Bagels, Pizza, Hot Dogs and Race Tracks - New York City?

Harlem tour. Sounds like a good idea.

I definitely want to get to the harbour. South Street Seaport was still a divy area when we went.

pizza, bagels
i'd recommend NATHAN'S for a new york culinary experience. i think we had quite a few breakfasts there - standing at the tall tables with new york's FINEST - munching hot dogs with sauerkraut ! hbg

I didn't know Nathan's was still there! I'd have to go back there.

bailey and cleo should cut a fine figure prancing up broadway in little booties and furcoats (smiles !). hbg ... i do remember that a lot of new yorkers were walking their dogs on the upper west side (near hudson drive ?) and in central park - which we crossed at night coming from a david susskind taping !!!. hbg

http://www.southstseaport.org/

Lots of interesting tours there as well.

Can I fit all of this into about 3.5 days?

the last time I was at South Street Seaport

<always with the interesting hats >

Race track: there are 2 of them, both in Queens, Acqueduct and Belmont. Belmont is nicer, imho.

Food: a pity that Ratner's closed. You'll probably do best to buy a Zagat's guide. Everywhere I know is way, way, way uptown in the Columbia University area.

I'm up for something different....how much do they charge you to f*#k a wax figure? And who do they have?

Thanks, jes. Zagat's will be purchased.

Belmont's on the short list.


uptown/downtown - it's all a matter of perspective :wink:

hehehehehehe

ehBeth and hamburger visit New York (mrs. hamburger's on the other side of the camera)

no wonder i always thought i was taller. it's the hat :wink:

Wow, I come to this thread 12 hours after it started, and you've already got 5 pages of great advice!

Here are a few random, late-night thoughts. I'm sure more will occur to me overnight.

For books, you have to go to the Strand (which claims to have "18 miles of books"), at Broadway and 12th Street. Check out their website at:

Strand Books

Chez Josephine is great fun -- it's owned by Jean-Claude Baker, one of Josephine Baker's adopted children (who will almost certainly come to your table and chat with you), and is decorated with paintings of Josephine Baker in various states of undress.

Do not see Brooklyn: the Musical. I haven't seen it, but by almost universal consensus, it's said to be truly awful.

Thanks for all of those angles, Bree.

I can never learn about too many places to find books. It's a dangerous obsession.

Chez Josephine was 'attached' to the sex auction musical through the theatremania site - and certainly reads like a fabulous place.

Brooklyn was the only of the 'mainstream' options that appealed to me today. I'll keep searching. More of the off and off-off options look interesting to me, and it seems that I'd get to see more parts of town that way as well.

So, I'm kinda thinking - fruit/tea breakfast then walking - window-shopping or museuming - a good lunch - a tour or matinee - vendor snack - more walking - then drinks and appies somewhere or a play - then sleep - and repeat.

We went for a day at the Metropolitan Museum last week. The Asian exhibit was very nice. And there was a great exhibit on Fashion, costumes mostly. It was a small exhibit, so you can see it all in about twenty minutes and have plenty of time to see more. Some good street vendors on the street outside the Metropolitan Museum and the entrance to Central Park.

I love the MOMA and it's all brand new. I haven't made it there yet, but the museum, I understand has free admission on Fridays between 4PM and 8PM....otherwise it costs $20.00.

As far as wandering around the city is concerned. There is no place to go with better street food and merchandise than Greenwich Village. Some of the best sidewalk cafes and coffee houses are here. Visit Bleecker and MacDougall Streets. It's a very nice corner. Lots of second hand clothing stores, especially around NYU. And the chess players in Washington Square park are always fun to watch. Sometimes on sunny days, you can see free performances many are high quality in the park. You can shop second hand books on the street too. It's also the place for off-Broadway, but also in the East Village.

A really fun show near NYU is Blue Man Group. If you go there, and you should if you can fit it in.......be prepared to be amazed and thoroughly entertained. I can see from their web site, the ticket sales are 16 weeks out......amazing. We saw it several years ago when it was newer. We bought tickets that day for the evening preformance. The theater was full, but I'm amazed that it's selling tickets so far in advance. It's worth the advance planning though.
http://www.blueman.com/ticketinfo/nyc/index.shtml

Soho is very nice too, some great street fairs, but the shopping is a little more expensive....still there are tons of street merchandise of high quality. There are also some great flee markets in the West Village on Broadway (not West Broadway, but Broadway) and....well, I'll have to look at my map to give you the exact location, and on 8th Ave. somewhere around 23 to 26th I think. For those, I'll have to check too.

It sounds funny, but a good way to get oriented to the city is to buy a two day ticket to the double decker red buses with a tour guide. You actually learn a lot about the city, history, etc.... but you also see plenty of street life. And it's carefree and fun. You can get off and back on for two days all for one price.

There is so much to do here, you'll have no trouble at all staying very nicely entertained.

Unless you love sight seeing, I wouldn't go to any of the traditional sights. But that's me. I like to just hang out and watch people, taste the food and buy cheap stuff.

I have plenty of other suggestions......but that's all for tonight.

oh and for books, Bree is right. Strand Books is amazing.



I would avoid this place......it's just a shopping center. There is lots better food, street life and shopping in other areas. The East Village can be fun too, but for a concentrated area, I can't think of anywhere better than the Village. Certain parts of Brooklyn are fun too.

Of these small museums, the Tenement Museum is supposed to be excellent. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to soon. I've heard very good things about it. The Frick is also good and has some art treasures and it's small. The Folk Art Museum is across the street from the new MOMA on West 53rd between 5th and 6th Aves, near the Pickwick Arms in mid-town. It's an easy, short and interesting walk.

http://www.moma.org/index.html

The Center for Jewish History and the Cooper-Hewitt (in Carnegie home on the Upper East Side) can be good, but I would find out what exhibits are showing there first. If you're going to the Museum Mile -- Metropolitan, Jewish Museum, the Guggenheim and others .........be sure to see the Guggenheim if there's a good show. The Frank Lloyd Wright building alone is worth the trip.

Here's a site for the Museum Mile.
http://www.ny.com/museums/mile.html

Here's a little information about the West Village with a map.
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=439

We went today for a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It's free and you can see the Statue of Liberty very well. I wouldn't go on it unless it's a sunny, clear day, but if it's nice it can be a lot of fun. Be sure to go up front on the first level on the way back to Manhattan....it's a good view of lower Manhattan........but I must admit it's disappointing without the World Trade twin towers........they are sadly missing....it's just not the same without them.

If you need advice or help with the subway or getting around, let me know. I'm learning a lot about how to use the subway (travel much faster underground), where to transfer to save steps and some good restaurants close to subway stops. I love the subway system........the underground in New York is so exotic....LOL, but really, I love it down there, it's New York and not to be missed.

Oh and for excellent pizza, there's Totonno's Pizzeria, established in 1924. It's about four blocks from our apartment on the Upper East Side on 2nd between 80th and 81st, near the Museum Mile. There's another one on 2nd between 26th and 27th. It's had excellent reviews in Zagat like, "The Best Pizza in New York and possibly the World." "The Ultimate" "The white Pie (Bianca) is simply the best white pie I have ever eaten" -- Ed Levine, Daily News. Voted "Best Pizza in Manhattan" -- Reader's Choice.

http://www.totonnos.com/Aboutus.html

Oh, and one more thing. Seredipity (near the Pickwich Arms) is the only place to go for ice cream.....it's fabulous. But if you go in the evening, there is often a waiting line.......but also often not. But be prepared to wait if you have to, it's worth it.
http://www.serendipity3.com/S3_news.html

And for Chinese.......Mr. K's on Lexington and 51st, just one block up from the Waldorf.
http://dinesite.com/info/rstrnt-369224/??&t=0

OK, now I'm really going to bed.

Soooo, now that's this planning is well under way, I think I will most certainly come down too. And I will drag littlek along with me, so we'll both be there unless something of catastrophic nature should strike Boston before April.

this will be fun!

oooooh ooooooooooh and ooooooooooooh


Thanks, Lola! Totonno's Pizza was one of the ones that Molto Mario featured. Brooklyn location, as I recall. Definitely on the short list.

Staten Island Ferry is a must-do, regardless of weather. Hamburger would never forgive me if I didn't get out on the water. hmmmm, I won't miss the towers - they weren't there the last time I was.

Dasha - you think you could get Kris to come? Really?

Too bad about South Sea Seaport becoming a shopping centre. It was a wonderful grubby area decades ago. Great food though. I remember a place called Sloppy Louies, first place I had frog legs.

Boy...am I looking forward to meeting you ehBeth. Sounds as though you are going to tour all the places I regulaly visit on my weekly walks around town.

Can't wait.

And Dag is coming back.

And Lola.

Now...if I can just work it so Joe and Kicky and Bernie are busy with something else...I'll have you guys all to myself.

And a visit to the Frying Pan is a MUST!