Hakarmaskannar Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) I will shortly be visiting New York (middle of Feb '07) and was wondering if any O'ists living iin, or familiar with, the city could pass on any recommendations with regards to eating out, entertainment, sites to see etc. BTW, the trip wll be romantic (hopefully) so I aim to try for the horse-drawn carriage at Central Park on Valentine's Day but anything else to consider would be appreciated. P.S. We'll be staying in Manhattan, if that makes a diference. (Coming from England, I have very litttle real idea of the size and scope of American cities.) Edited January 24, 2007 by Hakarmaskannar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 This earlier thread might have some info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galileo Blogs Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Romantic? I'd take her to the top of Rockefeller Center's GE Building. It offers, in my opinion, the best skyscraper view of the city. It is better than the Empire State Building because it is a little less crowded. Also, Rockefeller Center stands amidst a forest of tall buildings, unlike the Empire State, which is located a little bit outside of the main business district. A stroll down the Promenade at Rockefeller Center is a must, where I would stop for some chocolate truffles at Teuscher's (north side of the Promenade, near the 5th Avenue entrance) before watching the ice skaters at the foot of the GE Building. Rock Center is my favorite point on the city, but there are many others. After Rock Center, I would stroll up Fifth Avenue where the world's best shops line the street. Walk through Tiffany's at 59th and 5th to look at the exquisite jewelry. I have lived in the City for over 20 years. It is much safer, cleaner and more prosperous than it has ever been. You can go almost anywhere (generally, south of 96th Street unless you are with an experienced New Yorker). All of it is interesting. Each part of the city is completely different from the next one. I have never gotten tired of just wandering Manhattan's streets. For some other areas, I would check out Soho and the West Village. Of course, Times Square at night is very exciting. I would generally skip the downtown financial district, unless you have time and want to visit Wall Street, where you can see the New York Stock Exchange. Check beforehand whether you can get in or not. Security rules since 9/11 may preclude that. If you go there, walk down Broad Street and some of the side "canyons of commerce". As an Objectivist, you will appreciate the history of what was once the headquarters district of the great business titans of the 19th century. These are just a few thoughts. I could go on and on!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakarmaskannar Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Thank you for the suggestions. I just wish I had longer than a week to see more of the city, but I'll be sure to head to the Rockefeller Center. I'll have to print out a street map and plan some of our trips out, otherwise we'll get swamped with sights and go round in circles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellavision Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I will shortly be visiting New York (middle of Feb '07) and was wondering if any O'ists living iin, or familiar with, the city could pass on any recommendations with regards to eating out, entertainment, sites to see etc. BTW, the trip wll be romantic (hopefully) so I aim to try for the horse-drawn carriage at Central Park on Valentine's Day but anything else to consider would be appreciated. P.S. We'll be staying in Manhattan, if that makes a diference. (Coming from England, I have very litttle real idea of the size and scope of American cities.) Oh, I can go on for hours about eating out! I should warn you that I tend to care about the food almost exclusively (ambience doesn't matter much to me, except that I prefer simple and unfussy service and surroundings), so if what you're looking for is lots of candles and romance, my recommendations may not be any good. But some great options are: Chinatown: A dim sum experience is a must. When there are only two of you, I personally recommend Dim Sum Go-Go, 5 East Broadway. A little inconvenient to get to, but the plus is that you can order sampler platters, which include 10 different dumplings apiece. When you eat at a traditional dim sum restaurant (where the carts are wheeled around), with only 2 people you may not get to try as many different kinds of food because the plates are big enough that maybe 3 or 4 of them would fill up two people quickly. Plus, Go-Go's soups are very good. If you're looking for the more traditional experience, Jing Fong or Golden Unicorn are two well-known places. Also in Chinatown: Excellent Malaysian food at Jaya (99 Baxter Street), including some of the best satay I've ever had (including satay I ate in Malaysia!). Good (and super-cheap) Vietnamese at Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant on Doyers Street (a tiny side street). Japanese: I've heard Nobu is the greatest, but I simply cannot be bothered to call them over and over and over again to get a 5:30 reservation. Try Morimoto in Chelsea -- you can reserve online via OpenTable, and the food is outstanding. (Morimoto used to be a chef at Nobu.) Megu in Tribeca is also really good. For more workaday but still delicious sushi rolls, I'm fond of Momoya (in Chelsea), Sushi Edo (17th between Broadway/5th), Yummy Village (West Village), and Cube 63 (Lower East Side). Greek: One great thing to do would be to go to a concert at Lincoln Center, and have dinner at Onera (79th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam) beforehand. It's not "authentic" Greek -- the chef has a very distinctive style to add -- but it is really some of the best food I've had. Plus the wait staff is very friendly and will take good care of you. Nice place for a romantic dinner. Indian: If you just want a quick snack, the Kati Roll Company (on Macdougal Street in the West Village, also 46th between 6th/7th) cannot be beat. It's great Indian street food -- griddled paratha rolls filled with your choice of spicy fillings (chicken, cottage cheese, potato, or beef). If you want a more elaborate meal, Devi in the Flatiron District is excellent -- the kitchen staff have a sure hand with their spicing. Beautiful setting, too. American/burgers/BBQ: I love Blue Smoke (27th/Lexington) for spareribs and other stick-to-your-ribs cuisine. (The sweet potato fries with maple dip are awesome.) I've also heard R.U.B. (Righteous Urban Barbecue) in Chelsea is very good, but I haven't made it there yet. It's too bad you'll be here before the Shake Shack opens for the season, because theirs are by far the best burgers I've ever had. Fully worth standing in line the 45 minutes it usually takes to get one. But since it's not open, the Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien hotel on 57th Street is an excellent substitute. Great burgers, and one of the few places that still fries their French fries in beef fat. (This is a good thing!) It's hard to find -- look for the tiny neon sign hidden in a side hallway of the hotel. I can't get enough of Bobby Flay's restaurants, either. (Well, two of them at least -- I've tried Bar Americain, his take on the French bistro, and didn't like it that much.) Mesa Grill and Bolo are both wonderful -- Flay has a way with strong flavors, for sure. For entertainment, if you like classical music, don't forget to look past the obvious (the NY Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall performances). While those are great, there's also a number of performances by students from the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music (if you make the trek that far uptown, have dinner at Dinosaur BBQ beforehand), and others that are well worth seeking out. Check out the New York Magazine or Time Out NY websites for weekly listings of stuff to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Talk of New York reminded me of the Stardust Diner near Times Square. The food is...well... ordinary diner food; but, the show the waiters and waitresses put on is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 If you have to carry just one map around NYC, carry this one Fodor's Flashmaps New York City, 6th Edition: The Ultimate Map Guide They are small and incredibly useful. I pretty much threw out all the maps I had gotten from my other guides. It would also be good to have a list on a seperate piece of paper with the addresses of places you plan on visiting that day. (aka don't plot them on the map other than maybe a dot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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