Photo: Veer
New York, New York.
So, yeah, I’m going to New York City in 1-2…7 days. And I haven’t planned a thing. This is where you all get to chime in and tell me what I should do! Any favorite restaurants or shops? Favorite corners of the city? Have you heard of any must-see shows or museum exhibitions? Feel free to chime in. Here’s my list:
- Dinner at Otto with friends for my birthday. I love the easy-going atmosphere and wine selection. I also need a really great restaurant recommendation for Todd and I, on my actual birthday.
- Visit to the Costume Institute at The Met.
- Pilgrimage to the newly launched Topshop.
- Possibly a play. Last year I saw Spring Awakening, which I doubt can be topped. A coworker (and writer) told me about Nora Ephron’s play, Love, Loss & What I Wore. I’ve also heard great things about Wishful Drinking. For musical fun, Rock of Ages?
- A walk through Central Park (the leaves are changing, after all).
- Anyone ever been to the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market?
- Companhia de Danca, 4 x 4. I’m a sucker for all dance.
Any other ideas?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
my all time favorite NYC activity is a picnic in central park accessed via the upper west side (the best manhattan neighborhood if you ask me).
even if it’s chilly, this is how it goes down:
stop 1 – H&H bagel on broadway between 70th and 80th
get a bunch of hot bagels and double bag them so they stay warm.
stop 2 – zabar’s a few steps from H&H on 80th
if you’ve never been, you haven’t lived. the selection is endless. start with the blended cream cheeses (you’ll need at least THAT for the bagels) and then move on to the other cheeses, the charcuterie, the olives, the pastry. buy everything.
stop 3 – wine store!
there used to one across broadway from zabar’s and one on amsterdam around 76th? ask someone at zabar’s and they’ll set you straight. i’m sure you know how to work a wine store. get a screw cap and a paper bag and stop into a bodega for cups.
stop 4 – the park.
walk east until you find a spot you absolutely love and park it for the afternoon.
cannot.go.wrong.
It already sounds like you have an awesome trip planned! Enjoy!
I lived in NYC until last year, so I’m living vicariously through you right now! Here are some of my favorites…
For great brunch – Essex – on the Lower East Side. Great food and they used to have all you can drink mimosas, screwdrivers or bloody marys. I think it’s now limited to 3 :)
For casual fun dinner – Boca Chica- also on the Lower East Side. This is one of my favorites in NYC. It’s got a great atmosphere and really reasonably priced. Very yummy sangria and mojitos!
Fancy dinner – Freeman’s. I went there for my birthday about a year and a half ago. It’s very hidden away in an alley on the Lower East Side.
Other to-do stuff that I liked were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, MoMA. Chinatown is kind of hit or miss for me, but definitely worth checking out if you haven’t been before. Also, the High Line park has recently opened on the West Side. I haven’t been but it was years in the making, so I’m sure it’s worth checking out weather permitting if you are in the area.
I could go on and on, but I’ll make myself stop. I can’t wait hear where you go!
if you have time, head out to carroll gardens in brooklyn for shopping/lunch on smith street. so many cute stores (bird, dear fieldbinder) and cafe luluc is perfect after you’ve worked up your appetite (and presumably, your credit card bill … though it may be too cold for the pretty outdoor garden) — all between the carroll and bergen stops on the F train.
for a birthday dinner … i’ve yet to go, but i want my bf to take me to little owl in the west village. it looks darling, and a friend suggested it as a lovely date spot. places we’ve enjoyed going back to again and again include alta (west village, great tapas for sharing, a couple of blocks from otto) and malatesta (far west village, cute italian place, though it may not be “fancy” enough for a birthday, depending on what you’re going for).
i also second the high line suggestion! it’s a great way to see the west side. and not sure if you are going all out for this trip, but a great way to keep the price down on an awesome dinner is going to a BYO place. some good ones are sticky rice (thai, lower east side) and parigot (bistro, soho). and i’m rambling … can you tell i love my city? have so much fun!
CP, I just tried to make a reservation at The Little Owl and they don’t have any openings until Nov. 11th. Bummer!!
Oooh, NYCer here! You’re going to have a great trip!
This is disappointing, but you actually can’t visit the Costume Institute all on it’s own. You can only see the pieces on display in the Met itself. They just closed a big exhibit on “The Supermodel as Muse” and I’m not sure what they have now.
I third the high line suggestion! It’s a very unique, urban outdoor space and you get some very nice views. (And an excuse to shop in the Meatpacking district!! Check out Charles Nolan, they have really cute stuff, and some of it is actually affordable.)
Prune (in the east village) is an amazing restaurant…it’s perfect for brunch.
And if you’re a fan of dance, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Morphoses, a contemporary ballet company, who will actually be performing next week. http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=4891
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely worth it. You get some very nice views. And nothing beats and afternoon wandering around the West Village, popping into the little boutiques, oohing and ahing over the amazing townhouses, and people-watching from a cafe.
P.S. It’s not the Costume Institute, but the Museum at FIT might interest you. http://www.fitnyc.edu/306.asp E.g. right now Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress by Toledo is on view, and it’s free so you can’t go wrong.
oh no! (and note to self to get cracking on my own reservation). well, i do hope you find something good — is there a particular kind of food/atmosphere you’re seeking for the occasion?
Anna, I saw that, but we leave on the 26th :-( Any other dance company recommendations are welcome, though!
So jealous! This is my favorite time of the year in NYC and it’s been two years already since the last time I was there for a prolonged period of time :(
I love Barmarché. Is a little bistro and maybe more of a relaxed atmosphere (sort of) so you can leave it for a laid back dinner, or a weekend brunch, which is great. It’s in the corner of Spring and Elizabeth St. And they have really good drinks (says the drunk).
Oooh, and Vosges Chocolate. You have to go. They have the most delicious blends for hot cocoa and chocolate. I used to go nuts there. It’s in Spring St. (between Greene and… I don’t remember… but Spring and Greene).
And I am a cliché, but I actually like Les Halles and not just because I’m a Bourdain apologist. I had the best boudin noir ever (OK, I’ve only eaten that twice, and the first time was because I felt seriously obligated, but the fact that I actually liked it when I tasted it in Les Halles must mean something). But it certainly isn’t for everyone, unless you like all types of meat, and French-like atmospheres.
And I love the fact that you’re planning to go to Otto. It’s seriously a great place, so haute-cuisine and non-pretentious at the same time. The food is great, the desserts are wonderful, but the wine selection is absolutely sublime (or maybe I just love Italian wines too much).
C, I’ve actually been to Les Halles as well, a few years ago. I liked it, although it was very heavy. I hear the best steakhouse is Peter Luger, so I’d love to try that out. Although, I doubt we’ll go as I rarely crave a good steak!
Penny,
It really can be very heavy. I usually get sick after eating too much red meat (wussy!) and although that was one of the few times it didn’t happen, I’m not up for it very often.
I forgot, there’s a tapas bar that I liked very much, Boqueria. I was actually surprised that the menu very much resembles an actual tapas bar in Spain, and it has a good selection of Spanish wines and cheeses. The food is really good, the Serrano ham was wonderful and they had chorizo with cheese, and even traditional churros. And I’m always looking for places where I can basically survive on appetizers (tapas are great for that reason) because most of the time, I’m not sure I’m able to take the main dishes. If you like to “nibble”, you’d probably like it there. Is usually packed, but not one of those places where it’s absolutely impossible to get a seat.
I agree with Casquivana. Boqueria is great, the wine there is superb. I am not a meat eater but here are some of my other favs…
• Zucco Le French Diner – Best French food in NYC. Modeled after french truck stops. So tiny the fantastic owner serves you himself. (Lower East Side)
• The Spotted Pig – BEST. FOOD. EVER make sure you order the gnudi, you will die (sorry to quote Rachel Zoe) (West Village)
• Mary’s Fish Camp – AMAZING seafood (West Village)
• Luke’s Lobster – Take out. Cheap ($14) SUPER fresh YUMMY lobster rolls to-go (Just opened in East Village)
• Blue Ribbon Sushi – best sushi in NYC (Soho & Hell’s Kitchen)
• Bar Veloce – great wine bar (East Village)
• Flatiron Lounge – super old school, fancy cocktails (Flatiron District)
I’ll be around when you are here if you want to meet up for a glass of wine : )
Happy Birthday!
-your name buddy
hey miss p, not sure how long you’re going to be in NYC but just in case you happen to be there Nov 2: http://nymag.com/taste/ !!!
hells kitchen flea market is GREAT. there’s also a good one in dumbo, if you have a chance to make it out to brooklyn. (it’s a very quick trip, straight off the jay st stop on the F line, but i’m sure you have a very packed agenda) i saw a few people mentioned the High Line park on the west side of the city, by meatpacking district up to the mid 20′s i think they’ve finished. i highly recommend it, it’s really pretty and a perfect way to spend a fall day and see the west side. plus, you can check out some of the galleries in chelsea while you’re over there, just walk down any street from about 20th st to 28th between 10th and 11th ave and find tons of em. (and hopefully the weather will be much better by the time you’re here, it’s chilly and rainy this weekend).
the moma is my favorite museum and i always recommend it. if you go, definitely check out the architecture and design floor which people tend to miss because they stay on the main floor. it’s pretty awesome and almost never crowded. i also went to the rock and roll annex for the first time last weekend and looooooooved it. it’s like 24$ to get in, but they have a pretty awesome collection and a phenomenal exhibit up on John Lennon’s NYC years curated by yoko ono.
i already commented on your restaurant list with my votes and some suggestions, not that you needed more :) again, have a great time and fill all of us new yorkers in about what you loved about our city. xo
I have only been to NYC once in my life. So may I recommend the statue of liberty and the UN? ;-)