A local’s guide to visiting New York City… (commonly offered advice to short term visitors, with an emphasis on places that are a bit more unusual and off the beaten path)

Transit

Don’t rent a car.

For anything less than a mile…it is faster to walk than to take any type of transportation.

You can use any “tap”-capable credit card to take buses and subways. Just do that. Google Maps is a reliable guide to trains and buses; ask for transit directions.

Cabs are generally cheaper than Ubers.

Top tourist sites in an afternoon (with snacks)

(My patent-pending tour of the highlights of Manhattan…bring your walking shoes)

  1. Start near the United Nations. (We often begin with a slice of pizza at La Vera but that’s optional.)
  2. Head southwest…you’ll pass the Chrysler Building (best view and photo op from the east side of 3rd ave headed south) and toward Grand Central Station and admire the zodaic atrium (optionally, stop for a snack and a martini downstairs…). Probably nicest if you enter on 42nd and Park Ave for full effect.
  3. Continue west along 42nd street to Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library. Pop inside (it is free to admire the reading room). Play a game of chess on the north side of the park (the chess scene is much bigger at Washington Square park, but decent up here)
  4. Head North on 5th Avenue admiring the retail. To your left (on 47th street is the Diamond District) which can be fun. Go past Saks Fifth Avenue to…
  5. St. Patrick’s Cathedral (51st and 5th Ave). You have to go through security, but otherwise it is free. If you can catch a concert there, it is excellent.
  6. Across the street to the West is Rockefeller Center. Poke around.
  7. Continue west on 49th or 51st street to Times Square (Broadway). Then head south to soak up the tourist vibe. Really, nobody in their right mind comes here. But you are a tourist.
  8. Head down Broadway to the train station on 42nd street and Broadway. Take the R,W or 1 train southboound to Cortland. You’re taking the NYC subway! Look for wildlife
  9. The World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial. I’ve never been inside the “museum”, but the outdoor memorial site is surprisingly moving.
  10. Head east to Wall Street. Yay, capitalism.
  11. (Detour) If you’re feeling thirsty and want some history, head south to Fraunces Tavern which was once George Washington’s headquarters, a site for peace negotiations with the colonial oppressors, and the early offices of the US Federal Government. Just like back then, they also serve beer.
  12. Regardless of your detour, head north towards City Hall…on your right is the Brooklyn Bridge
  13. At this point you are close to the Woolworth Building (an architectural landmark), but to be honest, it’s really an excuse to visit the Takahachi Bakery for a japanese pastry
  14. Now head east towards Chinatown. Apotheke is a fine place for a drink, Joe’s Shanghai has legendary soup dumplings. If you’re a vegetarian/vegan, Buddha Bodhai is a good option if you’re around here for some Chinese (the vegetarian hot pot is quite good), although I think Spicy Moon is better for vegan Chinese (albeit more ‘hip’). And it gets you on Mott Street. Head north on Mott Street and then switch to Mulberry Street when you get north of Canal.
  15. This puts you in (Manhattan) Little Italy. Maybe yu want Italian food? Or just stop for a pastry and espresso at Ferrara
  16. Keep heading north on Mulberry Street. Stop into the Old St. Patrick’s…
  17. Head north another block or two to Houston street (pronounced How-stun). You’ve been South of Houston (SoHo)…now you are north of Houston (NoHo). Make a right on Houston.
  18. Detour: Stop for a nosh. If smoked fish is your thing, Russ and Daughters. If a Jewish deli sandwich is your thing, then Katz is down the street (although…I think they’re slightly overrated, and the meat sandwiches at Sarge’s uptown is equally good if not better, without the lines). Or maybe just get a Yonah Shimmel Knish
  19. Head north up Bowery to McSorley’s Ale House and have a beer. Actually get two: one light and one dark. Trust me. And bring cash. This place is so old, that Abraham Lincoln had a beer there after giving a speech at the Cooper Union next door, when he was running for president the first time…
  20. By this time, most tourists have been walked under the table. So you can just step outside and get a cab back to your hotel. Or better yet, pick up one of the nearby subway. But…if you still have energy…
    • West to Washington Square Park and New York University.
    • East to St. Mark’s Place (where the NYU students hangout)
    • Northwest towards Union Square. Go along Broadway and stop into Strand Bookstore which boasts 18 miles of used bookshelves.
    • Continue north from any of these points to the Empire State Building (and if it’s business hours, stop into Tannen’s Magic Store)
    • Head up Irving Place, you can swing past xxx bar for a beer and walk around the XXXX park to see the Arts Club

Jazz Clubs

Of course the Blue Note and Village Vanguard are well known. Off the beaten path, and arguably more fun are:

  • Smalls and Mezznote West Village–intimate places, the drinks are good and not expensive (nor are the tickets). And if you can’t get in, you can still stream the show from home from their website. Tends to be quartet/quintet oriented, often more bop-ish, which is my thing.
  • Jazz Gallery Flatiron/NOMAD–especially if you like to hear avant garde stuff. They don’t sell alcohol, but you can donate money for some wine or beer. Tickets reasonably priced.
  • Nublu lower east side or rather louisaida. Lots of different things, but I have fond memories of listening to Georgian jazz there.
  • Tomi Jazz—midtown east; japanese restaurant with jazz; I haven’t been there since the ‘Rona, because it is too crowded. Make of that what you will.
  • Cellar Dog–west village; around the block from Smalls/Mezznote, and down the street from Village Vanguard. Not strictly a music club…it’s a bar with games(!) but they also have a live jazz band. Cheap cover ($10?), beers are affordable, and you can bring food in, play some chess, pool, or ping pong and listen to some jazz. The house bands are pretty decent.

Find out what is playing:

Eating

(see above walking tour)

It is estimated that you could eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a different restaurant for 70+ years before you would have to repeat yourself. So this is merely a snapshot of some places that I think are either well-known for good reasons, or somewhat off the beaten path.

Midtown

  • Grand Central Oyster Bar – this place always seems magical to me. The Martinis are good and generous.
  • Ophelia (bar) — great views of the city at this rooftop bar.
  • TsuKuShi — mom and pop omeakse japanese place (literally…Pop is cooking and Mom is serving) Excellent food with a very affordable seasonal fixed menu (which is your only choice). I am always amazed that this place isn’t better known and not packed.
  • Connoley’s – epic Irish breakfast with a Guinness
  • Xian Famous Foods (local chain, scattered around the city). Western chinese noodles. Get the spicy lamb.

Times Square

Nobody goes to Times Square, because it is too crowded with tourists. But…

Flatiron/NOMAD-ish

  • OMG KOREATOWN. With an emphasis on Korean Barbeque.
    • For a bit more casual, Jongro Barbeque–order the beef combination. I prefer the upstairs which serves this with a side of intestines. (Upstairs specializes in intestines, but they also serve a beef combo)
    • A bit more upscale, Nubiani. Everything is excellent. You can save a few pesos by coming at lunch time. There is a cash discount.
    • Vegetarian Korean? Hangawi is excellent, beautiful setting.
  • Curry Hill…aka Little India…many good choices, but a favorite is Pongal which serves south indian favorites
  • Oscar Wilde just for a drink and to admire the decor. In a similar vein is Lily’s
  • Eataly these are everywhere now, but this one is special somehow. Restaurants on the roof and down below, but other noshing experiences available. Or just stop in for a gelato
  • Memo’s Shish Kebab excellent turkish sandwiches. Get the chicken and lamb combo on the Turkish bread with the works.

Village/LES-ish

  • There’s a little Japan neighborhood near St. Mark’s place. Plenty of Udon, Japanese BBQ, etc. places to choose from, and hard to go wrong.
  • Dolar Shop chinese hot pot
  • So do fun szechuan chain (from China) first US outpost, but maybe they have changed owners recently?
  • Harbs Japanese western-style cakes. The location in Chelsea closed(?) but this one is still open.
  • Kisa (Allan & Houston) — Korean taxi driver food (kisa sadang) sounds interesting and good, but I’ve never been

Georgian food

(I think Georgian food and wine is excellent and underappreciated)

  • Old Tblisi west village on Bleeker Street. The garden is charming. Great breads and stews.
  • Aragavi Midtown, near GCT/UN A bit expensive, but a wide range of excellent dishes and wines (and Georgian moonshine)

Farther afield

  • Flushing, Queens: Take the 7-train out to Flushing and find great, authentic chinese food from all over china.
  • Roosevelt Blvd, Queens: Take the 7 train for authentic south american cuisine
  • Arthur Avenue, The Bronx: Take the Metro North to Fordham and go to the authentic Little Italy of New York. Great restaurants, bakeries, pastries, coffee. Zero Otto Nove is a favorite. Or, while you are in the hood, get some Albanian food. And have a coffee at Prince Coffeeshop (which is essentially the Starbucks of Albania)

Drinking

Museums and attractions

  • Obviously you go to the Metropolitan Museum which is arguably the finest art museum in the USA (dare I say, the world). But many visitors overlook the Met Cloisters in Inwood—Rockefeller bough a bunch of medieval castles and monasteries…disassembled them…and reassembled them here, filled them with art, and then bought the land on the opposite side of the river (now Palisades park) so that it wouldn’t be developed and ruin the view. Especially nice in the Spring and early Summer, when the gardens are open.
  • And while you’re up there, go to the Hispanic Society—a free museum of art of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Excellent collection of El Greco’s and Sarollas.
  • Poster House Chelsea-ish, nice collection of posters and graphic design, exhibits change every 3-4 months. The cafe is nice to.
  • Fotografiska NOMAD. Check the exhibits, sometimes quite excellent (the David LaChapelle show was amazing). If you go, be sure to have a drink at the bar, which is quite classy.
  • Anyone can walk into Christy’s Auction House Rockefeller Center and admire the art. Just walk in and act like you own the place, while wearing a bowtie.
  • Morgan Library midtown/nomad/curry hill — works on paper and interior design. Free on the Friday evenings, but you have to reserve a ticket ahead of time.
  • Society of Illustrators midtown east – excellent rotating exhibits, with a rooftop bar.
  • Drawing Center soho/chinatown – also excellent rotating exhibits. Free.
  • Isamu Noguchi museum long island city — dedicated to the work of the eponymous architect/sculptor. There are plenty of breweries nearby, and the park offers a nice view of Manhattan.

Brooklyn

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