NY CITY!!! never been...looking 4 NON-TOURIST places to go!

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flutatious1
flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
in Chit-Chat
OK People.... what are the MUST SEE'S and MUST DO'S in NEW YORK CITY???
I'm not looking for your typical tourist places though! (statue of liberty, empire state bldg, broadway show, etc)

I'm looking for:
great restaurants with atmosphere, character and food
hotels nice/not too pricey
funky shops
maybe a jazz club with great food/wine?
or other cool places unique to NYC

I've never been there before! My hubby and I are going for a nice/relaxing/romantic labor day weekend getaway before we're both back in the 'ol classrooms!!

THANKS!!:flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • david83ec
    david83ec Posts: 39 Member
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    If you havent tried before you must visit five guys burger. It's a cozy environment with insane flavor burgers!
  • hightopps
    hightopps Posts: 26
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    i assume that you guys will be in manhattan, but not sure which neighborhoods. taim is one of my favorite places to eat, if not *the* favorite. it's a little hole in the wall falafel shop run by a married couple- both are gourmet chefs. it's awesome, awesome, awesome.

    http://taimfalafel.com/
  • lnadeau66
    lnadeau66 Posts: 135 Member
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    When we went with the kids, we saw a broadway show (got the tickets half price at tkts by the red stairs in times square), loved riding the subway and looking at all of the people. Also liked south sea port, and American Idol show that was playing in the street as part of an M&M promotion, but I was a tourist, and definitely looked the part.

    Have Fun! Lynn
  • flutatious1
    flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
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    i assume that you guys will be in manhattan, but not sure which neighborhoods. taim is one of my favorite places to eat, if not *the* favorite. it's a little hole in the wall falafel shop run by a married couple- both are gourmet chefs. it's awesome, awesome, awesome.

    http://taimfalafel.com/


    Yup.... Staying in Manhattan. Forgot to mention that. I forgot that this city isn't the size of Rochester....LOL
  • epeebes
    epeebes Posts: 89 Member
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    I live in NYC and there's plenty to do!

    I would recommend restaurants but they are probably mostly of the unhealthy variety.
    Blockheads Burritos - Mexican food (they do have healthy options and multiple locations)
    Joe's Shanghai - Chinese food, Order the Soup Dumplings! (Chinatown and Midtown Locations)
    Big Nick's - Diner (Burgers and Pizza etc) Unhealthy but good! (Upper West Side)
    Go to Little Italy for Italian Food I've tried a few places and the food is phenominal.
    Del Monico's Steakhouse. Fancy Steak house that is amazing!

    Hotel's not too sure since I live here.

    Funky shops - Go to the West Village or East Village. West 4th street and St. Mark's place. It's not too touristy as say Times Square but it's got a crowd and character!

    Jazz club I have never been to one.

    Other unique places.
    Go to Central Park so many things to do there, or have a picnic!
    South Street Seaport.
    Highline park, it's a park made from old elevated track tracks.

    Good luck, and have fun. I'm sure there will be some other great suggestions!
  • BethanyCee
    BethanyCee Posts: 70
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    If you want to do brunch, I really suggest Bone Lick Park. You can get unlimited mimosas (for an hour) and order anything off their brunch menu for $15. That is crazy cheap for the city and the food is excellent.

    Island Burgers has an entire menu of just burgers and is one of my favorite places to eat. Also not too expensive. If you like dumplings, you should check out Momofuku. Really good food, pretty decent price.

    If you're going to be here during a Sunday night and like improv, there's a weekly show done by the Upright Citizens Brigade called ASSSSCat 3000. It's long form improv and has been excellent every time I've seen it.
  • laurielie
    laurielie Posts: 133 Member
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    good eats......Carmines, great Italian food & good prices (for NY) if you want to hop on a subway or bus.....Avli (little Greek tavren) in Queens (bayside, on bell blvd) family owned =) also, long Island beaches are nice.......Hamptons (real nice)
    hey.........maybe we'll bump into each other, I'll be there then too:-)) have fun!!! :drinker:
  • Christiiiine
    Christiiiine Posts: 30
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    I'd say try the Fat Black *****cat -- go to their website for what's going on because I haven't been there in a while. It's in the Village. Awesome place and never had a bad time. I know they do Karaoke on Monday nights and on Thursdays they have a house band which is just great. The Blue Note (famous Jazz Club) is across the street. And there's a comedy club around the corner called the Comedy Cellar. I've seen Chris Rock and Robin WIlliams just show up unannounced and it's very affordable.

    Also, if you go downtown by Wall St. there is a street called Stone Street (made of cobblestone) that is lined with bars and restaurants--Adrienne's is my favorite (fancy pizza bar lol). A lot of young professionals hang out down there, myself included. It's always a great time :)
  • mtaylor3348
    mtaylor3348 Posts: 12 Member
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    I usually stay at the Skyline hotel, which is nice, reasonable and close to theatre. I always go to the 1/2 price booth & see a show.
  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
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    If you are there on a Monday night, check out Jim Campilongo at The Living Room. Amongst the best Telecaster players ever.
    -wtk
  • elsham
    elsham Posts: 549 Member
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    If you havent tried before you must visit five guys burger. It's a cozy environment with insane flavor burgers!

    YES! Used to be one of my favorites. Still is, but only once in a very long while.

    Umm, shops I would say go around SoHo. For atmosphere, walk around Greenwich Village, like go really into it. You can venture to Central Park, go down Museum Mile and go into those that interest you (there's A LOT). Oh, MUSEUMS! Do some research, you're bound to find at least one that interests you. You can also take a boat ride and see the skyline/ go to Governor's Island/Wall St. There's usually almost no tourists there, especially during weekdays, and it's only $12 for an all day pass (On Friday's you can get on and off at I think 4 or 5 different stops and explore, then get back on. Just check the schedule for departure times, I think it's every half hour or so.)

    I don't know. My idea of being a tourist is walking around everywhere and just being in the environment, not going to a bunch of places where all I'd see is more tourists, haha. Anyway, hope this gives you some sort of start. Let me know if you have questions or something =)
  • zukekitty
    zukekitty Posts: 185
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    My idea of being a tourist is walking around everywhere and just being in the environment, not going to a bunch of places where all I'd see is more tourists, haha. Anyway, hope this gives you some sort of start. Let me know if you have questions or something =)

    This is what I like to do the most when I go. New York City is my absolute favorite place in the world. My weight ticker picture is from a photo I took there last summer. I'm going back in October :) so thanks for the info everyone is posting. I am getting some confirmation of some of the ideas I had of things to do this trip. And inexpensive restaurant reccomendations are especially helpful.

    As far as hotels go, I never stay in a hotel. I always rent an apartment, but I stay for a week at time. It's much cheaper than a hotel. I usually stay in Greenwich Village. If you're interested I can send you the info for the couple that I rent from. They have a few different places. For hotels, try quikbook.com. They have great deals. Not sure how good for a holiday weekend though.

    I second the recommendation for the High Line. Very unique.

    And the touristy places aren't necessarily a bad thing. I will never get tired of the Empire State Building at night, looking down at the city lights. I think it is open until midnight, so go late when the long lines are gone. The museum at Ellis Island is also incredible.

    My biggest piece of advice would be to stay away from Times Square. Too crowded and I found it disappointing the first time I saw it. I don't think it lives up to it's hype.

    If you are a foodie and like cooking and cooking shows, DBGB at Bowery and Houston is a fun restaurant. The outside windows are etched with food quotes and the walls inside are lined with pots from chefs. There are plaques to show which chef donated them. I dream about their blue cheese salad and the sundaes are very unique, but found their sausages to be disappointing. Of course none of those are diet friendly, but I ignore that while on vacation.

    (sorry for being so long winded. I could talk about Manhattan all day)
  • zukekitty
    zukekitty Posts: 185
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    If you are there on a Monday night, check out Jim Campilongo at The Living Room. Amongst the best Telecaster players ever.
    -wtk

    I'm definitely taking you up on this advice! I have been meaning to check out The Living Room on my past visits, but never made it. Any other music places you would recommend in the Village/Soho/LES area?
  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
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    I commute to the city...*sigh* SO not the same thing as being a tourist.

    I'm sure there's tons of recommendations on fancy restaurants out there, but try your luck with non-chain cafes and such--I'm rarely disappointed.

    I'm not into the nightlife per say, but I love Comic Strip Live on 2nd and 81st. Famous comics sometimes pop in, and if you stay long enough you get to watch newbies bomb (at least during the week).

    If you like shopping, there's always the Macy's in Herald Square (34th and 7th). From there, walk to 5th and up into the 40s, and you can window shop at all the things that most people can't afford. It's a long walk, but good exercise. You'd pass St. Patrick's and the famous library as well, and eventually make it to Central Park.
  • angelicdisgrace
    angelicdisgrace Posts: 2,071 Member
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    I loved Casa de Mono, the oak room, and the mandarin all are nice places to go too.
  • flutatious1
    flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
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    Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone!! We have several "5 guys" here in Roc-City so I probably won't go there.

    If anyone has tips or ideas (I liked the idea of going up the empire state building late at night to avoid lines and a ton of tourists), feel free to share!

    I'm definitely interested in non-chain places - I don't like them even here at home. The small family owned cafes and such are great...
  • _beachgirl_
    _beachgirl_ Posts: 3,865 Member
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    Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
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    If you are there on a Monday night, check out Jim Campilongo at The Living Room. Amongst the best Telecaster players ever.
    -wtk
    I'm definitely taking you up on this advice! I have been meaning to check out The Living Room on my past visits, but never made it. Any other music places you would recommend in the Village/Soho/LES area?
    Glad to hear! Let me know how it is. You might get lucky and Norah Jones will stop by.
    -wtk
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    If you havent tried before you must visit five guys burger. It's a cozy environment with insane flavor burgers!

    A location just opened in Toronto, holy cow do NOT look at the nutritional info (available on their site), yikes!
  • I_give_it_2_u_str8
    I_give_it_2_u_str8 Posts: 680 Member
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    don't drive anywhere! last time i went, i got charged $17/half hour of parking! just insane

    their subway system is not too bad

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