Me and 3 mates are hitting NYC for a week from 16 Oct until 22 Oct. We are stayin in some dodgy sounding hotel in Chelsea, the Chelsea Star Hotel?? Anyway what we need is an essential guide to having as good a time as possible in the big apple. Where to eat the best pizza?, what pubs not to miss?, what clubs we should be going too? what we should be doin during daylight hours if we ever see them!!! etc etc.. We are from Scotland and it is our first visit to the USA. Come on, who has got the knowledge?? where do we party??
My comp crashed the first time i tried to type this. Pizza-Grimali's in Brooklyn. Simply the best in NYC. Pubs/Clubs-Nevada Smith's is one of the premier footy pubs in NYC. Don't forget to try a Brooklyn Lager. There are tours of the brewery that you can check out as well. Pretty cool. Clubs, well the Club scene is full of posers, which is bad, but if you go to a club like Spa in Manhattan which on any given night is full of models, then that is good. Exit is sort of the same. If skip was around, he can tell you about the Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens. Go to Grey's Papaya in the Village for the best damm hot dog you'll ever eat. Get some football in, go to Chelsea Piers Sports Zone. They have an indoor field where you can get in a pick up game. I'll get back to you momentarily.
I am and I will. The Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden is actually featured in the latest issue of Maxim. It's actually quite accessible from Manhattan, 20 minutes from Times Square on N or W. Really good Czech beer. It's best to go in the daytime when it's nice out and it's not packed. If you're looking for clubbin', I'm not a clubber but I like APT on 14th St and 10th Ave is one of the more tolerable places to lounge. For a somewhat offbeat American experience, go to Red Rock West on the corner of 10th Ave and 17th St. It's a true biker bar with biker dudes working the door, and a few times an hour, the all-female bar tenders will encourage female patrons to get up on the bar and dance. Have you seen the movie "Coyote Ugly"? Well, it's like that, except not as clean or classy. West Village is good for bar hopping. If you trip on the sidewalk, chances are, you'll stumble into a bar. For daytime sightseeing, going to the top of the Empire State Building's so-so, Statue of Liberty is good, if only for the great view of Lower Manhattan from the boat. Central Park - girls laying out on the lawn aren't so bad. But wait, you'll be here in October so you won't see any girls in bikinis. One underrated attraction is the Roosevelt Island Tram. You get a nice view of the Eastside buildings and the U.N. from Roosevelt Island, a narrow island between Manhattan and Queens on East River. And I second Grey's Papaya. It's cheap and the juice is damn good. Times Square - go, but don't spend more than 15 minutes there. You see tall buildings, huge ass billboards, but otherwise there's not much else to see except other tourists. Canal Street - the smelliest street in the northern hemisphere, the heart of Chinatown. Great for bootleg CDs, bootleg DVDs and bootleg Kate Spade handbags.
keep it coming This is the kinda info. we need to arm ourselves with!! Good work fellas and keep it coming!!
Dont forget to hit the museums!! Like the MET, Guggenheim, Whitney, Cooper Hewitt, and MoMA. You can hit up ALOT of galleries up in Chelsea at around 25th and 8th Ave. that whole 4 block radius has MAD galleries. Also in OCTOBER: METROSTARS SOCCER at Giants Stadium!
Too bad you won't be here for Halloween!! The parade in the village is a must see. May I suggest walking along Battery Park from the World Trade to South Street Seaport or the opposite. It's a good walk and it shouldn't be too cold then. Don't miss St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.
Spend part of a day walking around Chinatown (East and South of where you are). I'd also reccomend simply going down to Greenwich Village and walking to some of the bars on Bleeker. You have to have some NY bagels, the best in the world. Red Rocks isn't a bad call, but make sure you've recently had a tetnus shot.
damn, this was the kinda stuff i was looking for a few months ago when i posted about going to NYC for an extended weekend with the 'gf' in mid-october. now we are talking...keep the suggestions coming.
Spend an evening sitting at an outdoor table at Ryan's Irish Pub at 151 Second Ave. (bet. 9th & 10th Sts.) and watch the East Village go by.
Also, walking on Brooklyn Bridge is good as long as it's not too windy. Great view of the skyscrapers. - A little on the overpriced side, but bowling at Bowlmor can be fun. It's an old-style bowling alley, except with overpriced pitchers of beer. If money is no object, then it's good times in a great atmosphere. - Antartctica's not all that remarkable, a nice, sawdust-on-the-floor type of joint, but its main draw is name night. If they pick your name, you and your friends drink for free, but you have to send them a creative email to get on the list. - Concerts. New York has great, intimate venues for watching live music. Check Pollstar to see if there's a good show when you're in town. The famous ones include Irving Plaza, Roseland, Bowery Ballroom, Hammerstein Ballroom and the legendary C.B.G.B.
JFK?? with 4 of us what is the best way of gettin into Manhattan from JFK, we were thinkin a 4 way split on a taxi would be best?? anyone know? taxi ok taking 4 passengers plus pur limited luggage? Managed to get tickets to see a band called Travis in the Beacon Theatre on Tues 21 October. Going to go and see the metrostars on Sat 18 Oct, best way to get to Giants Stadium and how to get tickets anyone?
Saintee - it depends on how much you want to spend and how quickly you want to get to the city. Subway is pretty easy from JFK - you have to take a free shuttle bus to the subway stop - and it's 2 bucks per person into the city. Probably takes 1 1/2 hours or a little more. Depending on how long you are here, you may want to buy a weekly unlimited pass. On the thread linked below, a guy said he is taking SuperShuttle which I'm guessing is from $10-20 per person, so a cab or car service may be better. I think there are long lines for cabs, so if you can, it may be better to arrange a car service - which should run about $40-50. 4 people should be fine. Check out Best of Manhattan guide when you get here -- a free publication -- even if it doesn't give you any good suggestions, it's pretty entertaining. The other links have info for buying tickets and getting to the game, as well as info about things to do in the city. Check out DJPoopypants post on page 2 of the third thread below. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73359&perpage=15&pagenumber=1 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72239 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71525
Re: JFK?? The cost of a taxi from JFK to any where in Manhattan is fixed at $30.00. Here is a link that should help you find your way around NYC http://newyork.citysearch.com/feature/4776/index.html
Forgot to mention - Stadium security can be pretty strict - don't bring any bags, man-purses, etc. that you can't afford to toss if you have to.
Well we are off to NYC on thursday morning, good luck to the metros in the cup final tomorrow night!!
See you Jimmae, you are indeed staying at a dodgy hotel. I wouldn't neccessarily suggest you shlep out to brooklyn for pizza. I know Chelsea very well. You can get a good slice at Luigi's on 8th Ave (between 25th & 26th), Pizza 33 on 23rd Street off 8th, or this place I don't know the name of on 9th Ave (btw 22nd & 23rd) Although I haven't eaten there, I hear Patsy's (sit-down pie place) on 23rd (8th & 9th) is good. My personal favorite is Three of Cups on 1st Ave & 5th Street. On 23rd (around the corner from that pizza place) is a nice bar called Westside Tavern. Most of the time it's quiet, but on Friday & Sat nights it's packed, with people on the way to clubs nearby. They have a small lounge downstairs open on those nights too. If you're looking to go clubbing, some people there those nights could probably advise you. btw, DO NOT buy any chinese from those places on 8th Avenue between 26th & 31st. They are nasty. If you're looking for a quick beer near your hotel, there's a slightly divey bar on 9th Ave & 29th Street called BillyMarks. The one thing about this bar is that b/c it's owner-operated, so you are allowed to smoke inside. Try a Yeungling - $4. One of the oldest beers in the US - from PA. Are you trying to not spend too much money, or do you have some to burn? There are other places in the nabe I can tell you about, but some are pricey, some not so.
The yellow taxi flat rate fare from JFK to Manhattan is $35, btw. IMO, it's well worth it, especially since there's 4 of you. No problem with 4 people & their luggage. Grab one of the info sheets when you're at the taxi stand - there are no additional charges for extra passengers, luggage, etc. The toll for the tunnel I think is additional, though - $3.50. If the guy is fine, you should tip him 6 bucks or so. If he tries to rip you off stiff him. Take yellow taxis. If one of these guys in the airport with a sedan tries to take you, don't. Those assholes will rip you off 7 ways from Sunday. My husband was at a convention this weekend, and some of the out-of-towners got majorly ripped off by these guys. When you're returning to the airport, you might want to call a car service, b/c it will usually be cheaper & you don't need to worry about not being able to get a cab , etc. I like Carmel - (212)666-6666 http://www.carmelcarservice.com. I've used them for years 7 have always been happy. Make the reservation at least several days in advance.
Chelsea Papaya on 23rd & 7th Avenue is good too. They also have Philly Cheese Steaks (Yum) & are open late. I'll always remember crawling home from a party in Queens this past New Years' & stopping there to get some food at 4 am or so, and the place was PACKED. Restaurants I reccomend in Chelsea: Amin - Indian 8th Ave & 16th Street East of Eighth - 23rd & 8th Ave - really good "dinner at dusk" special - 3 courses for $15. Chelsea Grill on 8th Ave & 16th Street has a great 10 oz burger, and really good penne alla vodka. Flight 151's food is pretty good too. They & Chelsea Grill are bar/restaurants. Kanvas on 9th Ave (23-24th) is pricey, but nice bar/lounge. I'd get a quesedilla , crab cakes, or a wrap - all around $10. They have Yeungling on tap for $5, and outdoor seating until 9pm. OH! I almost forgot one of my absolute favorite places - right downstairs from me - Caffe Buon Gusto Due, 26th Street off 8th Avenue. Really good Italian. They also have a bar (not a real happening bar though) and a nice outdoor cafe, and don't cost too much. They have pizzas, and the bruschetta appetizer is good. I also love the chicken porcini. I remembered that there's an Irish Pub near where you're staying called the Molly Wee. 8th Ave & 30th I think. It looks nice - let me know how it is if you guys go there.
Yes on the West Village - but beware on Fri & sat nights it's full of drunken college students. White Horse Tavern on Hudson is really old, and has basic food like burgers & sandwiches, Dylan Thomas died at the bar there! I've heard that there's a Brazilianplace on Macdougal now, called Brazil Grill, that's supposed to be good. Def. check out MacDougal & Bleeker Street. That's the heart of the the West Village. Yeah, at least go to the Met! I love the Met. They also have an outdoor sculpture garden that has a great view of Central Park. They're open until 9 Fri & Sat. I think you mean 10th Avenue though, on the Chelsea galleries. Daytime stuff - I def. second seeing the Statue of Liberty. If you you want to save money or time, the Staten island Ferry thing is a great idea. The Statue of Liberty & () the WTC were two of my Scottish cousins' fave things they saw in NY. My favorite Part of Central Park is by the lake & Bethesda Fountain. Enter the Park around 72nd Street & go towards the middle. Another good walk to sightsee is to start at St Patricks on 5th ave, and head south, checking out Rockefeller Center, then go see the library at 42nd, then go east & check out Grand Central Terminal (go inside - it's really gorgeous) then head back west by Bryant Park, walk along 42nd and then walk up into Times Square when you hit 7th Ave/Bway. You guys will get good views of the Empire State Building from Chelsea. Also, just wandering around the west & east Villages. You really need to go to the East Village. Places I like there: Sidewalk Cafe (A NY institution) Ave A & 6th Street Happy Hour from 2pm-8pm. Decent, cheap food. Free music in the back at night. 7A -Ave A & 7th Street The best frozen Mudslide I've even had in my life. 7B - Horseshoe shaped bar featured in many films. There's so many bars & places to eat on Avenues A & B. You could start at that bar Dyvel recommended on Second Ave, and then wander over east from there. Make a stop at Holiday Bar, on St Mark's (aka 8th Street). A truly awesome cheap dive bar. I met the Goo Goo Dolls hanging out there once many years ago. Damn. I can't remember what avenues it's between. I think it's between 1st & 2nd. Def on the north side of the street. East Village is good day or night.
is that the NY Press special issue? that's another good thing - grab NY Press & the Village Voice - both free papers. They're in boxes on the street corners. NY Press is green, Voice is red. Lots of club & music listings. Also, you should buy a copy of Time Out NY magazine.
Also, something that has been an issue with foreign friends - tax & tip are NOT included when eating out. Tax is currently (I think) 8.65%. You can tip on the pre-tax amount, but you really need to tip 15% at least. At bars, it's standard to tip the bartender a dollar for every drink or two. ============================= Also, avoid west of 9th Avenue above 24th Street, as there are some projects there, and the area is fairly funky. You should wander around 22nd/21st Streets between 8th & 10th Ave, though - they are full of beautiful brownstones. ============================ I forget where Perth is - it's up north, isn't it? My family's from Glagow.