NY, NY (help)

All right, college guys, hmm, not looking for an intellectual experience, probably...

Cheap transportation: the Chinatown buses, somewhere around $15-20 one way, but you end up in Chinatown, which is all right, I think you take the 6 Train outta there. Fung Wah is one line. Google "buses from DC to NY". My niece interned for Hillary a couple years ago, and she used to take one of the Chinatown buses up to NY about every other weekend. They also run late, so you can sleep on them (if you're good at sleeping on a moving object) and save one night of hotels and not miss a day in the city because you were travelling.

Union Square is good for movies, music stores, at least one of most every kind of store, check out the original Barnes and Noble (something like 5th Ave. and 18th, tho I don't think that's the actual address if you want to save on textbooks (sorry to introduce a not of sordid reality on an episode of pure hedonism).

You gotta do at least a little tourist stuff. Visit the Statue of Liberty (Battery Park subway stop), but the lines get very long very early. Ride the Staten Island ferry--nice ride, great harbor views, cheap). Once you get to Staten Island, ride it back.

There's a free paper, weekly I think, that's in those ubiquitous paper boxes on street corners, which has a few pages of "The Onion", the satirical website, as its leadin, can't remember what it's called but I think the boxes mention the Onion; they have ads and who's playing at more bars and clubs than you would believe existed. And last call is at something like 4am--I no longer make it anywhere near that hour--you may never see the sun.

If you come up on the Chinatown bus, eat in Chinatown, heck, you're there already. I REALLY like Vietnamese--if you find a Vietnamese fast food joint, try the sandwiches--come on a small stuffed french bread loaf, usually about half the price of an American sandwich. There's a NY chain called somethin like Cosi's or Cossi's which is pretty good and reasonable, one near Union Sq. about 12th and Broadway--good for lunchish stuff. Try the food carts everywhere--there are good Middle Eastern ones--shish kebab, gyro, schwarma sandwiches.

Here's a site with some good ideas...scan through all three pages

http://www.galttech.com/research/travel/new-york-sight-seeing.php

It includes:

Downtown NYC is the financial capital of the world - Wall St. The World Trade Center used to be here of course, near the southern tip of Manhattan. Now the scene is Ground Zero, where construction is slowly beginning on the Freedom Tower that will stand near the same spot. Take the subway to the City Hall station, get out, and follow the walkway around city hall towards the Brooklyn Bridge. A pedestrian walkway sits atop the famous span, and you can enjoy this busy path out into the middle of the East River, with lovely views looking back at the downtown skyline. Head back to City Hall and walk south to Trinity Church, the oldest church in NYC. Alexander Hamilton is buried in the church yard.

Cross the street and head down Broad St., and find yourself at Federal Hall at the corner of Wall St. A giant statue of George Washington looks out towards the front of the New York Stock Exchange, which looks more like a military zone these days with barricades and K-9 police units patrolling all day. Walk down Wall St. and find the famous bronze statue of the giant bull - makes a great tourist photo. A little farther brings you to Battery Park, looking out over NY Harbor. To the left is the big ferry terminal for the Staten Island Ferry, the best free sightseeing event it New York! Hop aboard, enjoy the closeup view of the Statue of Liberty as you head out into the harbor towards Staten Island. Roundtrip takes 1 hour, but the views are outstanding as you look back at Manhattan from the harbor, and did we mention it was free? If you want to visit Liberty Island, you need to take the ship at the tip of Battery Park - although as of 2005 you can no longer climb up the staircase inside Lady Liberty. You can also make your way up the east side of Manhattan and have lunch at the South Street Seaport, a few blocks south of the Brooklyn Bridge.

There are quite a few restaurants, bars, and clubs along this main stretch. This whole area is a famous artistic neighborhood, and starting with the angled streets that breakout of the standard rectilinear pattern of NYC, Greenwich Village has a soul of its own and revels in its uniqueness. Spending an evening at a local jazz club is a great way to see the Village - check out who is playing at BlueNote, 55 Bar, Small's, or The Garage. Head over to Bedford St. and check out the hidden literary haunt called Chumley's, a speak easy where Steinbeck, Kerouac, and many others hung out in the old days. ee cummings used to live here as well. NYU is also around the block from here, so you will likely find quite a few college students hanging out at the nearby college bars (ie, cheap drinks). Stroll past Washington Square Park as well.

Walk up 5th to 42nd St - you'll see the famous NY Public Library here, with the giant lion guardian statues. Head east down 42nd - you'll hit the United Nations building if you go far enough, but before that you will pass Grand Central Station (go inside and marvel at the massive interior - have a drink at one of the elevated bars on either side and watch the hustle and bustle) and the towering Chrysler Building soaring above you. If you go through Grand Central and out the north side, you end up on Park Avenue, the glitzy east side thoroughfare and home of the Waldorf Astoria, just a few blocks up on the right. All the way up through the 80's, the east side is a great neighborhood to explore, with lots of restaurants and bars on 1st and 2nd, and mostly residential buildings as you get closer to 5th Avenue moving west. Find you way back to 5th Ave. and check out Rockefeller center.

The outdoor skating rink is at Rockefeller center, with the towering GE building above and the golden statue of Prometheus watching over you. The Today show is filmed in the studio to the left, and you will often see those wild sign-waving crowds on a weekday morning. Just across 5th avenue is the majestic St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest Catholic church in the US. JFK lay in state here. Just off 5th and 53rd, check out the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). This 6 story giant houses works ranging from Picasso to Andy Warhol - some is breathtaking, some makes you say "What the #%^@#!". At $20 a pop, its a little expensive, but worth the visit at least once, even if you are not a huge modern art fan. Central Park begins at 5th Ave. and 60th - also known as Central Park South. The famous Plaza Hotel is on the corner here, looking like a giant Baroque palace. On the other side of 5th is the famous FAO Schwartz Toy Store, also known as kid-heaven - enter at your own risk! Thirty blocks north on 5th brings you to the Metropolitan Museum (the Met). With gorgeous exhibits covering Egyptian and Roman and Greek art, modern art, European paintings and statues, and entire rooms recreated for your pleasure (Italian courtyards and gardens, Egyptian temples, and more!). If you are planning just a brief visit, take advantage of the "suggested" ticket price and pay whatever you want for a ticket. Hand over $2 and ask for two tickets, and you'll get 2 passes, no questions asked, while your neighbor is coughing up $30.

Here's another:

http://www.thingstodo.com/states/NY/nyc.htm

There's a rudely long thread that I started when I was working on my first New York trip about 4 years ago.

Bottom line - go to the SIHNYC website - get the phone number - call them - find out if they have any rooms available. They're a block from Union Square, clean, inexpensive (about $90 - 140/night v $500/night at W - 2 blocks away), crazily central - a block off Union Square - walking distance to the Villages - the Strand Bookstore is close - subways/buses are at the end of almost every end of the street. It's across the street from a great club (it's now the Filmore East).

Go to Yelp for the best resto ideas.

What do you want to see? art galleries? museums? the Piers? theatre?

The best thing I learned from Roberta and JoeNation was about museums. Other than special exhibitions - admission is "suggested donation".

As for the best dive bars in the city, if you're into that sort of thing...

The best dive bar in the city hands down is Rudy's. It's at 44th and 9th. Look for the big ceramic pig out front. Three dollar beers. All mixed drinks only four dollars until 5pm everyday. You won't find a less expensive place in the whole city to get drunk. And they have free hot dogs!

Another dive-ish bar that you might enjoy is called Hogs and Heifers, and it's at the corner of 13th Street and Washington Street. Way on the West side, in the meatpacking district, which is just filled with real high-class nightclubs and restaurants. But this isn't one of those. This bar is more fun if you like being yelled at and abused by loud-mouthed but super hot bikini-top-wearing biker chick bartenders with bullhorns. Also girls in this bar are encouraged to get drunk, jump up on the bar and dance while taking off their tops. The mountain of bras hanging from the back wall is a tribute to good naked fun.

Also, there is McSorley's, the oldest bar in the city. It's been open since 1854, and it almost feels like it hasn't been cleaned since then. There is dust on everything, very shabby furniture, and they only have two choices for drink. Dark beer or Light. I haven't spent a lot of time here, but it definitely has a big frat guy contingent.

And Kicky can tell ya where to find the whores...if you are into that thing.

(Female whores for Deist, Kick...not the guys!)

Oh, yeah...and you really should get together with Kicky, Joe Nation and me for a drink while you are here.

And Thomas, of course.

Cool! This is a great start guys! Thanks! Frank, a drink would be cool!

T
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I'll be in touch next week. Gonna contact Kicky and Joe and Thomas.

Wow. That thing about sleeping on the bus and saving a night in a hotel is pretty smart!
You and your boys are going to have so much fun. NYC is and will always be the greatest city on earth.

The subway token booth clerks in the Manhattan subway token booths give free subway maps and Manhattan bus maps. The bus map functions as a street map also, since the bus routes are overlayed on a street map.

There's always the Y on west 63rd, good location, to me. I had a nice list of whines, but those things are probably fixed by now. (I'll give an a2k whine link in a bit.) But I think they're still around the same price, a good deal.

EhBeth, listen to ehBeth.

Here's a Diary of Whine and Delight - take from it what you can, but Pierre au Tunnel is gone. Much else still lives.. I suppose any Momofuku is good, if you can get in. Good f/luck on V weekend for the top places. But that doesn't matter, much else...

http://able2know.org/topic/37775-1

A) Um, look at the New Yorker in the small print in the front of the magazine re what is happening.
B) Just walk.


Oh, meet Kicky, Joe N, Thomas, Frankie. Imperitive!!

Listening, in case I ever make it back there, like vietnamese food..

Sounds Great. Can't wait!

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So, I'm pretty sure, I'm still coming next weekend. I realized today, that I'll be in the city on Valentines Day. I'm kind of sad that I've got nobody special to spend it with... A trip to New York seems pretty romantic.

But I've got the second best thing: My roommates. They're two of the finest people I know, and they are super loyal friends. They've been under my wing for the lat 5-6 years, and it will be cool to check out everything with them.

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Listen, hun, a lot of the rest of us want to be a fly on the wall with get together fun on a2k, however momentary.

Please meet up or I'll be pissed and natter at you.

With Kicky, Joe, Thomas, and Frank? I wouldn't miss it. Hell, I'll even update in realtime using my snaplog!

T
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