Having lived in NYC for four years, I've compiled a list of recommendations that I would call quintessential NYC. This post is geared towards visitors staying in Manhattan- see here for my Brooklyn recs. Everyone has their own opinion of what you must see/do/eat in the big apple, but this is what I would do:
Manhattan
See
Central Park - Don't miss the city view from the Reservoir.
Broadway - Check out Theater Mania for great ticket deals...and avoid standing in the Times Square TKTS line for hours!
Brooklyn Heights Promenade - Great views of lower Manhattan as well as the Statue of Liberty. Technically in Brooklyn, but just walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to get here.
Do
Ice-skating- Everyone asks me about ice-skating in the winter. I say skip Rockefeller Center. Skate for free in Bryant Park, or skate cheaply at Wollman Rink in Central Park. (Much prettier than skating in the midst of towering sky-scrapers if you ask me.)
Lower East Side Tenement Museum- See what immigration was like in New York, beyond Ellis Island.
Classic museums: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History- you can't go wrong! Check out free first Fridays at MoMA and other promotions at the museums.
Dance - take a class at Alvin Ailey, but preferably with my samba instructor, Quenia. Or you could also just go and see the Ailey professional troupe perform. Plus there are tons of other talented dance troupes in NYC that perform regularly
Eat- all of these restaurants (except Citrus) are in Hell's Kitchen (my old hood), so they are great if you're in Midtown checking out a show or Times Square.
Wondee Siam ($) - Thai so tasty they needed 3 of the same restaurant in a 10-block radius!
Lime Jungle ($) - Cheap, fresh and delish Mexican
Lattanzi ($$$) - Great pre-theater Italian
Becco ($$$) - Great pre-theater Italian
Elsewhere ($$$)- Awesome new addition to Hell's Kitchen. All organic fare and one of the more delicious meals I've had in NYC.
Citrus ($$$) - Creative and delectable Latin/Asian fusion
Drink
Boat Basin, South St. Seaport, and the Frying Pan are best or only enjoyed during nice weather.
79th Street Boat Basin
Water Taxi Beach at South Street Seaport
The Frying Pan
The Delta Grill (48th & 9th) - This New Orleans themed restaurant and bar has live music on weekends. It's a great place to chill out and nosh on cajun grub while listening to some jazz or zydeco music, of course while sipping on a hurricane or Abita.
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Woa... You are SO helpful! Please post more NYC info!
ReplyDeleteI think that you should add walking over the Brooklyn Bridge before heading to the Promenade... eating Grimaldi's pizza and having Brooklyn Ice cream could also be added to the BK adventure (which could all be done on a Friday before heading to Brooklyn brewery)
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