www.kristraveler.com » Manhattan

Best Pizza in NY

David H. — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:31:44 +0000

By far the best pizza in New York, Don Giovanni’s in Hell’s Kitchen. Here’s the link to their uptown location: http://www.dongiovanni-ny.com/uptown_location.htm Well worth the visit! Best Pizza in NY is a post from: www.kristraveler.com This post was submitted by David H.. Related posts:Best Pizza in NY NYC Restaurant: Blue Ribbon Bakery NewYorkology NY Winter Restaurant Week 2010 NYC Restaurant: Mary’s Fish Camp (still searching [...]

Best Pizza in NY is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NYC Restaurant: Blue Ribbon Bakery

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:50:52 +0000

Yesterday I was making a short list of places you cannot miss in NYC and I had completely forgotten about this fantastic restaurant! How could I have forgotten about it?! Though I still have such great memories of this place and thank goodness I remembered about it today (hahaha)… Blue Ribbon Bakery offers one of the tastiest brunches in the city and is perfectly located between Soho and the West Village … It’s the perfect place to go in one of those sunny afternoons that demand you to take a nice walk around Soho! The breads are absolutely wonderful: do not miss them because they are baked in a brick oven that is 135 years! The truth is that the restaurant was only created because of this oven that was found abandoned: after a nice renovation, the restaurant opened in 98, and since then the superb oven never stopped working… Simply amazing!

Blue Ribbon Bakery
33 Downing Street
212.337.0404

Original post in Portuguese:

http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com/2010/01/nyc-restaurant-blue-ribbon-bakery.html

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About the author:

Camila Penteado Cilento graduated in Business Administration in 2005 and works in the financial market (“the job that pays the rent”)… But the real “Cami”, as she is called by her closest friends, hasn’t found her dream job yet, but she just knows that her real passion is the aesthetics that she finds in fashion, in architecture, in gourmet, and in visual arts. In 2008, she finally had her dream come true and moved to New York City, where she learned that to feel alive you have to run after your dreams! In the end of 2008, she started a blog called “I am leaving today” (http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com), where she writes about all the discoveries made when she was living her dream for real. While blogging she realized that writing is one of the best ways to communicate her ideas to the world and by doing this she has the opportunity to talk to people that are as far as they are close. Stay tuned…

NYC Restaurant: Blue Ribbon Bakery is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NewYorkology

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:07:05 +0000

Going to New York in the near future? Then you have to check this website: NewYorkology

Sure, there are many (and many!) books and online guides to New York, but few are as fun or up-to-date with everything that’s going on in the city as NewYorkology is.

I’ve been following their tweets for a couple of months now, and even without any travel plans to Manhattan in the near future, I feel like I just ”can’t” unfollow them, as I’d be loosing all the great information they share on a daily basis. After this time just reading their tweets, this week I decided to check their website and was amazed with the wealth of information they offer, that could please basically any audience.

Why I like them and why they are different? See it for yourself. Here are a couple of examples taken from their website:

“New York is big and fast and overwhelming until you realize it’s on a grid, very logical and that most people are nice and willing to help as long as you’re quick about it.

Rule No.1 — walk to the right. If you need to meander or stop, step to the side. Don’t walk three or four abreast unless the sidewalk’s huge and no one’s around. You must share.

Rule No. 2 — speed it up. This goes for everything, including having your MetroCard out before you reach the turnstile, knowing what show you want to see when you get to the TKTS window, and just moving out of the way when you get off the elevator or to the top of the stairs. Got a question? Be concise. People are a) busy, b) don’t want to get sucked into a scam, and c) irritated with slow tourists.

If you go to the Statue of Liberty, reserve a monument pass in advance. If you go up the Empire State Building, spend the extra $15 to get to the 102nd floor (in addition to the 86th like everyone else.)

A cab is for hire only if his numbered/lettered lights are lit on his roof. Let people exit the subway car before you push your way on. Be careful with your umbrellas, don’t stand in the doorway letting cold air in while you decide whether you’re coming or going, and fight the urge to eat and shop at the same dull chain restaurants and stores you’ve got at home. Spend your money at the interesting places so Manhattan doesn’t turn into a generic Disneyfied strip mall. Thank you.”

So anyone can tell you how and where to get tickets for the Subway, but NewYorkology also tells you how not to be run over then taking the train!

Putting the fun stuff aside, the same page that gives the tips above also has a list of current prices for the basics, such as MetroCard, Broadway shows, the cost of a cab from the airport to downtown, tickets for the Empire State building and a cupcake…. all things you are likely to do in your first (or 100th!) visit to the city. Similarly, a list of free museums as well as links to tours in different neighborhoods and much more. All this just in the one page I mentioned, so you can have an idea of the rest of the site.

Too much information on the wesbite and don’t know where to start? That’s natural, that’s how NYC is. Start little by little, reading the basics or looking for espefic topics so you don’t get overwhelmed. Or maybe you prefer use the search box with some random keyword - you may actually many other interesting and valuable tips beyond what you’re looking for!

And don’t forget to check Cami’s posts regularly on kristraveler’s Guest Blogger section as well for great reviews and recommendations of places in Manhattan!

NewYorkology is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NY Winter Restaurant Week 2010

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:10:17 +0000

I always like to remind people of this event because there is no better week in the year than this one to go out to eat! Every year in late January NY hosts the Winter Restaurant Week: many, many great restaurants of the city participate in this event that offers a selected menu with three courses (appetizer, main course and dessert) at a more affordable price (Lunch on $ 24.07 and Dinner $ 35)!

My first recommendation is that you make reservations now, because for sure you are not going to be the only one that will have the bright idea of facing the cold harsh winter to go out and take advantage of the Restaurant Week! (the site of the event provides an on-line reservation service for some restaurants)

This time I decided to do something different – besides reminding you about the Restaurant Week, I thought of recommending 10 restaurants (all of them are usually super expensive and exquisite, so if you didn’t have the courage to check them out yet, this is your chance)! Remember that not all participating restaurants offer both lunch and dinner, so check the website to be sure!

The Restaurant Week runs from January 25 until February 7 (excluding Saturdays and participation on Sunday is optional, check before booking!)! Another point to make note, I recommended that you check the restaurant’s dress attire as well.

Here are some recommendations (that I have never commented about in the blog before) to take advantage of Restaurant Week (I promise to write individual posts about these restaurants throughout the year!)

   1. 21 Club (21 W. 52nd Street between Fifth & Sixth Avenues – 212.582.7200): Have you ever wondered what those cute little jockeys are doing outside this beautiful townhouse in Midtown?? This restaurant offers a traditional American food that is absolutely amazing…
   2. Aquavit (65 East 55th Street between Park & Madison – 212.307.7311): This restaurant offers one of the most delicious Scandinavian food in town!
   3. Aureole (One Bryant Park, 135 W. 42nd Street, corner of Sixth Avenue – 212.319.1660): Contemporary food, always delicious! Just moved to this new address (before they were on the Upper East Side) and I heard that the new site is a charm, right in front of Bryant Park …
   4. Bond St (6 Bond Street – 212.777.2500): For those who want a fun place full of beautiful people combined with a sensational Japanese food, this is the place!
   5. Butter Restaurant (415 Lafayette Street between Astor Place & East 4th Street – 212.253.2828): Another extremely trendy restaurant that always have a long waiting list … The décor is very surreal!

6. Del Posto Restaurant (85 Tenth Avenue, between W15th & W16th Streets – 212.497.8090): For those who like "big scenes", this Mario Batali restaurant is ideal! The Italian food is very good … Always crowded and fashionable!
7. Jojo (160 E. 64th Street between Lexington & Third Avenues – 212.223.5656): Never miss an opportunity to have dinner in one of Jean Georges restaurants, renowned French chef… That is it!
8. Le Cirque (151 East 58th Street between Lexington & 3rd Avenues – 212-644-0202): Extremely luxurious… Very traditional french cuisine that is worth checking!
9. The Modern (9 West 53rd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues – 212.333.1220): This is the last french call, this restaurant is located inside the MOMA overlooking the sculpture garden of the museum! You have to try…
10. The River Café (One Water Street, Brooklyn – 718.522.5200): A classic NY restaurant: you are never going to believe the view that this restaurant has to Manhattan … As for the food, I don’t remember, the view has overshadowed everything else!

For more ideas of restaurants, visit their website! Several that I have already indicated in the blog including Matsuri, the August, the Fig & Olive, among others, are participating!

Original post in Portuguese:

http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com/2010/01/nyc-winter-restaurant-week-2501-ate-702.html

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About the author:

Camila Penteado Cilento graduated in Business Administration in 2005 and works in the financial market ("the job that pays the rent")… But the real "Cami", as she is called by her closest friends, hasn’t found her dream job yet, but she just knows that her real passion is the aesthetics that she finds in fashion, in architecture, in gourmet, and in visual arts. In 2008, she finally had her dream come true and moved to New York City, where she learned that to feel alive you have to run after your dreams! In the end of 2008, she started a blog called "I am leaving today" (http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com), where she writes about all the discoveries made when she was living her dream for real. While blogging she realized that writing is one of the best ways to communicate her ideas to the world and by doing this she has the opportunity to talk to people that are as far as they are close. Stay tuned…

NY Winter Restaurant Week 2010 is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NYC Restaurant: Mary’s Fish Camp (still searching for the perfect Lobster Roll…)

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:39:53 +0000

Those that have been following my blog for some time already know that I absolutely love “Lobster Rolls”… My favorite one is from a super charming restaurant in West Village called “Pearl Oyster Bar“! I already talked on and on about this restaurant in the iamleaving2day blog but I promise that my next post will be about Pearl!

Anyway, since I am trying to keep my blog in synchrony with Kristraveler, I am going to start backwards and start with a post about “Mary’s Fish Camp“, another little restaurant in West Village that serves a similar “Lobster Roll”…

This is not going to be my last time talking about my love for “Lobster Rolls”, so for those of you that have never eaten this delicacy, let me start explaining what this plate is all about – a lobster sandwich that is served in a hot dog bun, generally with french fries on the side. It is absolutely fantastic and I am fanatic for them… We don’t have them in Brazil, so every time that I have the chance to eat them, I feel that I am in heaven!

Mary’s Fish Camp is located only few blocks away from Pearl Oyster Bar and have few things in common: they don’t accept reservations and serve delicious “Lobster Rolls’! I think that the main difference between the two is the place itself: I prefer Pearl’s environment (but that is only my preference, of course…) because in my opinion it is more charming and the place is always surrounded by nice music… To be honest, when I first went to Mary’s I was a little mystified, but I have to admit that the Lobster Roll was just as good as Pearl’s, including the fries that were as thin and crispy as the ones from my all time favorite. What I did not like was the music that was louder but maybe I was just not lucky on that day… The restaurant was opened by a former employee from Pearl, which maybe explains the similarity of the dishes served. The next time that the waitlist is too long at Pearl, you know where to go…

I bet that now you wondering and wanting to know more about Pearl Oyster Bar, right? Well, stay tuned…

Mary’s Fish Camp
64 Charles Street
646.486.2185

Original post in Portuguese:

http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com/2010/01/nyc-restaurant-marys-fish-camp.html

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About the author:

NYC Restaurant: Mary’s Fish Camp (still searching for the perfect Lobster Roll…) is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NYC Restaurant: Tartine

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:00:33 +0000

With this first post we are just launching “Cami’s Corner” as part of our new ‘Guest Blogger’ page.

‘Cami’s Corner’ is a section authored by a friend from college that lived in NYC for a year, but certainly got to know more places than the average resident, given her passion for the city and eagerness to discover new places. She now lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and occasionally may share her best secrets in her hometown with us as well, so keep checking for new posts!

Happy reading and please share your comments with us!!

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NYC Restaurant: Tartine

By Cami for kristraveler.com

During my last visit to New York City, I could not resist going to this very charming French bistro located in my favorite neighborhood, the West Village! Tartine offers amazingly good French food, and thus has made it to my top 10 NYC restaurant discoveries of 2009! It is quite a small place located in one of the most charming corners of West 4th Street.

If you are going with your friends for a night out, do have in mind that they do not sell any alcoholic beverages. Nonetheless, they have a “BYOB” policy (“bring your own bottle”) which still allows you to enjoy a nice drink with your meal. (I always forget this important detail and then have to run to the closest liquor store to get a bottle of wine while everyone is waiting for me at the table…) They serve a delicious brunch during the weekend: I absolutely love their “Eggs Norvegienne” that comes with roasted potatoes! If you are going there during the summer and the weather is nice, take advantage of their outdoor seating!

Tartine
253 W. 11th St.,corner with West 4th Street.
212.229.2611

*This post is also published in portuguese. To go to the original link, click on:

http://iamleaving2day.blogspot.com/2009/11/nyc-restaurant-tartine.html

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About the author:

NYC Restaurant: Tartine is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

New York for Free? Yes we can!

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:41:26 +0000

We all know New York is a very expensive city, but is it possible to enjoy the city on a tight budget? See the article below to get the most of Manhattan for much less than you expected.

New York for Free

From the Guardian, Oct 17th, 2009 | Rob Grader

Follow our four-day itinerary – including Broadway shows, guided tours and live comedy and music – and you needn’t spend a dime

09:00 Start your trip with some of the most spectacular views of the city skyline and have a close encounter with the Statue of Liberty during a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Yeah, I know, this is a pretty obvious suggestion, but there’s a good reason for it. You simply won’t find a better way to see New York, short of shelling out a couple of hundred dollars for a helicopter tour. Hop on the ferry at Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, and when you reach Staten Island, turn around and get on the next ferry back. The round trip is free and will take you about an hour. nyc.gov/dot; subway 1 to South Ferry, subway 5 to Bowling Green or R,W to Whitehall Street South Ferry.

10:00 Just a short walk from the ferry terminal is The Old Customs House. This impressive building, one of New York’s most spectacular Beaux-Arts buildings, is home to the equally impressive Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian. The museum’s collections include more than 800,000 artefacts and rare works of art and interactive exhibits including first-hand oral histories, music and crafts that trace the entire history of the native cultures of the Americas.

One Bowling Green, between State and Whitehall Streets.

13:00 Walk up Broadway to the historic Trinity Church on Wall Street for a classical music concert. The one-hour performance takes place every Thursday at 1pm. Upcoming performers includes the Moscow String Quartet, soprano Alison Trainer and Slovenia’s Slowind Quintet.

74 Trinity Place, Broadway and Wall Street.

15:30 A visit to the financial district is not complete without a little money talk. A few blocks away is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which offers fascinating tours around this shrine to capitalism. Exhibits include rare coins, impressive counterfeits and a chance to get your hands on a gleaming brick of gold – almost (sorry, it’s a hologram). The highlight of the tour is the trip down to the gold vaults, 80ft below street level, resting on Manhattan bedrock, where about $180bn worth of gold bars are stacked up. The bad news, you definitely won’t get your hands on these; the good news, they do hand out free cash to visitors at the end of the tour . . . really.OK, the cash happens to be out of date and shredded, but it is free. Tours run throughout the day. Make reservations about two weeks in advance through their website.

33 Liberty Street, between Nassau and William Streets.

19:00 While prices for Broadway shows easily top $100, it is possible to see almost any off-Broadway shows (and even some on Broadway) for free by being a volunteer usher – even if you are just visiting for a few days. Here’s how it works: get in touch with the theatre at least a couple of weeks before you arrive. Make a “reservation” to volunteer for a specific date. On that night, show up at the theatre about an hour before curtain-up to help seat the paying folks, then before the lights go down, grab a seat and enjoy the show. Some theatres ask you to wear black trousers and a white shirt to look official, while others just ask that you look respectable. Some theatres fill their ushering slots far in advance, but here are three top-flight, off-Broadway venues where you can generally be sure to land a reservation with just a bit of planning: New York Theater Workshop; Performance Space 122; The Cherry Lane Theatre.

Late night snack Just a short walk from PS 122 or New York Theater Workshop, be sure to stop into the Black Hound New York bakery for some tantalising treats. Black Hound is one of New York’s finest bakeries and every day they set out generous individually wrapped samples of their meticulously crafted sweets. If you’re lucky, you will get a taste of their Busy Bee Cake, a chocolatey, almond-filled mousse and marzipan concoction that melts in the mouth.

170 Second Avenue at 11th Street; 001 212-979-9505.

Day two: Friday

Midday Sure, Times Square is over-run with tourists, but you can get an insider’s view of the “Crossroads of the World” on a free guided tour. The 90-minute (sometimes much longer) tour takes you inside some of the neighbourhood’s most notable theatres, churches and historic buildings, bringing the district’s colourful history to life with little-known stories, intriguing facts and architectural oddities. And the characters leading the tours slip in enough puns and jokes along the way to make sure this tour of the theatre district is more comedy than tragedy.

Times Square Visitors Center, Seventh Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets, +212 768 1560, timessquarenyc.org.

Another tour option is Grand Central Terminal at 12.30pm. The tour is lead by architectural historian Justin Ferate who gives an insider’s view on one of the world’s largest train stations and one of the great architectural wonders of New York. The free 90-minute tour also includes explorations of the Chrysler Building and The News Building, two of the most iconic buildings in the New York skyline.

Every Friday 12.30 pm (Sculpture court, 120 Park Avenue at 42nd Street and Park Avenue, grandcentralpartnership.org).

Afternoon Spend a couple of hours exploring the high-end art galleries of Chelsea. The 150 or so galleries in the area feature the works of some of the world’s most prominent artists and are free to browse any time. Here are a few of the big-shot galleries where you are likely to find works by such artists as photographer Robert Mallelthorpe, Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol: PaceWildenenstein (545 West 22nd Street), Cheim & Read (547 West 25th Street), Gagosian Gallery (555 West 24th Street).

Afternoon snack After the galleries, walk a few blocks over to the gourmet shops of the Chelsea Marketplace. Many of the shops are quite generous with their samples of breads, brownies, cookies, fruit, gelato and even wine tastings.

75 Ninth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.

16:00 Continue your art tour by slipping into any number of New York’s most renowned museums offering free admission on Fridays. The Museum of Modern Art has free hours from 4-8pm, where you can see everything from Monet and Cézanne to Performance Art and classic films. MoMA’s free hours are popular, so prepare to queue to get in. The American Folk Art Museum next door has free hours from 5.30-7.30pm, including free musical performances. The museum’s exhibits include unique paintings, drawings, textiles, sculptures and objects by unschooled artists spanning the past three centuries. Three other museums with free hours on Friday are the Whitney Museum of American Art (6-9pm); the Asia Society (6-9pm); and the International Center for Photography (5-8pm).

21:00 Settle in for an evening of intimate acoustic music at The Postcrypt Coffee House on the campus of Columbia University. This is one of the great hidden treasures of New York City. Since 1964, every Friday and Saturday night during the school year, this small performance space (only about 25 seats) has been filled with the sounds of some of the top names in folk music. Past performers have included Jeff Buckley, Shawn Colvin, Ani DiFranco, The Roaches, Lisa Loeb, and Suzanne Vega. Nowhere else in the city presents folk music in a purer setting. Here, acoustic means acoustic: no mics, no nothing. And, best of all, you get free popcorn.

Columbia University, Basement of St Paul’s Chapel, 116th Street & Broadway +212-854-1953.

Day three: Saturday

09:00 When in New York, do as the Sex and the City gals might do. And I don’t mean rush out and buy yourself a pair of Manolos. Start the day with a free yoga class at Lululemon’s Union Square location. The yoga store pushes back their racks of stretchy pants and $90 yoga mats for a class led by teachers from nearby yoga studios.

15 Union Square West at East 15th Street (+212-675-5286).

Snack After the class, cross the street to the Union Square Farmers Market where you can fill up on samples of the freshest and tastiest fruits, vegetables, cheeses and baked goods in the city.

Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Afternoon Explore Central Park, “New York’s backyard”, with guided walks led by knowledgeable volunteers from the Central Park Conservancy . Every week they offer a full schedule of strolls through the park’s many hidden nooks and crannies. After the tour, work up a sweat by borrowing a free Field Day Kit from the North Meadow Recreation Center(mid-park at 97th Street, +212-348-4867). The kits include sports equipment and games (basketball, football, sponge Nerf balls, waffle bats, horseshoe sets, hula hoops and more). Birdwatchers and naturists can stop by Belvedere Castle to borrow a Discover Kit (binoculars, field guides and maps) to explore the lush paths of the Rambles on your own (mid-park at 79th Street, +212 772 0210).

19:00 Head down to Greenwich Village for an evening of music at two of New York’s most unique venues. Arthur’s Tavern has been jamming jazz and blues fans into its small club since 1937 – and it looks like it. But don’t be put off by the tattered posters on the walls. Every night you can depend on fine music and a raucous crowd. Then cross the street to The Duplex , the ultimate piano bar, where you can join in as your bartender, waiter, Broadway performers, drag queens and that shy-looking chubby guy sitting next to you all take turns belting out show tunes and pop songs. There’s no cover charge at either place but they do expect you to buy a couple of drinks and cough up a few bucks for the tips jar.

Day four: Sunday

11:00 Take a guided tour down Orchard Street, which will take you from the days of pushcarts selling schmatas and immigrants living 12 to a room in dangerous tenements, to ultra-hip clubs and gleaming new condos. Nowhere else in the city does old New York bump into the new as it does on the Lower East Side. The two-hour tour down Orchard Street starts at 11am, every Sunday from April to December.

lowereastsideny.com. Start at Katz’s Delicatessen (East Houston & Ludlow Street, +212 226 9010).

16:00 Every Sunday afternoon, the wonderful Marjorie Eliot welcomes jazz lovers into her North Harlem apartment for a free concert. Get there early to find a spot in her living room, hallway, kitchen or any other place that you can squeeze into to hear some of the purest, sweetest, most swingin’ tunes you will hear anywhere, for any price.

The music gets under way at 4pm at 555 Edgecombe Avenue between 159th and 160th Streets.

21:30 Enjoy some belly laughs at the Upright Citizens Brigade’s weekly free show, Assssacat 3000. UCB is one of the best comedy/improve troupes anywhere. Don’t be surprised if the performers include well-known guest comedians, such as founding member Amy Poelher, along with their regular company members. Tickets are distributed at 8.15pm and the show is very popular, so get there early to queue.

307 West 26th Street at Eight Avenue, +212-366-9176.

Midnight Count the money left in your wallet, then collapse!

• Rob Grade is author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to New York, $10.17.

Source: The Guardian – New York for Free

New York for Free? Yes we can! is a post from: www.kristraveler.com