DH and I will be celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary this weekend. We thought we might head into New York city and spend the day. We haven't done this in many years and we have no agenda. I was thinking of staying in the downtown area - maybe Tribeca, the Village or Meatpacking district.
We are both foodies and he loves funky wine stores/bars. We also like to browse antique stores, farmers markets, gourmet food stores and anything a little unusual (but not necessarily expensive). Any favorite haunts you'd like to share? Just remembered - we LOVE dim sum. Maybe we should hit China town? I wouldn't know where to start.
Consider taking the subway to Flushing Queens for really good Dim Sum! Queens is becoming a food mecca! Although many will say it has been for years!
Instead of a huge Broadway production, go to an off Broadway show. Chance are that you will be able to get tickets and many of them are fantastic - the productions are not nearly as huge and the ticket prices aren't either!
The Standard is a very nice hotel in the Meatpacking district.
You might be interested in taking one of the Food Tours of NYC. It is a walking tour that covers different New York areas. It was really fun and we visited 7-8 places that we would have probably never visited on our own. It was divided between restaurants and specialty food stores with lots of neighborhood history thrown in. Have fun and Happy Anniversary.
I'm going to NYC this summer and a friend of mine who lives there told me about a place called Eataly, near Madison Square Park, which is owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali. Part of it is an Italian market where you can buy fresh cheese, meats, wine, produce, yummy pastries, gelato, etc and then there are also I think 6 different restaurants - one is a rooftop beer garden, one is a casual pizza and pasta place, a couple are more upscale, fine-dining places, etc, so there's a nice variety. We haven't been yet, but it sounds wonderful! Hope you go! Happy Anniversary! Let us know what you do!
I second the vote for Zabar's. My personal favorites are both free outdoors activities. First, I LOVE walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan, just to take in the view of the skyline and think about how the bridge got built. Second, I have very fond memories of walking around midtown Manhattan on 5th Avenue window-shopping with my mother, looking at all those pretty baubles which we never would own (or even want to, when it comes down to it...). I hear Battery Park is really nice too. I guess I just love the feel of the city.
Anyway, if the weather cooperates, you might find one of those two activities to be a nice break from indoors browsing. Enjoy!
ETA: Ditto to what NYMetroMom said about the Metropolitan Museum, Central Park, and the Cloisters. I was thinking about them too!
Sounds like you're in the right area to do the right stuff! If the weather is good they have the Highline to walk on now which people love, it's an aerial greenway that runs from Gansevort St below 14th up to 30th along the West Side..http://www.thehighline.org/
Happy Anniversary!
Zabar's is a very popular gourmet/speciality food shop. http://www.zabars.com/
You may like Chelsea Market: http://www.chelseamarket.com/
City Bakery is delicious: http://www.thecitybakery.com/city-bakery
Craft Steak was a great place for a really nice dinner.
Mario Batali's restaurants are also wonderful. I had an amazing pork chop at Babbo (we sat in the bar - same menu, less ambiance which was good for us because we aren't formal people!). He has another restaurant called Otto Enoteca Pizzeria - I haven't been, but the one in LA is very, very popular.
A Broadway show...
Walking in Times Square
The Times Square Toys 'R Us
Rockefeller Center
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
We were in NYC 2 weeks ago. Enjoyed the Highline (as suggested by a few others) and took in the Broadway show "Once". Great show. Have a fun trip!
My fav thing to do in NY is Broadway shows and eating at those corner markets that have a "buffet" at lunch. They also have the best coffee EVER in those places. Great question. Looking forward to the answers. have a great time!
I agree with S. B and Kaseyirv -
Chelsea market, NYC food walking tours, the Highline. You can start downtown, walk the highline and end up at Chelsea market for lunch.
If you feel like head to the east side, midtown my current favorite manhattan restaurant is Zengo (3rd Ave and 40th Street) - asian / southwest fusion. sounds strange but they have the most awesome tuna wonton taco appetizers. I dream about them. I've never had a bad meal there and I take clients there frequently.
If you want to do upscale Asian go to the China Grill. it hink it's 53rd between 5th & 6th (Ave of the Americas) Avenues. Everything on their menu is amazing.
If you want to walk around and shop for funky stuff the village is a great option, TriBeCa, NoHo, all the small streets north of Canal. If you're going to be in Chinatown check out Pearl River Mart (on Broadway a couple blocks north of Canal Street) for all kinds of interesting imports from China (fabric, lanterns, incense, wind up toys, slippers, home furnishings, tea, etc.)
It's also a lovely time of year to be outside. Central Park is gorgous with all it's flowering trees (the parked was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead a famous landscape designed in the 1850's) and a stroll to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a great and interesting way to spend the day (lots of street performers in the park when the weather is nice). If you go in the museum there's a lovely resturant called Petrie Garden Cafe - it overlooks the park on one side the European sculpture court on the other side. The food is very good and reasonably priced. There's also a little know roof top cafe - the food is counter service sandwiches, snacks and ice cream - but there's also a bar. It's an amazing place to have a glass of wine at the end of the day and gaze over Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.
My last suggestion - if the weather is nice is to go the cloisters - the northern most tip of Manhattan up on a high hill. It's part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - it's a collection of various castles, cloisters and reproductions that have been assembled & built. You'd take the subway and then walk through these beautiful gardens up to the castle on the hill. It overlooks the Husdon River, Palisades, George Washington Bridge, etc. It's a sweet day trip at this time of year when the eweather's nice and everything's in bloom.
Have a wonderful time no matter what you do!
I just can't go to NYC without seeing a Broadway show. Happy anniversary!
