Odessa Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 .... Very excited about this!! I'm going with my boyfriend! We actually land on Black Friday (to go or not to go shopping on that day..?) Return on the December the 2nd :scramble: :scramble: My questions are, Whats the best things to do around this time and this place? Best Fast Food joints? Best Cake & Pie shops? Best place to get vintage clothing & cheap clothing's? Anyone know the best kept secret places to visit in this place? My boyfriends birthday is on the 29th of November, where can i take him? during the day and out to eat? Will the Christmas lights be up? Basically Where are the best places to shop, eat, drink and visit? (cheaply) Thank you!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melancholic_too Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 The guy I've been seeing (I am not ready for the word "boyfriend") wants to go to NY too. Also in November. I've never been but he went to school there so I'm hoping he will lead the way, lol. Something that's high on my list is Broadway/Off-Broadway. Not sure if that's your thing. I hope you have an amazing trip! Tine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhowe Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Why would you go to NYC and eat in fast food joints? It is one of the best places on the planet to try amazing food --- from every ethnic background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.man Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I live in NYC. As for whether or not to shop here on Black Friday.... don't. Just... don't. And if you do, go to Yonkers. Best Fast Food joints? What do you like? There are some expensive restaurants owned by some big name chefs, but truth be told, good and cheap food is all over the place. You won't be able to walk more than a block or two without coming accross a $1 slice [of pizza] shop. There are TONS of food carts, especially if you're going to be in dowtown Manhattan. You'll be able to snag hot dogs, really good halal food, as well as pretty decent Colombian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican food. The food is cheap and good enough that I won't suggest a particular restaurant. Try it out! Actually, I take it back. I'm from a Mexican neighborhood, so I have a soft spot for the food. Downtown Bakery Cocina Mexicana has the best Mexican food I've had in NYC. I initially misread that. You asked for fast food, not restaurants in general, so I'm assuming you mean more American big-chain ones. If that's the case... Popeyes. Everyone should have Popeyes when they visit the US. Best Cake & Pie shops? I actually don't know about downtown bakeries. I tend to stick to the local Puerto Rican bakery that's got some good pastries. Like restaurants, they're all over the place and pretty cheap. I'd say just test the waters. Best place to get vintage clothing & cheap clothing's? I'm a guy, and not a terribly stylish one at that, so I couldn't help much. I have the misfortune of having to walk down 5th Ave every day for work, which has Ann Taylor, Gucci, H&M, among a ton of others. I suppose those aren't really vintage. Best advice I can give for finding vintage clothing would be to look for a woman who has ****ed up bangs, a dumb looking hat, and a dress stitched together from five different shower curtains. Shouldn't be hard, they're all over the place. Follow one and I'm sure she'll eventually lead ya where you wanna go. Anyone know the best kept secret places to visit in this place? Honestly, there are no real "best kept secrets" around here. It's pretty much just places that are good but in places non-Spanish speaking white people are afraid to go to. If you want the best authentic Latin American restaurants and bakeries, you're going to want to venture into Upper Manhattan, like... past Morningside. Not sure how accustomed you and your boyfriend are to black people and/or people speaking Spanish, but (assuming you're a white non-speaker) you'll be a pretty notable minority. It's perfectly safe, just uncomfortable for some. If you're feeling adventurous, I would highly recommend it. My boyfriends birthday is on the 29th of November, where can i take him? during the day and out to eat? You can take him anywhere. Most places downtown are open to eat and drink virtually all hours of the day. It's called "the city that never sleeps" for a reason. What's your kind of scene? Bars are pretty much a dime a dozen downtown. If you're into the more "hip" vibe, you may wanna train accross the river into Brooklyn and check out Williamsburg. They're pretty big into amateur live music and barcades over there. Will the Christmas lights be up? Yes, there will be some lights up. Unfortunately (maybe) for you, they light the tree at Rockefeller Center on December 2nd, the same night you're leaving. Personally, the crowds got old real quick for me, so you won't catch me anywhere near there when they light that thing. Basically, there's a **** ton to do here. I couldn't give you much direction without you giving a few more hints about the tastes you and your boyfriend have. Luckily, you don't really need much direction. I'd personally prefer Chicago to NYC, but it's definitely not a bad little town to be stuck in for a few days. I hope you enjoy it here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tattoobunnie Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Best Fast Food joints? Shake Shack Best place to get vintage clothing & cheap clothing's? Couldn't tell you now, cuz I'm old and boring these days. Although, I'd check out any street fair - link removed especially the Brooklyn ones. Anyone know the best kept secret places to visit in this place? The High Line - link removed, not a secret, but super cool. My boyfriends birthday is on the 29th of November, where can i take him? during the day and out to eat? What kind of food or atmosphere does he like? Will the Christmas lights be up? When you are there, they will definitely be up - Rockerfeller Center Black Friday shopping is fun - but may make you run in fear considering how crowded it can get! But malls more so. Born & raised in New York. If you have something more specific in mind, let us know, art, theater, bar, zoos, museums, parks, etc. Don't forget, The Met only needs a donation, so you can technically give a $1 to get in. The lights - everyone loves to think it's "amateur hour", but crowds don't bother me one bit - love Rockerfeller, Top of the Rock - have yet been to the top of the Empire State Building, but on my list. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens are gorgeous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.man Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Best Fast Food joints? Shake ShackIf you hit do hit up Shake Shack, do yourself a favor and hit up the UWS location. It's definitely not a bad burger, but not one I'd wait any longer than 15 minutes for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melancholy123 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Another place for helpful ideas is link removed. Use it to check out pretty much all there is in any city in any country. I always use tripadvisor when planning a vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Blaze Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 J man did not know you lived in NYC..i live about 1 hour away ..just over the CT border. and i go to NYC often..but more of the night time..bars, small clubs..small dinner than get on train at 5am and head home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melancholic_too Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I just realized you're visiting from Europe.... oops. Shake Shack is a good one then. I'll be trying to avoid the fast food joints while there (most of which I can find in Florida) except for like coffee places. Man I love coffee.. J.Man. Any coffee shops? My friend went to one with a frowney face that she loves - and I can't think of the name already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.man Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I just realized you're visiting from Europe.... oops. Shake Shack is a good one then. I'll be trying to avoid the fast food joints while there (most of which I can find in Florida) except for like coffee places. Man I love coffee.. J.Man. Any coffee shops? My friend went to one with a frowney face that she loves - and I can't think of the name already.You're talking about Cafe Grumpy. I'm not a huge coffee guy so I'll admit that I'm usually pretty content hitting up the corner Starbucks or Cafe Bene the rare time I do need a fix. I've heard that la Colombe is a very good joint to hit up. Also, when I lived in Hamilton Heights, a whole string of places started to pop up. There's a place called the Chipped Cup that was right around the corner that people consider kind of a "hidden treasure" (as hidden as being on Broadway gets, I guess). That whole area is pretty "up and coming," though. If you walk along Broadway between 125th and 168th, you're bound to catch a bunch of unfranchised, decent little coffee places. You'd probably wanna hit up the more gentrified areas of Brooklyn if you want more of the coffee culture. I'm deathly afraid of skinny jeans, so I stay out, but to each their own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbornsnowman Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Best Fast Food joints? I'm a big fan of Five Guys. Plenty of locations throughout NYC without the crowds like Shake Shack which have hour long wait times. Never been to Shake Shack myself, so I wouldn't know which burger joint is better, but you can customize the toppings and condiments at Five Guys to however you want (I recommend at least getting 'All The Way' which covers your basic stuff including mushrooms) and you can get free peanuts while you wait for your order. Free drink refills too. One advantage of Shake Shack is you can order alcohol with your meal. If you want nice $$$ burgers, Minetta Tavern in West Village is good. They have the Minetta Burger which is $21 and the ultimate Black Label Burger which is $28. It tastes good, but even I wonder if its worth it. Not exactly fast food, but if you're into pubs, McSorley's Ale House in Lower East Side is one of the oldest Irish pubs in the city with cheap food including burgers, very down to earth, sawdust on the floors. They only have 2 beers to chose from, Light and Dark McSorley's Ale which come in 2 half pints, you can get both light, dark, or one of each. If you want grilled cheese, Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleecker St. Best grilled cheese in the city with many options to choose from, can't go wrong. If you want lobster rolls, Pearl on Cornelia Street is great but $$$, I've had lobster rolls at the Fairway Supermarket in Red Hook, Brooklyn which were pretty good, can't remember the price, but should definitely be cheaper than Pearl. There's also a free ferry ride from Pier 11 to get to Red Hook on weekends. Best Cake & Pie shops? I like Veniero's Pastry on E11 St. Its been years since I went but it was quiet and its not one of those trendy places. Christopher St has some shops too. Best place to get vintage clothing & cheap clothing's? Greenwich Village has plenty of places, I walk by them on my way to work. New one opened up on corner of Grove and Bleecker St. Check out the neighborhood. Anyone know the best kept secret places to visit in this place? I dunno about secret places, but there are places to avoid: Times Square - you'll only find misery here, nothing but tourists street performers. If you must go here, look at the buildings and billboards but leave within 10 minutes Brooklyn Bridge - walk part of it if you want but I would prefer Williamsburg or Manhattan Bridges, less crowds and you get to see Brooklyn Bridge from a distance. Even George Washington Bridge (Upper Manhattan) is better, you're a lot farther from all the buildings in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, but you get nice panoramic views of the city and the Jersey Palisades cliffs along Hudson River, watch out for cyclists. Art Museum - Do not go to Moma, Met, etc. Only one I like is the Cloisters at the northern tip of Manhattan. its owned by the Met, but only features European Medieval art, even the building is composed of portions of 5 European abbeys that were dissembled and reconstructed in NYC. Its located in Fort Tryon Park which has nice views of the Palisades cliffs and George Washington Bridge. You can also walk north into Inwood Hill Park to see how Manhattan Island would be naturally, its the largest remaining forest land on Manhattan Island. My boyfriends birthday is on the 29th of November, where can i take him? during the day and out to eat? Ramen: Totto Ramen (go to the one at 464 W 51st St, larger location - less crowds) - very affordable (cash only) Brazilian Buffet: Churrascaria Plataforma (Very $$$$) but all the meat you can eat including meat wrapped with more meat Cornelia Street Cafe: good for 'New American' food - $$ Chicken: Pio Pio - friends made me go there for Peruvian chicken, everyone in the city likes it, but I thought it was meh. There's something for everyone in this city, museums for every personal interest. If you have any ideas of what he'll like, I can suggest something. Will the Christmas lights be up? Not sure if lights would be up so early, the only major trees are at Byrant Park on 42nd and 6th Ave and the Famous Rockefeller, which is insanely overcrowded. There's a giant snowflake hanging above the street along 57th and 5th Ave, but its not anything major. The windows of the Macy's Department Store along 34th St between 6th and 7th Ave should definitely be up by then so look at those at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.man Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Only one I like is the Cloisters at the northern tip of Manhattan. its owned by the Met, but only features European Medieval art, even the building is composed of portions of 5 European abbeys that were dissembled and reconstructed in NYC. Its located in Fort Tryon Park which has nice views of the Palisades cliffs and George Washington Bridge. You can also walk north into Inwood Hill Park to see how Manhattan Island would be naturally, its the largest remaining forest land on Manhattan Island.The Cloisters is likewise the only real museum I enjoy here. I think the biggest reason we love it so much is due to the "Europeanness" (to make up a word) of it, so I might wonder if some of the allure might be lost to you, OP. I live in Inwood and it is far and away my favorite neighborhood in NYC. Columbia University recently expanded up here with some sports fields and other facilities, so there's been some light migration up here and consequently you've got some more small shops popping up along Broadway (especially north of 207th) if that's your kind of thing. However, as much as I love the neighborhood, I'd probably only recommend it if you start to feel a bit flustered downtown and would like a break. It's worth mentioning that my favorite chef in NYC is up here in Inwood. No ****, this guy wakes up every morning, wheels his grill out onto the sidewalk, and just BBQs random ass things for people to buy. It's not a stand... just the dude and his grill. If you speak any Spanish, you can custom request things for him to cook. He sets up right outside of C-Town (grocery chain) and will go in and grab what he needs to make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tattoobunnie Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 link removed Some awesome restaurants to check out. Been to a few myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odessa Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Thank you all who replied! We are huge burger fans, not stuff like mac d's but more refined and better taste. We have a shake shak here... no a fan. Im more into HotDogs! Huge Coffee fans! We both come from London so very multi-cultural here & comfortable in new areas. Thank you guys!! xxxxx We will get lost and use Trip Adviser an just enjout our time there, deff noted the name down though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhowe Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Odessa ---- we are heading to Britianny Coast by way of London. What would you say are the top things to catch in 3 days. We are history fans and foodies ---- I haven't been in London in 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick974 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Ive only been to NY once and had a blast. Our Nykers explained everything well. I stayed a week a decade ago in Chelsea. Times Square, Central Park (at night) Ground Zero, Empire State Building etc. Im a fan of Italian food. Yes NY has everything. This thread need John John to weigh in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPS4SAMMEH Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 If you like Chinese food there's lots of restaurants that sell 4-5 dumplings for $1, and they're big dumplings too. The first one that comes to mind is Prosperity Dumpling on Eldridge. You can find just about any kind of food in NYC, from any country. There's so many restaurants to choose from. I don't really do fast food, so I can't give you much advice on that. But Little Italy is always fun because there's so much competition between restaurants that they'll give away stuff just to get you in the door. The first thought for clothing would be 5th ave. There's so many stores... but there's also a lot of street markets. They're almost like hidden gems. Always in a different spot. A great cheap way to travel would be the Citi Bikes, if you don't want to take the subway. Though if you really don't know your way around I don't recommend it. Maybe the last day or two of your visit, if you're up for it. They're only $9 a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthemoon86 Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 J man did not know you lived in NYC..i live about 1 hour away ..just over the CT border. and i go to NYC often..but more of the night time..bars, small clubs..small dinner than get on train at 5am and head home We all live so close! I am in CT as well. I believe the OP is heading back home today, I hope you enjoyed NYC!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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