Denizens of Gotham, come hither!

IronWing · Nov 18, 2024

I am finally getting around to visiting your fair city in mid-March for 3-4 nights so start saving that ticker tape!

Things we want to see:
We have a show planned for a theater at Broadway and 42nd St.
American Museum of Natural History
A thing near Madison Square Park
B&H Photo
Eat at a good Kosher deli, looking for recommendations
Eat at a good Chinese restaurant

Is there anything else to do in New York?

With the short stay, is there anything worth doing that involves leaving Manhattan or would transit eat up too much time?

Any recommended places to stay? Cheap is good, gross is not.

Restaurant recommendations are welcome. Middle eastern, Persian, Afghan, Indian, Eastern European, African, all good. I don't eat fish or seafood or food covered in anything squeezed out of a fish. Price and time are objects so none of those $300/plate places. We don't drink so the wine list holds no value.

Any museum recommendations? Art museums bore us to tears and my wife in an artist. Science museums are good.
Also, any good CD stores, used or new? Particularly interested in world music.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

You gotta check out Alphabet City. It sounds like a name from some cheesy, apocalyptic scifi movie, but it's real - lower east side, avenues A thru D if memory serves.

Your one stop shop for all controlled substances.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

Staten Island is a good place to drive thru to see how the Goombas live.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

Oh, if you drive in, come via the GW Bridge to get your windshield licked clean by the homeless

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

On a more serious note, I've always loved the area around Washington Square Park. If you didn't know, it's an ancient (repurposed) cemetery. I'm not too familiar where all of the local neighborhoods begin and end, but from there, you're pretty much in the midst of the Village (Greenwich). But that's right near Chelsea, the old meat packing district (and gay haven), Chinatown, SoHo, etc.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

If you're into old vinyl, then Bleeker St. and environs should be one of your stops.

Bear in mind that my info is dated by about 30 years but somehow I get the feeling that the general character of all of these places, aside from being somewhat gentrified, probably hasn't changed a lot.

Brainonska511 · Nov 18, 2024

Some ideas from my time living in NY for your consideration:

The MET or MOMA if you like art
Johns on Bleeker in the West Village is great for pizza (sit down). Not sure if they are still cash only.
Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria - lots of neat tv and film artifacts
If you go to Astoria, Astoria Bier and Cheese is a great place to get a flight paired with cheese
See the Flatiron Building from Madison Square Park
See the arch at Washington Square Park, walk around Greenwich Village
Go down to the WTC, Battery Park
Intrepid Air and Space Museum on the west side (but may be weather dependent); they have a space shuttle now
The Frick, if you want a smaller art museum
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

K1052 · Nov 18, 2024

IronWing said:
Eat at a good Kosher deli, looking for recommendations

If you can only go to one go to Katz's even though it is not kosher. Runner up 2nd Ave Deli.

IronWing said:
Any recommended places to stay? Cheap is good, gross is not.

Anything in midtown that fits your budget and isn't a dump (check Tripadvisor). It's just most convenient.

Brainonska511 · Nov 18, 2024

IronWing said:
Any recommended places to stay? Cheap is good, gross is not.

I second the recommendation above. Pretty much anything in midtown, or even the financial district, if it's part of a major chain will be fine.

I've stayed in both areas when I traveled for work or personal stuff (after leaving the city), and they were fine. Being in Manhattan, the subway can quickly take you where you need to go, and you don't need to figure out the fare system any more: just use an NFC credit card or your phone on the OMNY readers.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

The Guggenheim? That's the one with the continuous ramp, right? I've never been but that HAS to be impressive.

Brainonska511 said:
See the Flatiron Building from Madison Square Park

I used to work on the other side of the park from there. I know that it's a big deal from a historical perspective - first buildings taller than the pyramids and what not. But if you look at a dozen random pix of NYC at least one will be the flatiron. Shrug.

BoomerD · Nov 18, 2024

The last time I was in NYC, they were almost done building a pair of tall as fck skyscrapers...probably worth a visit. Called the World Trade....oh shit. What? THOSE World Trade Towers?

Never mind.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

Oh the 2 roads that intersect 23rd there - nightmare. I'm virtually certain the NYC govt awards points for how many pedestrians you hit.

Brainonska511 · Nov 18, 2024

Charmonium said:
The Guggenheim? That's the one with the continuous ramp, right? I've never been but that HAS to be impressive.

I've never been. Just never got over there. The MET and MoMa are great.

Charmonium said:
I used to work on the other side of the park from there. I know that it's a big deal from a historical perspective - first buildings taller than the pyramids and what not. But if you look at a dozen random pix of NYC at least one will be the flatiron. Shrug.

Just added because he asked about Madison Square Park. I think it's kind of neat looking. Wouldn't go out of the way for it, but if you're there, take a look.

Another good museum: The Cloisters on the upper west side. Fantastic place, and fantastic views of the Hudson.

Charmonium · Nov 18, 2024

Brainonska511 said:
Another good museum: The Cloisters on the upper west side. Fantastic place, and fantastic views of the Hudson.

Ah, good call. I don't think of that as part of the city but that's my problem.

Check their website a few weeks in advance. They used to have chamber music concerts there sometimes with medieval instruments.

IronWing · Nov 18, 2024

Which airport has better access to Midtown? May not have a choice but if we do, which is easier to deal with?

Brainonska511 · Nov 18, 2024

IronWing said:
Which airport has better access to Midtown? May not have a choice but if we do, which is easier to deal with?

I always liked flying in and out LGA, especially after the rebuild. There are two buses that make it really easy to get to Manhattan:

1) The M60 SBS, which you could take to 125th/Lexington to take the 4/5/6 downtown.
2) the Q70 (LaGuardia Link) - this one is free and takes you to Roosevelt Ave in Queens where you can pick up the E or 7 train to midtown.

JFK is a pain in the ass to get to/from, and Newark is in NJ with even worse transit these days.

Stopsignhank · Nov 19, 2024

This is 6 years old so take it with a grain of salt. Also it is mainly my story. 6 years ago I took my son there because he wanted to see "Miss Important (The statue of Liberty). We stayed at The Benjamin Hotel which was very nice. I am going to take my wife there next year and plant to stay at The Benjamin.

Story time. At the time my son was into The Starry Night by Van Gogh and they have it at MOMA. I thought we would go Friday night around 5:00 because it would be less crowded then. You know people are getting off work and gettign ready for the weekend. Well it turned out that free admission started at 5:00 so it was crowded. Also they have some art that I like there and some weird stuff. Now if you want to have fun, take a person with autsim to a museum with weird stuff in it. He was saying things straight from his brain with no volume control. The best was when he said, again with no volume control, "Well this does not work for me! Who would make something weird like that!" So unless you take a person with autism with you, I would skip MOMA.

herm0016 · Nov 20, 2024

We recently went and had great meals at industry kitchen near the very good maritime museum at pier 17, the old ships are neat to tour. We also liked Margon, a little Cuban deli that is inexpensive and has great food near Madison square. You will be eating lunch with a bunch of construction workers and locals who know what good. Pings for dim sum near mott and pell streets in China town, one of the cheapest and best meals we had. Pizza at Carnegie pizza was very good. Pastrami queen was also great for a Jewish deli with all the classics.

The highlight was a tour by Classic Harbor line: https://sail-nyc.com/public-cruises/nyc-freshkills-park-tour-on-manhattan/
amazing knowledge and narration. The boats are very nice small groups. I would take any of their tours.

sdifox · Nov 20, 2024

Go to the Home Depot near Indus' house and see the shopping cart gang.

Denizens of Gotham, come hither!

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