NYC For the First Time

Went this past summer. YES, there were people walking around in the wee hours of the night in Times Square. We walked from there to the Empire State Building and saw the city from there at night.

You will have to buy tickets for the cruise tour (http://www.statuecruises.com/) in advance if you want to get off at Liberty Island, and waaaaaaaaay in advance if you want to get up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. My family and I went past the Statue on the ferry to Jersey only. She's a beauty in person. Have fun, sir, and be safe... LIFE MOVES FAST in NYC.

 

Bon Chon (Korean fried chicken)
Halal Chicken & rice (think thats what its called)
Carnegie's Deli
Katz's Deli
Shake Shack
Joe Shanghai (soup dumpling)
Wafles and Dinges

 

Is the soup nazi or something similar still around?

 

I don't know of too many Indian carts but a good one is the chicken and rice cart at 53rd and 6th.

 

Lots of good pizza places but this one is my favorite.

 

Some tips for a NYC visitor:

1) best food: either Soup Nazi or ESPN Zone

2) best bar: coyote ugly -- women dance on bar

3) best overall spot: Times Square -- (of course ESPN Zone + big Toys R Us)

4) other idea: do NOT leave Manhattan (avoid northern parts of Manhattan, too) -- very dangerous

 

the only people who ever go to times square are the tourists!

 

??? You'd recommend a visitor to NYC not visit Times Square? It's the best overall spot in NYC (see my post above)

 

Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street.

stay out of Times Square.

take a water taxi ride vs the tourist cruise. you could also take a free ferry to Staten Island and pass right by the Statue.

ride the subway to Coney Island.

visit Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

go to the top of Manhattan and see The Cloisters and Fort Tryon.




edit: bigtexxx- not sure if serious.

 

I hear Wall Street is a hip spot these days.

 

Try this place called Eataly

http://eatalyny.com/

 

Some restaurant suggestions off the top of my head would be

AVRA Estiatorio - 141 East 48th Street
Sarabeth's - 1295 Madison Avenue (92nd Street)
Pomodoro Rosso - 229 Columbus Ave
Mesa Grill - 102 Fifth Avenue

Carnegie Deli sucks

I would go ahead and avoid everything in this post.


Times Square is the absolute worst spot in NYC. Once you walk through it once, you never need to go back. There is nothing worth eating there, pretty much nothing worth seeing, stuff is not open as late as you would think, and its a complete cluster****.

 

Go to top of 30 Rock instead of Empire st Building.

 

There are a lot of "halal chicken and rice" stands but the authentic and OG one is the one on 53rd and 6th street.

Try that one out. When I went during lunch time, it wasn't as packed as the picture shows it.

Great food at a cheap price. Don't ask for too much hot sauce because your stomach may regret it later and I'm speaking from bad experience.

 

White?

And ESPN Zone has closed for some time now.

 

Is ESPN Zone seriously a place to go to in New York?

 

The 53rd and 6th chicken stand is highly recommended, by Daryl Morey. He gave up Carmelo for it:

See 1:45 mark on following video

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/y_cjTjBsysc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

http://www.espnzone.com/locations.shtml


Since it no longer exists, no.

A few spots I find interesting

1. Century 21 Department Store: Several locations, one right next to the WTC 9/11 Memorial. It's an "outlet" type department store that sells brand name and designer goods at a deep discount. Kind of a zoo, but that's what's fund about it. Part of the authentic NYC cultural experience.

Also near the Zucotti Park if you want to check out the Wall Street protest.


2. Basta Pasta: a Japanese-run Italian restaurant near Union Square.

http://menupages.com/restaurants/basta-pasta/

3. Way Station: A steam punk bar in Brooklyn, worth checking out if you are a geek. http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-way-station-brooklyn


4. Szechuan Gourmet: a very authentic Szechuan restaurant on 39th St between 5th/6th Ave. Just ate there tonight (coming back to NY Comic Con).

5. Kennedy Fried Chicken: When Kentucky Fried Chicken isn't real enough for you.

6. Jing Feng: HUGE and noisy dim sum banquet hall in Chinatown.