Trip to NYC

[Dr. Mac]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Kyle, and I work for Dr. Mac as the main coral aquaculturist at Pacific East Aquaculture. I am planning a trip to NYC in mid January, and am trying to find all the cools things to do while I am there. I asked Dr. Mac (since he travels a lot) for ideas and he told me to ask you all here on Manhattan Reefs for suggestions.

I figure I will visit the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Central Park. However I am looking for other things to do that would be fun. I am in my early twenties. Maybe visit some nice hole-in-the-wall restuarants or go to some nice clubs. Any tips once so ever will be greatly appreciated. For example should I like park my car outside the city and take the train in? I know this trip is going to cost me a lot of money but if I can save money in anyway that would be nice.

 

[dubs]

bring a alot of money u will it need trust me ..for clubs i dont know what ur looking for but webster hall is one the better and longest running clubs in t he city imo there is few party going on at the same time in the same building and as far as food theres so many u would have to give us some info on what u like or looking for i hope u have nice trip to nyc u can always send me or some of the other member here a pm and i am sure u will get the good scoop on the city hope this help a little

 

[richardhmc]

Parking is a brutal sport in the city. This is why I believe it is pointless to have a car unless you work outside of the city or if it isn't close to home. Just park your car in a good spot and just leave it there. take the train or walk. you'll see much more by just walking

East village is a great area for bars and overall good time at night

If you like shopping soho is the place to go - starting from canal st going up broadway all the way till you hit union square is shopping

you can hit up the museums like the MET, MOMA, MOSEX

Times square, herald square, union square are populated areas that are good for walking around. always something to see and places to just sit and chill

you can go to places like little italy, grand central station, rockefeller, chinatown, ground zero, wall street, st marks, brooklyn bridge, si ferry, seaport, comedy clubs

lots of great restaurants - just search em up by reviews

i would tell you fish stores but I doubt you'd be interested in those considering I bet you see corals daily and have seen everything already

bring lots of money. you'll need it.

what are you looking for? overall being the typical tourist? clubbing?

 

[guarda]

MOMA midtown manhattan location is pay as you wish Friday afternoons.
Food is generally cheaper in the East Village if you must eat out. Subway has huge footlongs for $5 every day. Jack's 99 in herald square has lots of cheap food. Supermarkets in the city are expensive so hop on a train to the pathmark on 125th and fill your hotel frigobar. Even cheaper out in Jersey or Queens.
If you really wanted to save money, you'd hop on one of those chinatown buses instead of driving. One parking ticket in Manhattan will more than cover the bus fare.

 

[dubs]

guarda i def igree with u on the ticket in the city issues they def pick ur pocket hard in manhattan and its even worse when they tow ur car for park in the wrong zone that like whole trip here just to get ur car back

 

[Josh]

Here are some cool things to do:

Walk through Soho if the weather is good
Walk down Broadway from the Upper West side to Canal st (a long walk but you will see a bunch of different neighborhoods and you will pass just about every store you would want to shop at)
Walk West on Bleecker from Broadway to Hudson or so, tons of cool shops, record stores, Magnolia Bakery, Cones, John's, etc
Get tickets to Fuerza Bruta (great show if you are into cool music and aquariums, I won't ruin it for you!)

Good/cheap places to eat:
Corner Bistro (burgers)
Ray's in West Village (pizza)
Shake Shack (burgers)
Bereket (kebabs)
Katz's Deli (pastrami)

For clubs and bars, I will go against the poster above me and say avoid Webster Hall and all the mega clubs at all costs. If you are in the city you should check out some of the cooler areas. Go to Ave A or B from 1st to 5th. TONS of cool bars and hidden clubs. Also Nolita (south of Houston) and the East Village has a great selection of places to check out. A fun place in the East Village is Le Souk, lots of women. If you want a mega club check out all the stuff around Crash Mansion, Room Service, or just about anywhere in the meatpacking district.

NYC is all about neighborhoors, so avoid Times Square and the like.

Post here if you want something specific.

 

[guarda]

ahh le souk. i think they closed, then reopened, then lost their liquor license, then moved, then closed. Haven't kept up with their drama but I miss the place. Fond memories of crazy nights in the only place I truly felt I could do and take whatever I wanted with no fear.

I would avoid Webster Hall as well but I wouldn't presume everyone has the same tastes in music, women, or ambiance.

Check out Spice if you like Thai food. My favorite $10 meal joint hands down.

 

[prattreef]

Might I also suggest walking across the Brooklyn Bridge if the weather is nice and Williamsburg in Brooklyn is the mecca for 20 something hipsters ---lots of small clubs and a range of restaurants. If you send me a PM I might have a parking solution for you :wink:

Randy


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Josh]

ahh le souk. i think they closed, then reopened, then lost their liquor license, then moved, then closed. Haven't kept up with their drama but I miss the place. Fond memories of crazy nights in the only place I truly felt I could do and take whatever I wanted with no fear.

I haven't been there in ages so you are probably right. Still, there are a ton of bars and small clubs in that area.

 

[itsaNYthing]

as far as club's check out tenjune, cielo, pacha (as much as i dont like the atmosphere/vibe they get some ill dj's). SL LOUNGE, green house.

ive lived in NY my whole life and ive never been ontop of the empire state, or statue of liberty lol. Deff go to soho, the shoppings great, great area over all. Go to Laconda Verde in Tribecca, i was there recently and the food was great.
Check out Times Square. Go too Greenwich village, alot of bars and alot of girls. And make time for random stuff, just hop on the subway and go to random places, and get off at random streets, some of the most fun times ive had was going random places, walk into a bar, take a shot and keep goin.

Oh and checkout south street seaport, nice area.

edit: ive been to a bunch of restaurants in the city, but NOTHING hits the spot like street food. Some street kababs, and dirty water dogs can set you right, street gyros etc etc. Trick for hotdogs is, the dirtier the cart is, the older the water in it is, the dirtier the water, the better the hotdog.

 

[Josh]

Cielo is great, one of my favorite places for music in the city. But Tenjune? That place is terrible. The staff and service is horrible, the only reason they are still in business is because their door policy makes the place look exclusive.

Not sure I agree with you about the street cart hot dogs. I'll have one every now and then but you really can get quite sick from the wrong vendor.

 

[xclusive252]

I think one kool thing you should try to do when you are in nyc is come to a meet and greet if there is one going on and see what us new yorkers are all about

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Cielo is definitely a cool spot, depending on what kind of music you are into there is a TON of options as far as clubs/bars. One of our members here Thane (ClosetFishGeek) has a really awesome place called slate you should check it out it's friggin gorgeous.
http://www.slate-ny.com/

Also there is a cool bar called off the wagon in the village off mcdougal street 109 mcdougal is the address they always have different drink specials depending on the day.

http://www.nycbestbar.com/off/

 

[asianer]

Hi Kyle, You fail to mention how long you will be visiting. If it is a weekend then what you mentioned going to see will keep you quite occupied. If it's a week then you will have time to see a lot of NYC. Another important question is where you will be staying, there could be some amazing places right where you're staying. I think some people would disagree but I think we have one of the best mass transit systems in the world and I rely heavily on them and parking in the city can be a nightmare. So I would get an unlimited Metrocard and take the subway or bus.

Food - I would recommend trying out whatever your favorite foods are in their respective "neighborhoods" - If you like Chinese food, nothing is more authentic, cheaper and convenient than Chinatown. List some favorite cuisines and I'm sure people will have a ton of suggestions.

Without question one of the things I always bring a visitor to is one of the many museums this city has to offer, keep in mind that they are "suggested" donations and you can give whatever amount you'd like. Another really cool thing is to go to one of the Broadway plays 2 hours earlier and participate in a "lottery" where you can purchase a pair of usually front row seats for between $27 and $55 each, I believe.

As for nightlife, that also really depends what you are looking for as there really are so many places and areas in NYC and surrounding boroughs that can be fun. I would reserve one night to go to the Comedy Cellar on MacDougal St. - It is common for well-known comedians to "test" new material there and tickets are dirt cheap - $12 for over 3 hours of entertainment - 2 doors away is my favorite Falafel/Shwarma place called Mamoun's where you can get one of the above mentioned items for less than $5 and their Taboulleh (sp) rocks!

Anyway, sorry for the long message but I can imagine planning a visit to NYC can be somewhat daunting. If you have any questions ask away. Hope this helps.

P.S. Will you be bringing up some corals? :tongue1:

 

[itsaNYthing]

Cielo is great, one of my favorite places for music in the city. But Tenjune? That place is terrible. The staff and service is horrible, the only reason they are still in business is because their door policy makes the place look exclusive.

Not sure I agree with you about the street cart hot dogs. I'll have one every now and then but you really can get quite sick from the wrong vendor.

i agree to an extent about tenjune, given i havnt been there in awhile BUT it still has decent parties, the women are bar none, I havnt been there since the owners opened up SL loung, and i hear thats where there dumping all the money into, i cant comment about sl lounge quite yet, we will be the on the 18th.

there was a hint of sarcasm in the hotdog comment lol

 

[Dr. Mac]

Wow! Thank all of you for all of the suggestions. This is exactly the type of comments I was looking for. Dr Mac always tells me that the people from Manhattan Reefs are among his top favorite reefers and he always looks forward to seeing you guys at shows. I will be going for 2 nights (Jan 10 and 11) and three days. I am def going to PM a few of you! I am in a bit of a rush right now, but will be back on here to give some more details. Keeps the comments coming!

 

[bigyankfan]

Check out the Museum of Natural History/Hayden Planetarium on 77th and Central Park West. Also, if you have time, take the train out to Coney Island and see the Aquarium (I can't believe no one mentioned that) and have a hot dog at the original Nathan's.

 

[NYC Joe]

Bars: boss tweeds, Lit, most on ludlow street.13th step, (crap frat bar)
food: ll frankies, 3 of cups, bennys burritos, polonia, katz,
little india on 6th st, if your feeling adventurous.

try to not bring a car.
not worth it.
park it and leave it in a lot?

I live in the east village and theres tons of tiny little places i still find.

Are you going with people? friends?
staying where? that would help a little.

 

[Dr. Mac]

I am going with a female friend of mine. I plan on bidding for a hotel on Price Line, and seeing what I can get. So I guess I should park my car by a Metro station and take the train into the city. Anyone know of any good places? I have written down all of your sugesttions and I am going to make a map on Google Maps that I can roughly follow when we go out. Thank all of you who are helping me out!