if you're under 21, but you'll need an ID just about everywhere that cards at the door. Might have a better chance of not getting carded at restaurants, especially if you join a group where people are over 21 and already buying alcohol.

yes. most bars/lounges DO. if you're at restaurant they sometimes will ask you for your id even in a large group.

im 25 and i still get carded...

"...the art of good business, is being a good middle man, putting people togeather. It's all about honor and respect."
 

Nearly every bar in the village will card at the door at night. Less common in the afternoon/early evening. If you are in work clothes you stand a good shot, so just make sure you get in early before bouncers are at the door.

 

depends. are you willing to go outside manhattan to visit other boroughs like the bronx or brooklyn?

Brooklyn: Dumbo (nice riverwalk area)

Bronx: Botantical Gardens (a little overhyped in my opinion) and Cloister Museum.

 

This isn't trolling...I'm really interested in looking for cool things to do/see. I heard soho/greenwich village are good for shopping and restaurants, and that the bowery area is becoming pretty popular?

 

Bars geared towards groups of girls: Beauty and Essex, Stanton Social Club, Anchor, Blind barber, Check out the Whitney museum..

Let me think. Williamsburg, as someone mentioned above is pretty cool and very vibrant; it also happens to be where I live... Message me later and I can fwd over a list of things... How old are you and your friends? What kind of bars/restaurants do you like? Rayuela, Yurba Buena, Peasant, Momofuku, and Public come to mind as cool restaurants to hit...

 

Depending on who you're interviewing with, it's likely not a good idea to come on the weekends. Most people commute to the city and will likely not be there during the weekend. It's better to come in Wed - Fri since everyone hates Mondays, and Tuesday is the ugly hangover from Monday.

 

Just ask your contacts when works for them. In my experience these guys have such crazy schedules that if you think you're going to be able to meet with a bunch in one day you're insane. You don't want to schedule a noon meeting and a 1:00pm meeting because there is a huge chance the noon guy will need to push back til 1 or the 1 o'clock guy will need to move up to noon.

 

Go to a restaurant/bar take in the vibes & food, then walk to the next restaurant/bar. Repeat.

You can also eat on the walk, or just randomly sit in timesquare eating and people watching. If your feeling bold and wanting attention buy something crazy to eat on those little tables: think a whole chicken, a feast style food set up of chinese take-out, a whole pekking duck, food from a nice expensive restaurant.

**How is my grammar? Drop me a note with any errors you see!**
 

what's the best strategy on that? TP along the edges or do you use a seat cover? what about the revolving covers like the ones in Chicago O Hare, are those preftigious? do you have TP come from underneath or over top? which is more preftigious? should I fold the TP before wiping? should I flush before pulling my pants up or after? is there a guide on WSO to this?

 

Eat. Some of the best restaurants on the planet, plus no worrying about driving home after too many drinks with dinner, plus you'll be walking so much you'll probably eat like shit and still lose weight.

The absolute best thing to do in NYC is eat.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Don't go to the Empire State Building. Go to 30 Rock instead and go to SixtyFive at the Rainbow Room one night for a drink. Better view, no line, better experience.

Business casual dress.

MM IB -> Corporate Development -> Strategic Finance
 

wax museum, msg (Madison Square Garden). for nice night out with your gf go to 21 club or Per Se. Try Rao's if you like italian. have fun the city is great

 

Per se will cost you an arm and a leg. Ben and Jack is a great steak house, Luger's depends on what you are looking for. Spice market is over rated, Buddakan, Meat Packing to go out in.

 

Maybe skip the statue of liberty, it's a timesuck. Brooklyn Bridge is the best. Walk across it (or halfway across it, and back) at night. Great views, few crowds (at night). You can walk there from bars/restaurants on the Lower East Side if you like a little adventure. Bring a flask, it will average-down your drink prices for the night.

For restaurants & bars, there are so many good options. I'd just recommend that you do a lot of walking in fun neighborhoods (LES, SoHo, East Village, Village, Nolita, Meatpacking, etc.) and you'll find good places. Really explore. There are some great places that are popular and right near subway stops, but if you put in an extra 10 minutes walking you'll have a lot more choices and maybe find somewhere with more character than the tourist-friendly places on the main avenues. Don't settle for average food in Manhattan. A few ideas for great food, not too pricey, in neighborhoods that have some character: http://momofuku.com/ssam/default.asp http://www.prunerestaurant.com/ http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/banjara/ http://www.inotecanyc.com/home.php http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/index_restaurant.htm

Just some ideas. There are hundreds of great restaurants... If you want expensive and glitzy, you'll have tons of well-known options worth the expense. If your budget gets tight go ethnic, or do a bit more research online. Have fun.

 

You are gonna want to go to a place called bouley upstairs, its high class dining thats cheap. They don't take reservations, so you might have to wait 30-45 mins, but its 4 star food for 20 an entree, which you won't find in the city. I would also recommend going to china town for dinner one night.

If the weather is nice, definitely walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. If there is one thing you do, definitely do that, its beautiful and very romantic. If You go early in the day also go to Grimaldi's on the other side of the bridge, tho its turned into a tourist trap.

Go to Central Park and just walk around and lay around, thats always fun. If you're near the upper west side go to sal and carmines, the best pizza on Manhattan.

As far as bars on LES, would recommend spitzers, it has 80 beers that are all incredible. Look it up online. Once your around rivington area, there are a ton of girlfriend friendly bars.

 

If you like Indian Food, go to east 6th street, there is one block between 1st and 2nd on east 6th that has literally 40 indian restaurants. they are all amazing. I would recommend it, best Indian this side of the atlantic

 

Okay, recommendation No. 1: Use New York Magazine and treat it as your bible for food and bar recommendations. I think it's better than a Zagat's guide, but that's just me. NYMag.com is the website. As to restaurants, bars and other places, finding out of the way places is some of the best fun I've had in Manhattan. It's a great way to explore the nooks and crannies of the city. Some of my top faves in the city are Union Square Cafe, Gotham Bar and Grill, Gramercy Tavern, and Balthazar. I'd highly recommend the first two, esp. Gotham Bar and Grill. IF you like celebrity chefs, there's Gordon Ramsey at The London, Mario Batalli has 5-6 restaurants in the city, Bobby Flay has 2-3 restaurants, and there are others.

Regarding Hockey, if the Rangers win game 6, tonight, you will be able to find a lot of bars showing the game. Any place near MSG will have the game on, but you'll be surrounded by Rangers fans, which may be difficult to deal with. On the flip side, if the Devils win, you can take a train ride down to Newark, buy a ticket at the arena (It won't be sold out) and enjoy a game across the river. Otherwise, if you get tickets to a Rangers game, I'd see that too. It's an experience.

I can't think of many Bars I would recommend because all of the places that I enjoy are places like the Pegu Club, Flatiron Lounge, Death and Co., or are dive bars. You can find a ton of places along 3rd avenue to drink at. It's very much alive in Murray Hill. I'm not a fan, but it's relatively close. If you want a banker bar, I would highly recommend checking out PS450 (450 Park South, between 30th and 31st). Thursday nights are always packed. If you want rooftop and open places, then check out 230 Fifth, hell any rooftop lounge you can find will be fun. For some reason, that and Me Bar come to mind, which bothers me. Oh well, I'll start to remember others as the weather kicks it into gear.

If you're into museums, I would recommend checking out the Met, the MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Natural History. I'm fond of the Met and the collection is grand. Oh, check out the South Street Seaport. Very nice place to be. Good view of Brooklyn. I'd also suggest taking the subway out to Brooklyn to walk around in. It's a nice place to walk around in. Times Square should be on your list of places. So should Union Square (The farmers market there makes for a great place to pick up a relatively cheap lunch), Madison Square Park (Shake Shack is to die for), Battery Park and the Southern Tip of Manhattan (Along with the ruins of the WTC, because people that aren't native New Yorkers like to visit tragic locations).

If I think of anything else, I'll edit the post, but enjoy your trip to Manhattan.

 

It's hard to know where to start. Columbus Circle near Central Park South is definitley worth checking out. If you're around that area at night the Hudson Hotel on 58th between 8th and 9th (or somewhere around there) has a cool bar scene.

Further downtown, near the Washington Square Park/NYU area there's a lot of divebars if that's more your scene. check out nymag.com. they have a section about bars/restaurants, etc that youll find helpful.

and I always use yelp.com to get reviews about the place before I go

 

Off the Wagon..Mcgonnagal street near NYU. The cheapest drinks I've been able to find anywhere, especially NYC. The pitchers are $5!! You will not be dissapointed

 

definitely have to check out times square at night at some point on your trip. Pretty touristy, but it's still pretty cool.

 

there are some fantastic restaurants in the east village! i personally love cacio e pepe, pylos, desnuda, boka.. chikalicious has great cupcakes/cheesecake and momofuku has pretty good cookies. there are a ton of indian restaurants on 6th street too. I agree with CiroCorp -- check nymag menupages or yelp!

 

Trust me, after a day of boozing those $5 pitchers, it's mcgonnogal street

 

beer garden in L.I.C or Astoria, Etaly, velvet cigar lounge, wafels and dinges (its a food truck but you have to try it) there is a resturant in M.o.M.A if u wanna look like a big shot

 

Thanks for the suggestions!!!! Frieds I'll pm you for your list.

Any suggestions for lounges or clubs? No grimy places please....

 

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[quote]The HBS guys have MAD SWAGGER. They frequently wear their class jackets to boston bars, strutting and acting like they own the joint. They just ooze success, confidence, swagger, basically attributes of alpha males.[/quote]
 

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