New York City

[ClendonRoss]

I'm going to be in New York City for most of next week and would love to hear any suggestions you have for must-sees. I've been a couple of times, but this will be the first time that I've been to the city since the Texas-Rutgers game way back in 1999.

[OldestHorn]

That's a broad question. Loads of museums, sports, shows and restaurants. One idea: Get to a Yankee or Met game to see the new stadiums, both are great. As far as shows, Jersey Boys is a blast. Restaurants: Name your cuisine and we can narrow it down.

[ClendonRoss]

Planning on seeing a Yankees game for sure and also will definitely go to the Met.

Other than that, I'm pretty open to ideas. Any other museums (like, maybe, the Whitney) that are a must see? Never been to the Statue of Liberty but here it is a crowded nightmare on the weekends (and I think that's the only time we could make it out there). Thoughts? What about the city cruises on the Hudson/East River? Are they worthwhile from both a time and money perspective? Anything off the beaten path?

Cuisine-wise, not sure what our schedule is going to be (whether we have business-related dinners to attend), but we're always interested in great Italian and Chinese and sushi.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[OldestHorn]

Planning on seeing a Yankees game for sure and also will definitely go to the Met.

Other than that, I'm pretty open to ideas. Any other museums (like, maybe, the Whitney) that are a must see? Never been to the Statue of Liberty but here it is a crowded nightmare on the weekends (and I think that's the only time we could make it out there). Thoughts? What about the city cruises on the Hudson/East River? Are they worthwhile from both a time and money perspective? Anything off the beaten path?

Cuisine-wise, not sure what our schedule is going to be (whether we have business-related dinners to attend), but we're always interested in great Italian and Chinese and sushi.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

MOMA is always interesting as is the Museum of Natural Science. Museum of the City of NY, about a mile north of the Met is also good.

As far a restaurants, since you said Italian, Chinese and Sushi, the best are in the villages and downtown. Particularly ones you don't find in the guides.

Torrisi Italian Specialties is off the charts good (and cheap, but no reservations, get there early), Mangiami and Cacio e Pepe are also good. Oriental Noodle Garden and Chinatown Brasserie are great Chinese. Sushi - Ginger, Natori and Hakura Hana.

[SAhornfan]

I saw this place for sushi on No Reservations last week: Sushi Yasuda (http://www.sushiyasuda.com/)

[OldestHorn]

I saw this place for sushi on No Reservations last week:Sushi Yasuda (http://www.sushiyasuda.com/)

If you want to drop $250 for sushi, beer and sake for two.

[SAhornfan]

If you want to drop $250 for sushi, beer and sake for two.
So, I take it you've been there?

[OldestHorn]

So, I take it you've been there?


Yes. Very good, but insanely priced for what you get. There are restaurants of every cuisine like these all over midtown, they draw from the expense account crowds, theater goers as well as tourists.

This place and others get very high ratings, they practically treat each piece of fish like a piece of fine art and act like they're cosmetic surgeons. They'll also look askance at you if you dip the sushi heavily in wasabi-laden soy sauce. To me it isn't worth the premium. It's raw fish, and if it's fresh, that's 99% of it.

That's why I'm sending Clendon downtown below 14th street. The places are much more laid back and more about the food and service than the surroundings and covering the crazy rents.

You can also drop $200-250 on an Italian place in midtown, or $75 for better food in the villages.

[SAhornfan]

Yes. Very good, but insanely priced for what you get.
I guess I'll go there when we visit my brother-in-law so he can pay.

[editionshield]

ever walked across the brooklyn bridge? if you have a beautiful sunny day, there's few things that are more of a quintessentially new york experience than doing that.

(plus there's actually quite a bit of cool stuff over on the brooklyn side these days, if you wanna do something once you're over there. easy enough to take a cab or subway back afterward.)

[SAhornfan]

ever walked across the brooklyn bridge? if you have a beautiful sunny day, there's few things that are more of a quintessentially new york experience than doing that.

(plus there's actually quite a bit of cool stuff over on the brooklyn side these days, if you wanna do something once you're over there. easy enough to take a cab or subway back afterward.)
No but I walked across the East River.

[ClendonRoss]

ever walked across the brooklyn bridge? if you have a beautiful sunny day, there's few things that are more of a quintessentially new york experience than doing that.

Have not. And the weather's supposed to be nice, so that could find its way onto the itinerary. Thanks for the suggestion.

[CalHorn]

Lombardi's for pizza. Union Square Cafe is a good choice for a splurge meal, but there are tons of options in any cuisine category.

Statue of Liberty is now open for tours going up to the crown, I believe.

I'll post some more suggestions this weekend when I have more time.

[OldestHorn]

I guess I'll go there when we visit my brother-in-law so he can pay.
If you really want to clear out his bank account on sushi go to Sasabune on the Upper East Side. Just eat what the chef recommends and don't look at the check!

[AugustaHorn]

Statue of Liberty is now open for tours going up to the crown, I believe.

I highly recommend! :-D

[mdhorn]

ever walked across the brooklyn bridge? if you have a beautiful sunny day, there's few things that are more of a quintessentially new york experience than doing that.

(plus there's actually quite a bit of cool stuff over on the brooklyn side these days, if you wanna do something once you're over there. easy enough to take a cab or subway back afterward.)

Great idea. Over the bridge is a great pizza place (Grimaldi's) but long line, ice cream and little wharf where you can view Manhattan. Also, there's another pizza place--Lombardi's--that still uses coal-ovens. Don't forget the original Katz's deli as well where they filmed the scene from When Harry Met Sally when Sally fakes an orgasm. I really like the American Museum of Natural History. Or maybe you can take in a Yankee game at their new stadium. I'd also try the zoo in central park or venture into Brooklyn--lots to do there too.

[ClendonRoss]

Torrisi Italian Specialties is off the charts good

Great recommendation! We went on Thursday night and had a fantastic meal. clendonswife rated it as a top 10-15 all-time meal. I'll have a bit more on the trip later, but wanted to give a big thanks for the recommendation.

[mdhorn]

MOMA is always interesting as is the Museum of Natural Science. Museum of the City of NY, about a mile north of the Met is also good.

As far a restaurants, since you said Italian, Chinese and Sushi, the best are in the villages and downtown. Particularly ones you don't find in the guides.

Torrisi Italian Specialties is off the charts good (and cheap, but no reservations, get there early), Mangiami and Cacio e Pepe are also good. Oriental Noodle Garden and Chinatown Brasserie are great Chinese. Sushi - Ginger, Natori and Hakura Hana.

sorry I missed this...will save for later.

[OldestHorn]

Great recommendation! We went on Thursday night and had a fantastic meal. clendonswife rated it as a top 10-15 all-time meal. I'll have a bit more on the trip later, but wanted to give a big thanks for the recommendation.

Glad you liked it. Next time if you feel more adventurous I'll send you to Queens!

[ClendonRoss]

Glad you liked it. Next time if you feel more adventurous I'll send you to Queens!

I flew into La Guardia and didn't want to take a $100 cab ride to Hoboken where we were staying, so I decided to public transport it, which meant taking the bus from La Guardia to the subway station in Jackson Heights. Well, I wasn't exactly sure where to get off the bus, so I got off a few stops too early, and had to walk about 10 or 12 blocks hauling my luggage down the sidewalk. Let's just say I looked extremely out of place. Didn't feel unsafe or anything, just very much like a tourist.

[OldestHorn]

In Jackson Heights, unless you're from South America or East Asia you are a tourist.

[ClendonRoss]

Here's a quick rundown of my trip after finding my way out of Jackson Heights:

Tuesday
We stayed in Hoboken right on the waterfront a couple of minutes walk from the PATH station which was extremely convenient for getting into the city. After I made my way from La Guardia to Hoboken, I hopped back on the PATH train and got off at the Christopher street stop and just walked around in the West Village/Greenwich Village. Stopped for a beer in The Blind Tiger, which I really liked. Tons of beer on tap, and it was all varieties of Rogue and some local brews (I had Issaquah Brewhouse White Frog, which was a very cloudy Belgian-style white w/a hint of cinnamon). I'll definitely go back next time I'm in the City. Headed back to the hotel once clendonswife arrived, and we had a work dinner with her colleagues at the hotel.

Wednesday
clendonswife and I hopped on the PATH train and again got off at Christopher street and walked a few blocks for sushi at EN, which was recommended by the concierge. clendonswife then headed back to Hoboken to work and I hopped on the subway for Yankee Stadium.
It was the Yankees vs the Orioles. Pettite pitched for the Yankees and they won 7-5. Loved the Great Hall with the banners of Ruth, Maris, Berra, Mantle and the rest. Caught the subway back to the NoHo area to a bar called dba. Lots of Belgian beers, which is why I went. Hoping they had Leffe Brune but settled for Achel Brune instead. Passed a good 'ol Austin boy, Luke Wilson, on the street as I walked to the bar. Headed back to Hoboken and went to another biz dinner that night at the Brass Rail in Hoboken.

Thursday
Ate lunch with clendonswife in Hoboken and then PATHed to Manhattan and went to Grand Central Station before going to the Met. I could spend days in there. Right when I got in, got caught up in the Arms and Armor exhibit and by the time I made my way upstairs to the European paintings, I had about 15 minutes. They had a special Picasso exhibit, so I used the last 15 minutes there and will have to catch the European paintings next time. Walked across Central Park east from the Met past Belvedere Castle to Central Park west. Made my way back to Hoboken and clendonswife and I went back into the city for dinner at one of OldestHorn's recommendation, Torrisi Italian Specialties. As I mentioned earlier, it was an amazing meal and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting the city.

Friday
I PATHed over to Manhattan and met a high school/UT friend for lunch at Sinigual near Grand Central, which was surprisingly good Mexican food. From there, I hit the Natural History Museum's Planetarium. It was OK, but WAY too many kids running around. I could barely hear myself think, and it was hard to concentrate on the exhibits. Headed back to Hoboken where we rallied to go to the Mexican national soccer team's game with Ecuador (that's why clendonswife was up there for work) at the new Meadowlands Stadium. It looks like a parking garage from the outside but it's really nice inside. That was the first big sporting event held there, and they've got a lot of kinks to work out, but overall a good experience. clendonswife, as the highest ranking AT&T person at the game, was on the field (and on the jumbotron) in front of 80,000-plus fan, for the coin toss, which she said was a really cool, probably once-in-a-lifetime experience. Closed down the bar at the hotel afterwards.

Saturday
clendonswife and I finally had a chance to spend the day together. Had brunch in the West Village, walked the High Line Park (another really cool experience; the park is on an old, elevated subway line for about 20 blocks along the west side of Manhattan where you are above all the hustle bustle below). From there, we went to the Trade Center site. Man, there is a TON of activity going on there. The whole site is under construction. The One World Trade Center building is up to about 10 stories or so (out of 100-plus, I believe), the new PATH station is in progress and it appears the memorial is well under way as well. Can't wait to see the site in five years (and actually get to see the memorial). Then we took the Staten Island Ferry to get a look at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Got some great shots of the Statue and I really liked the ride from Staten Island back to Manhattan because I got the feel for what immigrants experienced as they approached New York for the first time. Once back on the island, we subwayed up to Central Park and walked through the south end of the park from west to east. It's amazing how you can escape the craziness of the city by walking a few hundred yards. Finally, we went to a Belgian restaurant at 5th Ave. and 21st that I had scouted called Markt. Like with Torrissi, I highly recommend it. A good Belgian beer selection and the food reminded me of the favorite meal we had in Bruges, Belgium.

That's it. Sorry for the long post. It was fun for me to relive the trip a bit. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the stuff I did.

[editionshield]

staten island ferry was a great call; being the ferry-aficionado i am, i shoulda mentioned that in my pre-trip post. (pretty much any town that has a ferry, that's about the best thing you can do as a visitor, i think, in terms of value-for-your-dollar.)

by the way, the guy who runs that NHM Planetarium these days, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, is a UT alum. he was my TA for the astronomy class i took at UT circa '85. probably the best teacher i had in my days on the 40 acres (easily better than most of the profs i had). no surprise to have seen his star rise over the years (he's the host of PBS's Nova Science Now series in addition to his Planetarium position).

trade center area was a good call too. i've been to NYC three or four times since 9-11, and have usually felt it was worth going to the site. mixed emotions, obviously, but it still means a lot to see, and to pay respects, i guess.


funny to read comments such as: "clendonswife and I finally had a chance to spend the day together." i'm thinking, man, this clendon dude is gonna be really ticked off at you! (but then i remember, oh yeah, you're clendonswifeshusband.)