Traditional Tourist Attractions
Sports and Nightlife
More Museums
More Landmarks and Outdoor Activities
Best Views of the City
- Top of the Rock in Rockefeller Center has the best view of the city in my opinion, a bit better than the Empire State building.
- Best way to see the Statue of Liberty is by doing a loop on the Staten Island ferry, you go right past the statue and get a great view. And it’s only a couple dollars to take the ferry out to Staten Island and back to Manhattan.
- Brooklyn promenade in Brooklyn Heights has a great view of lower Manhattan. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, get some Grimaldi’s (see below), and check out the view from the promenade.
Bars/Pubs
- Standings – Awesome sports bar in the village, good craft beer selection. 43 E 7th St, New York, NY
- The Pony Bar – Great variety of craft beer on the west side of Manhattan. 637 10th Ave
- Beer Culture – More craft beer! 328 W 45th St New York, NY 10036
- McSorley’s Old Ale House – Very traditional NYC bar in the East Village, which is a great place to check out at night (close to NYU). They only have two types of beer – dark or light. 15 E 7th St New York, NY
- Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden – Outdoor beer garden in Astoria, Queens. 2919 24th Ave Astoria, NY 11102
Museums
- MoMA – Modern art museum, really great collection. 11 West 53 Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
- Guggenheim – A bunch of these museums are right on Central Park, so it makes for a great day walking around the park and checking them out. The Guggenheim is right on the east side of Central Park around 90th Street.
- Museum of Natural History – West side of Central Park around 80th Street
- Metropolitan Museum of Art – East side of Central Park at 82nd Street
- MoMA PS1 – If you like the MoMA I’d definitely check out PS1 as well. It’s a modern art museum set in the first NYC public school. Has a great lunch place called M. Wells Dinette in it (mentioned below). 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
NYC Food
- Pizza:
o Lombardi’s – First pizzeria in America. In the Nolita (stands for north of Little Italy) neighborhood in Manhattan. There are a lot of tourist traps in Little Italy, but a walk down Mulberry St is still pretty cool. 32 Spring St, New York, NY
o John's of Bleecker Street - Classic NYC brick oven pizza. Lots of bars and things to do in the Greenwich Village area (more detail in the 'Neighborhoods' section below.) 278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
o Grimaldi’s – Might be up to an hour line depending on when you go, but very worth it! One of the best in the city, right under the Brooklyn Bridge. 1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
o Totonno’s – Way far out of the way in Coney Island – but if you wander out that way, this place has exceptional pizza.
o Di Fara – Also a bit of a trek out to Midwood, and a wait for the pies, but this one is my personal favorite. Get the square pie (if they still have any). 1424 Avenue J, New York, NY 11230
o Roberta’s – In the Bushwick area of Brooklyn, an up and coming neighborhood. They also do amazing Italian food in addition to some of the best pizzas. 261 Moore St Brooklyn, NY
- Bagels/Delis:
o Murray’s Bagels – Close to Union Square in the village, nice area to grab a bagel and walk around on a weekend morning. 500 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
o Ess-A-Bagel – Excellent bagels and spreads. Voted some of the best bagels in the city. 831 3rd Ave, New York, NY
o Katz’s Deli – Amazing pastrami and corned beef, very traditional old NY style deli. Open late too so go here after going to a show on the Lower East Side (great venues in that neighborhood). 205 E Houston St, New York, NY
- Markets:
o Smorgasburg – Basically a flea market of food – all of the best food trucks and vendors in the city selling their product in one place. Amazing place to get a few small things for lunch. In the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, only open 11-6 on Saturdays. East River State Park (90 Kent Ave at N. 7 St.)
o Greenmarket in Union Square – Best produce in the city, all from local farms. Open on Saturdays, right in Union Square.
- Barbeque:
o Mighty Quinn’s – NYC has some great barbeque spots, Mighty Quinn’s is one of the best. 103 2nd Ave, New York, NY
o John Brown’s – In Long Island City in Queens. Their specialty is burnt ends, which are the crispy, fatty edges of brisket. They sell out of them fairly quick, but if you go right after work they should still have some. Some great beer on tap here, too. 10-43 44th Dr, Long Island City, NY
o Fette Sau – Set in a garage in Williamsburg, it’s a great spot for barbeque before heading out for a night in Williamsburg.
- More upscale restaurants:
o Peter Luger’s – Expensive steaks, but widely known as the best in New York. Place has been around for over 125 years and wins the best steak award every year.
o Toro – Spanish tapas in the Meatpacking District, one of my favorites. 85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011
o Luksus – Craft beer pairings with every course.. incredible. The tasting menu is expensive but so worth it. It's in the Greenpoint area in the back room of Torst, which is my favorite bar in the city. 615 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
o ABC Kitchen – One of the hardest restaurants to get a reservation for in the city, but for good reason. Works as a date spot, or for a nice dinner if your family is visiting. 35 E 18th St, New York, NY
o M. Wells Dinette – This place is in the Moma PS1 Museum in Queens, so it’s good for a lunch after checking out the museum. Some of the most inventive food in the city – menu changes pretty much every day. MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Cool Neighborhoods
- Greenpoint/North Williamsburg in Brooklyn
o Brooklyn Bowl – A bowling alley where they serve a large variety of Brooklyn beers, and sometimes have gigs as well
o Torst – Amazing craft beer bar in Greenpoint, my personal favorite in the city
o Brooklyn Night Bazaar – A nighttime market on the weekends where they have shows, games, food vendors, a bit of everything
- Greenwich Village
o Washington Square Park – Cool park near NYU
o Bleecker Street – Lots of bars, places to eat. Makes for a great night out.
o Generation Records – One of the best vinyl stores in NY, great collection
o Irving Plaza and Webster Hall – Great places to see a show
o Proletariat - Great craft beer bar. Also near St. Marks Place, which is also a cool place to check out.
- Lower East Side
o Lots of cool bars here, can also walk across the Williamsburg Bridge to Williamsburg
o Cake Shop, ABC No Rio, Pianos, Bowery Ballroom – Some of my favorite places to see a show in NYC, all on the Lower East Side.
o The Whiskey Ward – If you like whiskey, this place has a great selection[/collapse]
- Empire State Building
- Statue of Liberty
- South Street Seaport
- Rockefeller Center / Channel Garden / NBC Studios
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Grand Army Plaza and environs (FAO Schwarz, Apple Store, Plaza Hotel, Central Park South)
- Central Park (Including Central Park West and Fifth Avenue)
- United Nations
- American Museum of Natural History
- Rose Center for Earth and Space
- The Guggenheim Museum
- USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
- Ellis Island Immigration Museum
- Greenwich Village
- SoHo
- Little Italy/Chinatown
- Theatre District
- Madison Avenue shopping
- A Broadway show
- An Off-Broadway show
- Shopping at Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s
- Ground Zero/9-11 Memorial Museum/Winter Garden
- Times Square/Madame Tussaud’s
- New York Public Library and Bryant Park
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- Trump Tower
- Circle Line
- St. Bartholomew’s Church
Sports and Nightlife
- New York Yankees baseball (April to October)
- New York Mets baseball (April to October)
- New York Rangers hockey (October to April)
- New York Islanders hockey (October to April)
- New Jersey Devils hockey (October to April)
- New York Knicks basketball (October to April)
- Brooklyn Nets basketball (October to April)
- New York Giants football (September to January)
- New York Jets football (September to January)
- New York Red Bulls soccer (March to October)
- New York City FC soccer (March to October)
- Taping of a television show
- Tour of Madison Square Garden
- Tour of Radio City Music Hall
- Christie’s Auction House / Sotheby’s
- Carnegie Hall
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts / Juilliard School
- New York Philharmonic / Metropolitan Opera
- Brooklyn Academy of Music
- Apollo Theatre
More Museums
- The Whitney Museum of American Art
- Museum of Modern Art
- Tenement Museum
- The Brooklyn Museum
- Museum of the Moving Image
- Jewish Museum
- New York City Fire Museum
- New York City Police Museum
- New York City Transit Museum
- Pierpont Morgan Library
- Forbes Galleries
- New Museum of Contemporary Art
- El Museo del Barrio
- The Paley Center for Media (Museum of Television and Radio)
- Jewish Heritage Museum
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan
- Museum of American Folk Art
- The Frick Collection
- The New York Historical Society
- Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum
- Grey Art Gallery
- Mount Vernon Hotel Museum
- The Studio Museum in Harlem
- New York Hall of Science
- Queens Historical Society
- Queens Museum of Art
- The Museum of Arts and Design
- Asia Society Galleries
- Audubon Terrace
- Bronx Museum of the Arts
- China Institute
- Dia Center for the Arts
- International Center of Photography
- Alice Austen House Museum
- Bartow-Pell Mansion
- Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum
- Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
- Japan Society of New York
- Museum for African Art
- Museum of American Illustration
- Museum of the City of New York
- National Academy of Design Museum
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Bard Graduate Center Library and Gallery
- The Drawing Center
- Neue Galerie / Goethe Institut
- Noble Maritime Collection
- Van Cortlandt House Museum
- Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
- Edgar Allan Poe Cottage and Museum
- Hispanic Society of America
- Dahesh Museum of Art
- Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House Museum
- John M. Mossman Lock Museum
- Museum of American Finance
- Museum of Biblical Art
- Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
- Museum of Mathematics
- Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler
- Valentine-Varian Museum of Bronx History
More Landmarks and Outdoor Activities
- Grand Central Terminal
- Chrysler Building
- Woolworth Building
- Street fair / parade / Feast of San Gennaro
- The High Line
- Central Park Zoo
- Bethesda Terrace
- Stonewall Inn / Gay Village
- Chelsea
- Chelsea Market
- Chelsea Piers
- Madison Square Park / Flatiron Building
- Meatpacking District
- Harlem / El Barrio
- Randall’s Island / Wards Island
- Time Warner Center / Columbus Circle
- Washington Square Park / New York University / St. Mark’s Place
- Union Square
- The Dakota
- Columbia University / Morningside Heights
- Grant’s Tomb / Riverside Park
- Trinity Church and Graveyard
- The Cloisters / Fort Tryon Park
- Eldridge Street Synagogue
- Lower East Side
- Upper East Side / Yorkville
- Gracie Mansion / Finley Walk / Carl Schurz Park
- Houston Street Film Row
- New York City Hall / Foley Square / Park Row
- Battery Park
- Financial District / New York Stock Exchange / Federal Hall
- Roosevelt Island / Four Freedoms Park / Tramway
- Cathedral of St. John the Divine
- Bronx Zoo
- Loeb Boathouse
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Governor’s Island
- Castle Clinton
- Hamilton Grange National Memorial
- Morris-Jumel Mansion
- St. Paul’s Chapel
- Queens Zoo
- Herald Square
- Coney Island
- Brooklyn Brewery
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden
- New York Botanical Garden
- Staten Island Botanical Garden
- New York Aquarium
- Prospect Park
- South Ferry / Bowling Green
- Fraunces Tavern / Stone Street / Hanover Square
- Riverside Church
- Conservatory Garden / Harlem Meer
- Spuyten Duyvil / Riverdale
- Wave Hill
- Brooklyn Heights
- Tribeca
- Cobble Hill / Boerum Hill
- Williamsburg
- DUMBO
- Park Slope
- Long Island City
- Flushing Meadows / National Tennis Center
- Pelham Bay Park / Orchard Beach
Best Views of the City
- Top of the Rock in Rockefeller Center has the best view of the city in my opinion, a bit better than the Empire State building.
- Best way to see the Statue of Liberty is by doing a loop on the Staten Island ferry, you go right past the statue and get a great view. And it’s only a couple dollars to take the ferry out to Staten Island and back to Manhattan.
- Brooklyn promenade in Brooklyn Heights has a great view of lower Manhattan. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, get some Grimaldi’s (see below), and check out the view from the promenade.
Bars/Pubs
- Standings – Awesome sports bar in the village, good craft beer selection. 43 E 7th St, New York, NY
- The Pony Bar – Great variety of craft beer on the west side of Manhattan. 637 10th Ave
- Beer Culture – More craft beer! 328 W 45th St New York, NY 10036
- McSorley’s Old Ale House – Very traditional NYC bar in the East Village, which is a great place to check out at night (close to NYU). They only have two types of beer – dark or light. 15 E 7th St New York, NY
- Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden – Outdoor beer garden in Astoria, Queens. 2919 24th Ave Astoria, NY 11102
Museums
- MoMA – Modern art museum, really great collection. 11 West 53 Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
- Guggenheim – A bunch of these museums are right on Central Park, so it makes for a great day walking around the park and checking them out. The Guggenheim is right on the east side of Central Park around 90th Street.
- Museum of Natural History – West side of Central Park around 80th Street
- Metropolitan Museum of Art – East side of Central Park at 82nd Street
- MoMA PS1 – If you like the MoMA I’d definitely check out PS1 as well. It’s a modern art museum set in the first NYC public school. Has a great lunch place called M. Wells Dinette in it (mentioned below). 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
NYC Food
- Pizza:
o Lombardi’s – First pizzeria in America. In the Nolita (stands for north of Little Italy) neighborhood in Manhattan. There are a lot of tourist traps in Little Italy, but a walk down Mulberry St is still pretty cool. 32 Spring St, New York, NY
o John's of Bleecker Street - Classic NYC brick oven pizza. Lots of bars and things to do in the Greenwich Village area (more detail in the 'Neighborhoods' section below.) 278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
o Grimaldi’s – Might be up to an hour line depending on when you go, but very worth it! One of the best in the city, right under the Brooklyn Bridge. 1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
o Totonno’s – Way far out of the way in Coney Island – but if you wander out that way, this place has exceptional pizza.
o Di Fara – Also a bit of a trek out to Midwood, and a wait for the pies, but this one is my personal favorite. Get the square pie (if they still have any). 1424 Avenue J, New York, NY 11230
o Roberta’s – In the Bushwick area of Brooklyn, an up and coming neighborhood. They also do amazing Italian food in addition to some of the best pizzas. 261 Moore St Brooklyn, NY
- Bagels/Delis:
o Murray’s Bagels – Close to Union Square in the village, nice area to grab a bagel and walk around on a weekend morning. 500 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
o Ess-A-Bagel – Excellent bagels and spreads. Voted some of the best bagels in the city. 831 3rd Ave, New York, NY
o Katz’s Deli – Amazing pastrami and corned beef, very traditional old NY style deli. Open late too so go here after going to a show on the Lower East Side (great venues in that neighborhood). 205 E Houston St, New York, NY
- Markets:
o Smorgasburg – Basically a flea market of food – all of the best food trucks and vendors in the city selling their product in one place. Amazing place to get a few small things for lunch. In the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, only open 11-6 on Saturdays. East River State Park (90 Kent Ave at N. 7 St.)
o Greenmarket in Union Square – Best produce in the city, all from local farms. Open on Saturdays, right in Union Square.
- Barbeque:
o Mighty Quinn’s – NYC has some great barbeque spots, Mighty Quinn’s is one of the best. 103 2nd Ave, New York, NY
o John Brown’s – In Long Island City in Queens. Their specialty is burnt ends, which are the crispy, fatty edges of brisket. They sell out of them fairly quick, but if you go right after work they should still have some. Some great beer on tap here, too. 10-43 44th Dr, Long Island City, NY
o Fette Sau – Set in a garage in Williamsburg, it’s a great spot for barbeque before heading out for a night in Williamsburg.
- More upscale restaurants:
o Peter Luger’s – Expensive steaks, but widely known as the best in New York. Place has been around for over 125 years and wins the best steak award every year.
o Toro – Spanish tapas in the Meatpacking District, one of my favorites. 85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011
o Luksus – Craft beer pairings with every course.. incredible. The tasting menu is expensive but so worth it. It's in the Greenpoint area in the back room of Torst, which is my favorite bar in the city. 615 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
o ABC Kitchen – One of the hardest restaurants to get a reservation for in the city, but for good reason. Works as a date spot, or for a nice dinner if your family is visiting. 35 E 18th St, New York, NY
o M. Wells Dinette – This place is in the Moma PS1 Museum in Queens, so it’s good for a lunch after checking out the museum. Some of the most inventive food in the city – menu changes pretty much every day. MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Cool Neighborhoods
- Greenpoint/North Williamsburg in Brooklyn
o Brooklyn Bowl – A bowling alley where they serve a large variety of Brooklyn beers, and sometimes have gigs as well
o Torst – Amazing craft beer bar in Greenpoint, my personal favorite in the city
o Brooklyn Night Bazaar – A nighttime market on the weekends where they have shows, games, food vendors, a bit of everything
- Greenwich Village
o Washington Square Park – Cool park near NYU
o Bleecker Street – Lots of bars, places to eat. Makes for a great night out.
o Generation Records – One of the best vinyl stores in NY, great collection
o Irving Plaza and Webster Hall – Great places to see a show
o Proletariat - Great craft beer bar. Also near St. Marks Place, which is also a cool place to check out.
- Lower East Side
o Lots of cool bars here, can also walk across the Williamsburg Bridge to Williamsburg
o Cake Shop, ABC No Rio, Pianos, Bowery Ballroom – Some of my favorite places to see a show in NYC, all on the Lower East Side.
o The Whiskey Ward – If you like whiskey, this place has a great selection[/collapse]
