New York from Europe

[RoedGroed]

Im going to New York this summer (like everybody else?), and its the first time being out of Europe, so I guess I need all the guidance I can get. I have read through the other New York threads here, but I still have some questions. Some of the other threads were rather derailed so I hope its cool with yet another NY thread.

Im going with my girlfriend, so its not going to be like a skatetrip, but I often find the best city-guidance is done by skateboarders since they seem to get around their neighborhoods on a whole other level.
Im staying in Manhattan, trying to find a place for 9 days through AirBNB at the moment. Im coming in start July, should I look for a place with AC or is it only a luxury problem?
Im trying to stay around Chelsea or Greenwich or something like that? Is that good/bad? Should I look somewhere else? I want to be able to walk to restaurants and stuff like that but I dont want to stay all touristy on Times Square or whatever?
Is cabfares unreasonable expensive or is it possible to use cabs instead of the subway without being a millionaire? I have used cabs a lot in Berlin/paris a lot since it was rather cheap and a lot easier if you dont know what the place you are going look like and so on.

What should I see when im there? Whats good and whats wack, of the more touristy shit? And what bars should I look for when going out? Don't want all that nightclub stuff, just great bars with friendly people/maybe skateboardes?

I want to go to Love Park really bad, but Philly seems to be some time away from NY, how do you go there the easiest/quickest, or is it just stupid since im sure my girlfriend isn't down for spending an entire day of our trip traveling back and forth just to look at some waxed ledges haha.

Hope you guys are down to help, thank you! And if there is anything you think I need to know about NY, please tell me!
 

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Im going to New York this summer (like everybody else?), and its the first time being out of Europe, so I guess I need all the guidance I can get. I have read through the other New York threads here, but I still have some questions. Some of the other threads were rather derailed so I hope its cool with yet another NY thread.

Im going with my girlfriend, so its not going to be like a skatetrip, but I often find the best city-guidance is done by skateboarders since they seem to get around their neighborhoods on a whole other level.
Im staying in Manhattan, trying to find a place for 9 days through AirBNB at the moment. Im coming in start July, should I look for a place with AC or is it only a luxury problem?
Im trying to stay around Chelsea or Greenwich or something like that? Is that good/bad? Should I look somewhere else? I want to be able to walk to restaurants and stuff like that but I dont want to stay all touristy on Times Square or whatever?
Is cabfares unreasonable expensive or is it possible to use cabs instead of the subway without being a millionaire? I have used cabs a lot in Berlin/paris a lot since it was rather cheap and a lot easier if you dont know what the place you are going look like and so on.

What should I see when im there? Whats good and whats wack, of the more touristy shit? And what bars should I look for when going out? Don't want all that nightclub stuff, just great bars with friendly people/maybe skateboardes?

I want to go to Love Park really bad, but Philly seems to be some time away from NY, how do you go there the easiest/quickest, or is it just stupid since im sure my girlfriend isn't down for spending an entire day of our trip traveling back and forth just to look at some waxed ledges haha.

Hope you guys are down to help, thank you! And if there is anything you think I need to know about NY, please tell me!
 

What makes you think of Greenwich or Chelsea? Not dissing those places, just interested why they're your first choices... I stayed on the Upper West Side this summer and really liked that area. You got everything you mentioned... cheap eats, cool restaurants and it's not too crowded with tourists...

Taking a cab in NYC seems to be an experience for itself in many people's eyes but I'd highly recommend taking the subway all the time! It's cheap, fast, convenient and not hard to figure out at all. Cabs on the other hand are really expensive...

I'm not sure about the situation next summer but I was bummed out to find the Brooklyn Banks under construction and closed down this summer. Accordingly, after walking Brooklyn Bridge with your girlfriend, don't stroll around trying to find them but rather go to that insane Courtouse drop spot. Those kinked ledges around that fountain are just across from that spot... As for tourist stuff, you should definitely take the free Staten Island ferry instead of some expensive Lady Liberty cruise. If you and your girlfriend are into museums, checking out the Met would be an option. You can basically donate as much or as little money as you want. It's recommended to give something around 7 dollars but if you only got that one single dollar bill in your pocket, you can still get in  

As they hand out those immigration forms on the plane don't you dare to tick yes for any one question or you'll be asked for a nice little interview... for four hours! Didn't happen to me personally but a friend... So even if you bring some snacks, don't tell them about it (you'll pass unnoticed). If you've got a criminal record on the other hand, you should tell the authorities. Being questioned for a couple of hours is still better than being sent back to Europe... and they'll find out about it if they want!

EDIT: In case you're into punk and thought about visiting the former CBGB venue... forget about it! While I was aware that it got turned into a clothing store, I was told that the owners were down for punk rock and wouldn't mind people visiting the place because of its history. Instead, I found a really fashionable pseudo-authentic rock boutique and was met with suspicion as soon as I walked in. When it became obvious that I wasn't gonna buy anything and just looked around, a girl asked me to leave. Talking about some fucking pet peeve. Note that I don't look strange or anything... actually not like punkrock at all, just some normal dude.

[RoedGroed]

Well, I actually dont know why its mostly Greenwich or Chelsea, dont really know the difference between the areas in midtown. I think its mostly because its kinda right in the middle of everything so its possible to walk a lot of places. I think I would preferably stay in those areas in the middle, but again I hardly know the different areas from each other. So if anybody has any suggestions for areas to look into (and why) it would be greatly appreciated as well.

Yeah im definitely gonna checkout the courthouse and the black hubbas. I have so many spots I wanna check out while there, but its wack as fuck skating alone with a girlfriend haha. She understands that I want/need to skate a little while there, but I can see why its boring as hell for her as its her first time to NY as well. But, I gotta find a suitable streetspot and get a little session in. Hoped it could be Love since that inspired everything skateboard related in my mind, but it just seems so far away.

The Staten Island ferry sounds sick!! Definitely gonna do that. Gotta check out Shaolin haha! Dont know what to do at Staten Island but the view from the ferry is sick or?

Im afraid of those immigration forms, I have nothing to hide or and I dont have anything on my criminal record but it just seems strict and hard to see through.

Thank you for the reply!!

[ttching!]

Pretty much all of the neighborhoods in Manhattan are cool and have what you are looking for, so just find the right place to stay and don't worry too much about the specific hood. While the Times Square area is a major tourist destination, many areas of the city are quite crowded at street level, so you aren't really going to know the difference.

In July, you are definitely going to want AC where you are staying. Newer buildings generally have them, but your older apartments rely on window AC's.

Cabs get expensive quickly. Take them only when you need to. Its much more fun to get lost on the subway system anyway.

Skating wise, during daylight I recommend taking your GF to the parks on the West side.  She'll be able to wander a bit and chill in the sun while you shred. Save your street skating hours for after 10 pm a few of your nights, leave the girl at home and go get kicked out of as many mid-town spots as you can.

Since you have 9 days, you'll be able to do quite a lot. Personally, I recommend hitting a few of the museums and just walking around checking out the city.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Yeah, don't worry too much about your neighborhood of choice. Greenwich seemed a bit snobbish, touristy and "upriver" to me (locals, correct me if I'm wrong). However, I felt really comfortable on the Upper West Side and would stay there again. I think that's where most of the budget accomodation is, too. You basically got a lot of kiosks, small eateries, delis, restaurants and the like. More of a residential area than a tourist hotspot although you got a fair amount of backpackers on the streets. Oh, and Manhattan is too big to walk all the way. Just accept that you'll have to take the metro to get around. If you have to take it anyway you might as well stay on there for more than 2 stops...

Well... I guess there IS nothing to do in Staten Island. You can basically take the ferry back to Manhattan right after you land haha. Or you get out, have a smoke, wander around and take the next one twenty minutes later. You get a really nice view on southern Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty from the ferry though.

If you got nothing to hide, don't worry about it. I was actually surprised at how relaxed everything went and I think that holds true to 90% of people. The immigration officer simply asked me broad questions about my schedule and my flight back and looked like he actually didn't give a fuck. In the middle of me pointing out my trip he just stamped my passport and gave it back without even listening to me any further. However, I had several packs of nuts and raisins with me and was a bit nervous in case they'd find out about it. I didn't really know you weren't supposed to until they handed out those forms on the flight. I decided to not throw them away (right decision in the end). However, all in all the US was one of the easiest and most relaxed countries as far as passport controls go that I have ever experienced. Don't necessarily believe the hype. Only if you got something to hide or have an Arabian appearance (ask a friend of mine...) will you possibly get into trouble (meaning being questioned).

Oh, and if you've ever managed your way through the subway systems of Berlin and Paris you won't face any trouble in NYC. Although NYC is fairly bigger, it seems to have fewer lines which also run parallel to each other and only meet at certain points (eg. Times Square). All in all it's not complicated at all.

[Mark Renton]

What I can say being an European that have been there before..

I went with my family and stayed in Upper West Side, that seems like a cool deal, cheaper than the east side, close to Central Park and Harlem, (go to see a gospel function in the church man, I do not really believe in anything but that was touching!) and it's far from time square bullshit!
DO NOT go to philly, it fucking sucks in my really personal opinion, I was stoked myself to see love park, but beside that there was nothing else! instead if you have time go to Boston, visit MIT and stuff, it's a beautiful city and something like 5 hours of train..

staten island has nothing important, but the ferry trip is amazing, expecially at night coming back from SI to NY..(and it's free)
if you want to go to the beach you can have a pretty long ride and go to coney island, even though when I bathed the water was green and it sucked haha
If you want to skate your best bet is night sessions, I couldn't skate in the heat during the day..
high line is a nice place and soho is good for just fucking around, greenwich village too!
Oh and it might sound weird but beware the AC..they put it everywhere and it feels like 60F then you get off the subway/shop/mall and it's 90/100..that sucks

I wrote this quickly as you can may see so I probably forgot something but feel free to ask, and lucky you NYC is amazing man

[RoedGroed]

Yo thank you for all the great posts! I really appreciate it!!

Im gonna start checking out upper west-side in case its cheaper. And being close to Central Park would be sick as well!

Im definitely going on the Staten Island ferry, thats fucking great advice haha, would have never figured that one out by myself.

Regarding Philly I kinda figured that out.. Google maps says its something like 2 hours from Manhattan to Love. Just sucks since its a childhood dream, but.. well, it would be a waste of time (even though i would love to try a cheese stake as well haha).

Is there any specific restaurants or bars I should aim for?

And how about skateshops? Unfortunatly Autumn closed, but which shops are legit and worth checking out?

[china white]

The upper west side is pretty good...

In my opinion though, you're in NY for only a limited amount of time, might as well make the best of it. Midtown is terrible. Avoid at all costs. Unless you're going on some night missions, but let's face it, you will be there with your girl so that's not happening.
Focus your efforts below 23rd st. Yeah, doing things like going uptown to check out Harlem are worth it, definitely, but you probably don't want that to be your home base. Yeah okay it's not super hood like it used to be or in the movies but it's out of the way from where you'll spend most of your time and if you're not a resident and you don't know where youre going it can not be the best place to be caught slipping at night, on your way home, with a girl.

I guess I'd have to say, I really recommend checking out some options in Chinatown. It is a pretty interesting place, and really what's more is that it's surrounded by areas where there is an abundance of good places to eat, drink, go out, skate, etc, and it won't be extravagantly expensive, unlike soho, west village, even east village. I'm partial to the east side, as that is where I reside, but it can probably get expensive on the temporary room front, too.  Another benefit regarding Chinatown, if you have a relatively small window of time, like your girl wants to take a nap for an hour or two, you can be at the LES park in less than 10 min and get to skate a sick park. Look, I don't know her or how chill she may/may not be, but I know how trips with the girlfriend go, and most likely you will have to squeeze in skating around every last other activity. *** which makes me think...a lot of bicycle shops in manhattan rent bikes. "exploring certain areas on ground level", meaning dropping something like $20 on a 24 bike rental, may get you on your board, stumble on a few spots, and keep her happy and none the wiser.

The only really legit skate shop in Manhattan at this time is a relatively new one called Labor, which is also, coincidentally, located on Canal st...in Chinatown. Nice ass dude runs it, which, in my opinion, directly contributes to how chill other people you may run into there are. Asking people to recommend things in person is always the best way to do it (about spots, restaurants, directions, whatever). Yeah, cool, DQM is the best place to buy shoes, definitely, and I don't know if your fashion sensibilities would lead you to Supreme or not, but Labor is the skate shop to check out.

[RoedGroed]

Thank you china white, sick posts all you guys are doing! Real appreciated!

I checkout out China Town a bit, quite cheap compared to most other places? It just seems so.. I don't know, not like New York staying there? Even though I know its a huge part of NY history haha!

My girlfriend is luckily pretty chill, she knows New York skateboarding inspired the shit out of me my entire life and its mandatory that I get a session or two in. Its all good. Never though about renting bikes? Didn't know New York was bike friendly at all? Im from Denmark where bikes is fucking huge, so it would come pretty natural haha, people bike everywhere here anyway. That was a great tip, thank you!

Regarding Labor, i actually heard of it! Need to check that out without a doubt. I might go to Supreme, but im not down for getting bad-vibed so.. maybe not!

I just wrote a guy on AirBNB regarding an apartment that looked sick, and after writing him I checked out the google street-view, and this came up right in front of the apartment. Didn't even think about the location 12th and A when writing him!



My question is - I read about it being closed off or something? Is it skateable again or is it all done? Would be kinda cool to sneak in a small session whenever my girlfriend need a rest or wants to read or whatever!

[ttching!]

12th & A is open again, but its not a public skatepark. It's part of the school next door, and has limited hours. It's out of the way for me & there aren't many street spots over there, so I don't really session it much and don't know what the summer hours will be like, specifically, but I wouldn't count on being able to skate it at your convenience. You can go down two blocks to Tompkins at most hours and skate flat ground, a trash can and maybe a cone or box if you get lucky. That area has tons of great little bars and restaurants though, which would be perfect for you and the lady.

Personally, I would avoid staying in Chinatown unless you like the smell of fish, but that's me.

The city is bike friendly, but is definitely ruled by pedestrians and cars. There are some bike lanes, but you'll mostly be riding in traffic.

At the end of the day, it's quick and easy to get from one part of the city to another on the trains, so I would shop for lodging based on price and proximity to public transit. 12th & A, for instance is several avenues over from the closest subway, and you'll have at least a ten minute walk to get there.

[RoedGroed]

Ok, I see! Still dope living close to it I guess! I just booked the apartment so I guess its definite im staying there from the 5th to the 14th of july. Pretty stoked on that. We even have a private garden to chill in, looks amazing. He said it was only like 5 mins walk to Union Square with lots of subway connections? Like two blocks or something? Hopefully hes right! Sounds great with the restaurants and bars though. Im really fucking stoked on going, fuck!!

I heard about a bar called Max Fish being pretty cool, almost a skate-bar like Manolo in Barca? Is it still worth checking out?

[ttching!]

Ok, I see! Still dope living close to it I guess! I just booked the apartment so I guess its definite im staying there from the 5th to the 14th of july. Pretty stoked on that. We even have a private garden to chill in, looks amazing. He said it was only like 5 mins walk to Union Square with lots of subway connections? Like two blocks or something? Hopefully hes right! Sounds great with the restaurants and bars though. Im really fucking stoked on going, fuck!!

I heard about a bar called Max Fish being pretty cool, almost a skate-bar like Manolo in Barca? Is it still worth checking out?

Well Union Square is on 14th, so only two blocks up, but it sounds like you will be off of Avenue A, and Union Sq is four avenues over. Avenues are the equivalent of about three blocks, so you are close, but not as close as he is implying. The L train runs east/west under 14th in Manhattan, and then over to Brooklyn. The first/last stop in Manhattan is 1st Ave, so you can catch it and transfer at Union, which will be manageable, if crowded. That area will be a good home base for you.

I can't give you much advice on bars. I have a full time gig, gf, and two little daughters, so my party pants aren't getting a lot of use right now. My understanding is that Max Fish is still around, and popular with skaters. Go to Benny's for a good Mango Margarita to beat the afternoon heat, Ave A at 6th St.

[china white]

Everything the guy said above me is true.

The east village is the best area for you to be staying, in my opinion. Definitely in terms of proximity to public transport, restaurants bars etc. it's also a great area because its one of the last in the city not dominated by chain stores.
I initially suggested Chinatown because you can be in the more desirable areas in 5 minutes. But, if you can afford the east village, that is significantly better.

Last I checked, 12th and A did re-open but then they started renovating that entire side of the school so it was closed off again. maybe the renovations have finished, I'm not sure...

You might want to check out Quartersnacks. They have a pretty comprehensive "spots" guide. Even at 12th st you are still only a 10 minute cab ride from the LES skate park, if your girl needs a nap or something.

Perhaps if you guys rent bikes, you could take her on a bike ride along the water (whole area has been turned into a public space/park) all the way down and around to the west side. You could see some tourist sights and hit a couple skate parks along the way.

[RoedGroed]

Yeah I check out Quartersnacks every day, I grew up on New York skateboarding so im really stoked on finally going there. I have checked out the area, but there doesn't seem to be too many streetspots around that area though. But either way, i have to session some spot during my time there, just hoped it would be one within skating distance. But I will probably stumble upon something. Kinda wanted to shoot a skatephoto while there, so hopefully I can find some classic NY looking spots within skating distance.

Stoked on all the help guys! There is still more than half a year 'till im leaving and im stoked as fuck. Cant wait at all! Thank you!

[Random Matt]

I figured I'd chime in, being someone who lives in Philly and goes up to NY monthly to check out art galleries.  I could go into great depth on where to go if art is your thing.  If you and your girl have some interest in contemporary art go to some Chelsea openings one night, free wine or beer and an interesting buzz.  You can find what's happening at artcards.cc

The city can drain your wallet quickly.  When I'm there for days on end I'll bring my own breakfast, bagels and fruit, and just buy coffee.  Take advantage if you have the means to make coffee or tea where you're staying; bodega coffee is watery and burnt, good coffee is $2.50+.  Lunch is normally a slice of pizza or Chinatown eats (generally cheap), try the soup dumplings/ juicy buns at a Shanghai place and go to a hand-drawn noodle house.

Carry water around with you.  The city has high standards for tap water, fill up a bottle before you leave the place.

Times Square is awful, but is worth seeing once at nighttime since you've never been.  Plan to pass through some night when convenient.

Do a lot of walking, I'll average about 5 miles a day when I go up.  It's the best free thing to do and you'll see lots of great stuff and architecture.

Plan a chill day in the middle of the trip to catch up on rest.

Brooklyn is worth seeing.  Downtown is pretty, take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge to get there.  Williamsburg has some alright shopping, bars and restaurants off the Bedford L stop, and the BQE spot is a good daytime place to skate.  Bushwick might be worth checking out for the bizarre factor, best to go with someone who can take you around.  I prefer the nightlife in Brooklyn to Manhattan.

Philly is a 2 hour bus ride from NY and costs roughly $26, you can definitely do the trip in one day.  Boston is 4+ hours from NY, so that is most likely an overnight trip.  People mainly skate LOVE at night and on the weekends, though you could maybe play up the foreigner card (probably won't work) or just not pay the $300 ticket if a cop catches you.  FDR is also worth seeing, though it's pretty tough to skate.  I can offer up more Philly advice if you are still thinking of going down; I think that other poster that said Philly sucks just didn't know where to go, I love it here.  Just don't get a "Philly" cheesesteak in NY, it's really not the same.

[RoedGroed]

Yo thank you so much for the reply. My girlfriend is into art and goes to some openings around here so that would definitely be worth checking out. Great with the link!

We have an entire apartment with internet, tv, kitchen and so on, so we will be making our own breakfast most of the times I guess, but we gotta check out some local breakfast dinner thing at some point! I guess coffee wont be much of a problem since the apartment has a coffee machine, so its going to be all good I hope! Im really into chinese/vietnamese food, so going to Chinatown for lunch sounds like a good idea, it doesn't seem to be too far from east village?

Regarding water from the tap, I know Dead Prez tells us not to drink it, but is it not contaminated in any way? Around here the water is clean as fuck and you can drink it anywhere, but I just heard so much about bad water around the larger cities in the states? But, I guess the different bacterias and stuff might fuck us up either way? Might be safer to buy water, but I dont know haha!

We usually walk a shit ton whenever we go anywhere. Its the best way to check out a city and just get lost and see the real stuff instead of just sticking to Times Square and other super touristy stuff. We will definitely walk the Brooklyn Bridge, I guess thats almost mandatory haha?

Regarding Philly, I really fucking wanna go. But I guess I doesn't make too much sense spending 4 hours in a bus to look at tiles and waxed ledges. Wont be too exiting for my girlfriend, even though she says she understands and all, but its like an entire day out of out limited time there, just spend and hour in a park with urine-stained pink planters haha. It means the world to me though, I really need to go back and stay in Philly at some point.

Thank you man! Super stoked on all the great replies!

[Random Matt]

If she's into art let her know Chelsea can be overwhelming, the galleries span roughly 18th St to 30th St between 10th and 11th Ave.  I usually go for a couple hours and probably walk past 200 galleries, walk into 40 or 50, and actually spend more than 90 seconds in about 15.  Just don't feel like the gallery attendant is offended if you walk out the door after 15 seconds, happens often.  Also, the Chelsea galleries are pretty much closed on Sundays.

Lately I've been into the Lower East Galleries, they blend into the neighborhood better rather than the blocks of Chelsea which are literally only galleries with high-end apartments above.  SoHo is OK, depends on your tastes really.

The upper east side galleries feel pretentious, I never feel like I belong in there.

Brooklyn is hit or miss with galleries, generally a lot of crap.  If there is an open studios event going on it could be worth going.

The museums are great but pricey, $20-25.  Except, as someone else pointed out, the Met is pay-what-you-wish; check out the roof-top when you're there.

And regarding the water; I'm just reiterating what my friends in Queens have told me.  NY water does taste better than the cheap bottled water, not as good as high end stuff like Fiji.  But in general tap water in major cities is bad, we use a filter in our home.

[bandini]

I would just throw out that - while there's always awesome advice in these NYC threads - you should also not be too quick to take anyone's word on what's "cool" in NYC. For example, it's pretty common to hear "Midtown sucks" etc. but the fact is Midtown Manhattan is unlike anywhere else in the country & I find it to be endlessly entertaining - kinda depends on my mood, but there's a TON in Midtown that isn't dumb tourist shit.

The great thing about New York is discovering it for yourself. Don't write a neighborhood off just because you've heard it's "hipster" or "touristy" or something. There's great food, hot women and great skate spots in virtually every single neighborhood in this city.

[Stab n Kill]

since no one has yet to post some spots to grab a bit, I'll recommend a few spots I often check out when I'm in Manhattan for the weekend with my girl.

Breakfast/brunch:  Brown; My girl loves this place and overall it is pretty damn good.
                             clinton street bakery:  I much prefer this spot for breakfast but its always hard getting a table here.  Sometimes you have to wait for like an hour or so when you have more then two people joining you.  Lunch here is just as great as the breakfast, and although the milk shake is like $9.00 I highly recommend it.  Its the best shake/frappe I've ever had.

Lunch: I absolutely adore this Spanish place called El Castillo de Jagua on Rivington.  Its quite cheap, has amazing chicken, although I usually just get some rice & black beans to go to eat it at Tompkins. 
          Spotted pig, itzocan cafe, epsteins, grays papaya, cafe katja, arturos, lombardis. 

Dinner:  Le French Diner on the corner of Orchard/Houston.  They played really great 90s hip hop while I was there and the waiter (some french guy with long brown hair and a Kangol) was the absolute man and gave us two bottles of red wine on the house because we pretty much just spent the whole night there chatting with him.  Also some Cuban French restaurant on the corner of Broome & Ludlow (can't think of the name right now) was really great as well.

[RoedGroed]

Yeah, Slap is the shit!! Thank you all for taking time helping me out.

Sounds great with the restaurant spots. And 9 dollar milkshake isn't a problem, around here, food is crazy expensive compared to the states. So will be hitting that one for sure!

Sounds sick with the french place. Seems like a sick place to just kick it in with a bottle of wine after dinner. Can't go wrong with 90's hiphop and french food, thats like the ultimate!

Thank you very much, im gonna look these places up on streetview to see how far we are staying from them! Still looking forward to just wandering about and stumble upon something dope, but its perfect to know of a few spots to hit up that we know for sure will be cool and not tourist trap like!

[essal]

Is it possible to skate NYC early to mid March?

[ttching!]

Yes. The weather from December through March can vary from shitty to perfect, so it will just depend on your luck.

[AYO]

just your luck they put back some obstacles at 12th and A enjoy your trip

[essal]

Are there any opening times on 12th and A? I think I saw a website which had opening hours posted, but I cannot find it..

Also, we're staying pretty much at Grand Central, are there are good pubs, bars, clubs or places to eat which anyone would recommend us going to?

[ttching!]

Are there any opening times on 12th and A? I think I saw a website which had opening hours posted, but I cannot find it..

Also, we're staying pretty much at Grand Central, are there are good pubs, bars, clubs or places to eat which anyone would recommend us going to?

I can't help you with the 12th and A hours, as I'm never over there anymore. After 3 pm as I recall.

In the Grand Central neighborhood, The Perfect Pint on 45th just east of 3rd Ave has the best Fish and Chips I've ever had, and has Guinness on tap. I also recommend Sakagura on 43rd just east of 3rd Ave. Its an authentic as fuck Japanese food restaurant, hidden in the basement of a high-rise apartment building. Its a little difficult to find, as you have to enter the apartment building, then descend down into a dungeon before you stumble upon it. Reservations are recommended, as is the braised pork belly.

[essal]

Thanks!

[DEDBBIS]

I'm going to be visiting New York in March. Could anyone tell me where the barrier spot under a bridge is? Dill 5-0 reverts it at 1:08

[RoedGroed]

Lots of NY threads going on at the moment, but I thought it would be the best to still use the one I originally started!

Im leaving in 9 days, and just want to ask if anybody has any last things to add, like places we need to eat, go, see or whatever? Im really fucking stoked out of my mind on going, even though they destroyed 12th and A. I will survive without having a spot outside my door though, im sure.

Do you think it is a good idea to buy this 7 day subway card, or will I end up walking everywhere anyway?

And im looking to buy Levis' with stretch and shit (over here its kinda limited with the washes and models, and SUPER expensive) - where is the best place to go selection wise?

And - if I budget like 50-80 dollars pr. day on food, is that a lot or? And is tips and tax and stuff like that easily dealt with, or does it get super awkward super fast? We are not used to a tipping system like that over here!

Thanks again!

[Shredsledder]

definitely get the metro card. You can walk places but NY in the summer is hot and sticky.

If youre in the 12&A neighborhood there's plenty to skate and you aren't far from Manhattan bridge park. Wake up early one morning and skate that park before the crowds appear, one of my favorite things to do. 50-80 dollars a day on food you will be eating really well. Unless you plan on going out for breakfast lunch and dinner I don't think you'll need that much for just one person.

[_UniversalTruth_]

I personally found large parts of Manhattan quite boring with all the offices and hectic streets. Williamsburg was nice, a lot of hipsters though. Make sure to see a bit more than Manhattan. I Lived in Brooklyn which was cool to experience. All I can recommend (mostly cus of my field of studies) is the high line park. If you're with your gf, you can walk around there... The promenade with the piers up to the Ground Zero monument (+'freedom tower') is also a nice walk. And of course central park. If you want a nice view, I think Rockefeller center is the place to go.
The MoMa seems quite good, haven't seen it but some friends have. The Guggenheim museum might also be worth a view.
Highline park: