New York City Guide

A more complete guide to New York City is forthcoming, but for now we’d like to share some favorite eating and shopping tips.  You can read about the Empire State Building and Metropolitan Museum of Art anywhere, but only here can you get Vito and Annabella’s dining guide to NYC:

*A good place for lunch (no lunch on weekends) or dinner in midtown is Osteria Laguna, at 209 East 42^nd Street.  It features food from Venice and the Veneto regions, so it’s a more Northern flavor (which, of course, we like).  Not cheap, but not expensive.

*As of Fall 2010 no foodie trip to NYC would now be complete without a trip to Eataly, Italy’s gourmet superstore, now stateside thanks to Mario Battali and Joe Bastianich.  It is particularly worthwhile for its outstanding cheese counter.  They even sell castelmagno from Piemonte!  Try the casciota from any region.  You can read about the original Eataly here.  It’s at 200 5^th Avenue, between West  23^rd and 24^th.

*En route to/from Eataly stop into La Maison du Macaron, at 132 West 23^rd Street,  for a sweet French treat.  If you’ve salivated over our descriptions of Laduree in Paris (or London), here’s a chance in the USA to have a pretty-darned-good macaron.

*NYC has some great farmers’ markets.  The mother of these is the one at Union Square, open four days a week year-round.  Check out more Green Market info here.

*If the line for gelato at Eataly is too daunting, no worries.  There are now 3 locations of Torino’s terrific gelateria, Grom.  We’ve been to the Village and Upper West Side locations.  It’s expensive, but it’s good.  Honestly, just not the same as in Italy because of preposterous prohibitions from the FDA for doing things the right way, but they are trying.

*As for pizza in NYC, we really can’t recommend anything all that outstanding.  Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn – eh.  Not worth the wait.  Hopefully we’ll discover a place someday soon worth of sharing.  Know what else we do NOT recommend?  Magnolia Bakery, with its overpriced and overly dry cupcakes.

*Fun shopping times can be had at the Antiques Garage Flea Market in Chelsea, at 112 West 25^th Street.  There’s an excellent Goodwill across the street (where Annabella bought a Betsey Johnson dress for $8 in April 2010 while killing a little time before her train).  Quite a few other antique shops along that street.

*In the Meatpacking District we recommend Chelsea Market.  Stop for a bite before taking a walk along the High Line (an urban park opened in 2009 along old rail lines).  Fat Witch Bakery has some insanely good brownies.  The building itself is historic and nice to walk around.  There’s also a branch of Jacques Torres Chocolates here, though you’ll find a better selection at the original store in Brooklyn (thumbs up to the passion fruit truffle and the chocolate-covered macadamia nuts).

*In the West Village, just down from the 14th Street subway station, is Chocolate Bar (Alison Nelson’s).  We are very partial to the peanut butter & jelly bar, which has a slight crunch.  Their sea salt almond bar is good, too.

*Killer donuts can be found at one of several branches of Doughnut Plant (whose products are also sold at other shops).  Unusual flavors like raspberry jam with peanut butter glaze, but be forewarned that the best flavors sell out early.

GENERAL TIPS

*Finding a decent, budget hotel in NYC is a struggle.  The best strategy is to continually check hotel websites and sites like TripAdvisor for any special offers.  We sometimes drive and stay in New Jersey, where hotel rates are a fraction (about 1/3) the price of a room in Manhattan, and even with the cost of gas, tolls and parking it still can be a savings if you live within driving distance.  Another alternative is to stay in a place like Stamford, CT, with access to train lines and where good weekend hotel rates can be found.

*With a Bank of America card of any kind (ATM, credit card, etc) you can enter into many museums for free during the first weekend of each month, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim, courtesy of the Museums on Us program.

*All the main sites of NYC are well known, but some lesser known places that we recommend include The Tenement Museum, which offers a rare glimpse into immigrant life in the Lower East Side by looking into the real life stories of families who occupied the tenements (guides and costumed interpreters are excellent and knowledgeable).    Be aware that during busy times many tours sell out early so it is best to make reservations.

*Fraunces Tavern is a historic site with an interesting history as an inn/tavern.  The tour gives a good background to the history of the city and travel during the tavern’s era.