New York travel advice

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

So we've found a nice place that's pretty affordable near the World Trade Center memorial which I assume is in the financial district.

Is the financial district horribly out of the way of everything? I mean worst case we can take the subway everywhere but can anyone give me some opinions the area in general?

It's a relatively quiet area after business hours but it's certainly not out of the way. You can be in Times Sq in 10-15 mins via subway.

There are a lot of new developments in the area, and a lot of restaurants etc. moving in, but I haven't really been down there recently.

If you're on the west side of FiDi (the new brand name for the financial district ), which it sounds like you are, these are a few of my favorite spots down there:

- The Patriot. This place is great, a total dive complete with the most random cross section of clientele you'll find anywhere. You'll probably see a guy in a $2000 suit next to a guy with an eye patch and 3 teeth. The jukebox is fill ed with old outlaw country, the bathrooms are filthy and the beer is cheap. It's a proper place to get drunk.

- Mudville 9. Decent sports bar, lots of tv's and pretty good food.

- Plein Sud. I've seen mixed reviews but I enjoyed it. Standard French Brasserie fare.

- Ulysses. This is actually further east near the exchange but I added it since it's pretty much the most well known downtown spot. It's actually kind of terrible in a lot of ways, basically a happy hour meat market packed with young bankers but it can be a good time. There are other bars on Stone St too, it basically turns into one big outdoor patio in the summer or on warmer fall nights.

You're also a pretty short walk north to Tribeca which has a lot of restaurants and bars, although some of them are absurdly expensive/exclusive. If you walk east past city hall and veer north you'll come into Chinatown, the land of 5 freshly made dumplings for $1 (my favorite spot is a little hole in the wall on Mosco St. just off Mott), and the southern reaches of Little Italy on Mulberry St. Ferrar's makes a pretty good canoli, and I'll add my obligatory plug for Parm (at the north end of Mulberry) for pretty much the best Italian-American food you'll find anywhere.

[Hockeyguy15]

Another question for valo or anyone else in the know.

Where are the good sushi places (staying across from Rockefeller)? Is Nobu New York good or is there somewhere better? Doesn't have to be a fancy place, good sushi is the only requirement.

[Muta]

I just got a place at the Belvedere close to Times Square! It's old, but whatever - it's close. Valo - I'm also curious to know what a good sushi place is.

I'm definitely going to the osyter bar in Grand Central Station for sure.

[Tinordi]

Just got back from NYC.

Stayed in Bushwick Brooklyn, gentrifying neighbourhood with some of the most incredible street art I've seen. Absolutely amazing.

Saw Sleep No More at the MicKittrick Hotel, holy crap what an awesome performance. If you're going to NY and the big broadway musicals aren't your bag or are too expensive go see this. A performance that I'll always remember. You're basically placed in a hotel and allowed to wander it freely as actions perform in different locals, you can follow them around or just do your poking. Incredibly creepy and awesome.

Ate pizza at Roberta's in Brooklyn, has to be the best pizza in the city. So good.

Went to Brandy's Piano Bar in the upper west side. This is not to be missed. Small intimate, drunken, amazing piano bar where all the wait staff are trained singers who belt out hits all night. Had a great time.

[valo403]

Hmm, not much of an expert on sushi but I'll do my best.

Sushi Yasuda was really good the last time I went and is pretty close to Grand Central. Sushi of Gari is really good but it's on the upper east so might not be convenient. I really enjoyed the sushi at Morimoto, although that's not really what they're known for. 15 East is supposed to be really good but is a bit pricier. I've always wanted to try Ushiwakamaru but haven't been able to yet, I hear good things.

If you're going all out Masa is supposed to be incredible, but the $450 price tag on omakase is a bit of an issue.

Somewhat related but not sushi (and also pricy) is ZZ's clam bar. High end crudo and raw bar, with pretty much the finest ingredients around. Cocktails are awesome too. It's only 12 seats and has a really cool vibe.

For oysters hit up Mermaid Oyster Bar on McDougal, especially if you can make their happy hour (open - 7 Mon-Sat) for $1 oysters and awesome bloody mary's.

I also really like Flex for mussels. They have something like 23 different flavors from the simple white wine and garlic to pots with lobster tails.

[scotty2hotty]

Heading to NY next week for the first time.

Any advice on the best way to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia?

Taxi? Shuttle bus? Subway?

Thanks!

[Calgary14]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

Heading to NY next week for the first time.

Any advice on the best way to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia?

Taxi? Shuttle bus? Subway?

Thanks!

Easiest - Uber

[Table 5]

Spring for the cab, it's not that far. There is no viable subway option, and the bus option is a bit convoluted. Ignore the guys asking you if you need a ride and head for the taxi stand outside the terminal. Our you can Uber it.

Also, in general be a little more cautious on the subway these days...there are almost weekly reports of people being pushed or randomly attacked. It's not quite the NYC of pre-pandemic days.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

Heading to NY next week for the first time.

Any advice on the best way to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia?

Taxi? Shuttle bus? Subway?

Thanks!

Car service as an option too. We used Caramel and they were on par (or slightly cheaper) than a cab.

[scotty2hotty]

Cool. We'll likely just Uber it, then.

Thanks, all!

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Spring for the cab, it's not that far. There is no viable subway option, and the bus option is a bit convoluted. Ignore the guys asking you if you need a ride and head for the taxi stand outside the terminal. Our you can Uber it.

Also, in general be a little more cautious on the subway these days...there are almost weekly reports of people being pushed or randomly attacked. It's not quite the NYC of pre-pandemic days.

You spelled Giuliani/ Bloomberg wrong. de Blasio was a disaster as a mayor and a big time contributor in turning the city into dump. Hopefully Adams can restore some sort of order and start bringing NYC back to what it once was.

[Table 5]

Yeah, de Blasio was a pretty terrible mayor overall, and the pandemic amplified a lot of bad decisions (not unlike in SF). Still... quite a big difference between 2020 NYC and today.

World cities tend to bounce back, but I have a feeling it will take a while. The Bloomberg years are probably going to be looked back at as peak NYC for quite a while (even if power got to his head too by the end).

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

Heading to NY next week for the first time.

Any advice on the best way to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia?

Taxi? Shuttle bus? Subway?

Thanks!

I took a cab. It wasn't very expensive and didn't take that long. Uber would be fine, too.

Enjoy NYC, I loved it.

[lazypucker]

In all major tourist cities (NYC included), there are direct airport shuttle buses to/from major spots in the city. It's probably more convenient and cheaper this way. Try these guys:

https://www.goairlinkshuttle.com/