Coming to visit? Below are a few of our favorite things in New York City:
(this is an ever-evolving list...and I have tried to keep up with it over the years. sorry for the casual formatting)
(this is an ever-evolving list...and I have tried to keep up with it over the years. sorry for the casual formatting)
1. La Esquina - in SoHo - the one downstairs through the kitchen, etc.- very new york, not touristy, but not a "family" place either necessarily depending the age of his kids.
2. Tao - midtown - very fun, hip place. it has the "big buddha man" in the main room. a little loud, but excellent food. huge restaurant - touristy and not.
3. Spice Market or anywhere in Meat Packing District – delicious and in a great area
4. Sushi Samba - great sushi - several locations - funky vibe (think it was on sex and the city...)
5. One if by Land, Two if by Sea - in the Village. a very romantic restaurant and fine dining. very very nice. very very good. very very expensive. love this place. small, quaint and great. can't go wrong if you want a special dinner.
6. Becco - near theatre district...great prices on all you can eat pasta great for a before a Broadway show place. quaint and smaller. love it. more on casual side.
7. Boat House - great for brunch. may be a bit touristy. it's best on a "pretty" day. There is the more expensive restaurant and then just a bar/grill part – so either way – it’s a good place to go.
8. Ruby Foo's - pan asian - Times Square - may be more touristy in that location but some amazing food and fun atmosphere.
9. EJ's - very family oriented - an upper east side favorite dinner. Great crunchy French toast.
10. Uva - another upper east side favorite italian place - at 77th and 2nd. so great. environment. great wine list. great ambiance. Great!!
12. Campagnola - the real-deal Italian experience on the Upper East Side. Located on 1st b/w 73rd and 74th. Pricey.
13. Chocolates by the Bald Man - great for dessert. it's in union square. good for family lunch or dinner
14. Bryant Park Grill - a good place to eat in the middle of the park, especially on a nice sunny day.
15. Koi - one of my favorite sushi places near Bryant Park in midtown – pricey but amazing.
16. Cafe Lalo - filmed in You've Got Mail - on the upper west side. good for dessert and coffee or lunch.
17. Gramercy Tavern – supposed to be one of the best places in NY. Have not been there. A little pricey and may be tough to get a reservation, but worth a try
18. Union Square Café - a little pricey and hard to get a reservtion, but supposed to be amazing
19. JoJo - a quaint little Italian place on the upper east side. Dressier atmospthere. Very romantic. Pricey but fabulous food.
12. Diablo Royale – Soho/Villlage area - Mexican, loud and very fun atmoshpere
13. Mercat – Spanish tapas - fun and different.
14. Tortilla Flats – Mexican – haven’t been but everyone loves it.
15. Poke – Sushi place that is great and it's BYOB on the upper east side!
16. Mary’s Fish Camp – a great lobster roll and in west village so a great area to walk around.
17. Buddakan – in Meatpacking District – super fun, asian fusion. A must eat at some point. Super trendy.
18. Market Table – can’t go wrong, great area, delicious food and perfect ambiance. A little pricey.
19. Little Owl – so hard to get into but worth it.
20. Phillips – pan asian, pricey but yummy.
21. Panna II – a memory maker. Indian place in lower east side and its BYOB – totally crazy atmosphere but a sure fun time, especially for a birthday.
22. Butter Lane Cupcakes – in lower east side – my favorite cupcakes
24. Cornelia Street Café – in village – great food, darling street/area
25. Joe’s coffee in West Village – one of my favorites
26. Grey Dog Café - good for a cup of coffee anytime and a nosh
27. Otto – great for groups. Very reasonable. Small plates or pizzas – all delish!
28. Clinton St. Baking Company – FAB brunch place. Get their early – there is a wait!
29. La Lanterna – really reasonable and delicious Italian food in west village. Ask to eat in garden area in back.
30. Da Andrea – great reliable Italian place. House wine is good and reasonable! Near union square
31. Danal – great brunch!
32. Cacio e Pepe – smaller quaint Italian food place on lower east side.
33. Magnolia Bakery – famous from Sex in the City – but a delicious bakery in West Village and now in several other locations around the city. Try their cupcakes if you want – but a locals secret: their banana pudding is to die for!!
34. Shake Shack - several locations now, but the original in Madison Square park (next to the Flatiron building) is a must visit on a nice day. Get there early to avoid the hour + long line.
34. Shake Shack - several locations now, but the original in Madison Square park (next to the Flatiron building) is a must visit on a nice day. Get there early to avoid the hour + long line.
To do:
1. "Walk the Brooklyn Bridge" – then eat at Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn- very famous - old and fabulous food. a great pretty day activity and great for pictures.
- Central Park - anywhere
- Poet’s walk in Central Park – great, place to people watch - up the steps from the boat house
- Central Park Zoo - fabulously fun in the city for anyone!
- Great Lawn - a great place in the warmer months to bring a picnic blanket and enjoy some nature and sun
- Sheep's Meadow - another great sprawling lawn for a picnic
- Battery Park – take the Staten Island Ferry for a FREE view of the Statue of Liberty. Look online for departure times. It goes across and then just comes back. You don’t go to the island…but you really don’t need to and it has great views of downtown as well.
- Ground zero – think they have a museum there now.
- Canal Street – the place to get all of the “knock-off” brands of purses, accessories, scarves, etc.
- 230 Fifth – a rooftop bar that has a great view of the city/ Empire State Bldg
- Museums:
a. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) – strange and different, but one of my favorites!
b. MET – huge but a must see if you want to go to a museum
c. The Whitney museum - upper east side
d. The Fritz - the upper east side
e. Children's Museum - upper west side
d. The Fritz - the upper east side
e. Children's Museum - upper west side
8. Brooklyn Brewery - Umm...enough said.
9. Broadway shows – always check online for deals. TKTS booths are located in Times Square (the usual one) and in South Street Seaport (one not many people know about).
10.Boat House – rent a row boat and row around the Central Park lake – gorgeous views and super fun!
11. South Street Seaport – a fun place to walk around, shop, eat, and you’ll be near the water.
12.MET Rooftop Bar – great views
13.Gansevoort Hotel – great view of city. Great place for a drink (pricey though) or just to see the view and leave. Trendy meatpacking district spot
14.Chelsea Market – cute specialty food stores and lots of eating options - fun to walk through. Also where food network films their shows.
15. Highline park – a free park that was created from old train tracks and goes from the meatpacking district along the Hudson River. Fun place to walk or sit or jus see. Kind of like a piece of art.
16. Prince Street – a street in b/w Lower East Side and SoHo that is called the Historic Little Italy. A really fun street to walk down with great stores and great restaurants
17. Eataly – more in Chelsea/Flatiron District – is Mario Batali’s new Italian supermarket that has a number of restaurants and the best of every kind of food you can imagine. Fun to just walk through if nothing else. Oh, and grab yourself some gelato to go!
