New York

Hotels are expensive in the city and most are in mid town, but as a personal preference I would choose downtown around Greenwich Village, Soho, the West Village and more recently the East Village or the Lower East Side. Hotels are scarcer than midtown but there are more than there were a few years ago.

Check out web sites www.booking.com and www.venere.com, on our last two stays we stayed at the Hotel East Houston,151 E Houston Street, www.hoteleasthouston.com. It is in a great location between the East Village and the Lower East Side, and close to the West Village and Soho. The rates are reasonable for NY, the rooms are reasonably sized for the city, the staff are great, friendly and helpful, the complimentary continental breakfast was a pleasant surprise and the 7th floor roof top terrace is open 24 hours. It was great to take up a bottle of wine and look at the skyline. It also has easy access to and from JFK.

Apartments are an option but can be difficult to source and are often sub-lets and city legislation can make this a problem. The West & East Villages or Lower East Side are great locations and a good company called Friendly Rentals www.friendlyrentals.com has recently opened up in NY and has a selection of apartments, they also have apartments in many cities in Europe.

Restaurants

New York has probably the best eating and drinking in the world, all types, all price ranges, but if you want good dining then you need to book in advance, a great web site is www.opentable.com used by some of the best restaurants in New York, register, book from home and turn up, it works !

If you are into oysters then NY is a great place to sample them particularly at Happy Hour when $1 oyster offers are everywhere, there is even a web site in order that you can check out places near you www.oysterhappyhour.com see below for recommendations.

Downtown – West & East Villages & Lower East Side

Freemans, at the end of Freemans Alley off Rivington Street, between the Bowery and Chrystie, Lower East Side, we have visited twice, both times for lunch but will try next time for dinner.

Peasant, 194 Elizabeth Street, taken there by a NY chum this is really good Italian food, and loved the choices and also the setting.

Lupa, 170 Thompson Street, between Bleeker & Houston, is a West Village fixture, an Italian restaurant owned by Mario Battali. A cheaper option than some of his other places but wonderfull food, service and atmosphere. Book or go early, 6.30 or so, to get a table or sit at the big communal table at the window. It is still as good as the first time we went many years ago.

Arturos, 106 W Houston St, at Thompson, is a great, friendly, family run Italian Pizzerria and bar with live jazz every night. It was a well kept secret for local regulars, and us, but the word is out and it now gets mentioned in travel articles. Go and give it a try you will not be disappointed. Still as good as ever, on the last trip we took NY chums for dinner and the food was good and reasonably priced and of course there was the jazz.

Blue Hill, 75 Washington Place, between Washington Sq West and 6th Ave, booking is essential here as it is high on the list of NY restaurants, a very grown-up, serious foodie place, excellent service.

Café Mogador, 101 St Marks Place, East Village is a relaxed and very popular place to try Moroccan food at any time of the day, they don’t take bookings at the weekend so go early. They also have a place in the trendy area of Willamsburg, Brooklyn at 133 Wythe Avenue, a great stretch for places to eat, see other places listed below.

Macondo, 157 E Houston Street, try the Happy Empanada Hour with of course empanadas and cocktails. We have only been for drinks but the food looked good and judging by the crowds that always pack out the place it is as good as it looks. There are three prized seats at the street side. Still as popular as ever on our last visit.

Prune, 54 East First Street, is in the East Village it has a chef owner called Gabrielle Hamilton and she has been there since 1999, it is a small place but the food is fabulous and the service and ambience great. Brunch is apparently outstanding but no reservations are taken so be prepared to wait !

Oficina Latina, 24 Prince Street, a great find for a late night drink or to sample the Latin American food. Loved the atmosphere and with the friendly service and good food it was a fun place to eat or to chill out over a cocktail or beer.

Jane, 100 W Houston Street, is recommended for a great Sunday Brunch menu which includes a cocktail, it has been there for years, a sure sign of somewhere decent to eat. Went for Sunday brunch on the most recent visit and it was as good as ever, book or be prepared for a long wait. Lovely staff and service.

Otto, One Fifth Avenue at 8th Street, part of the Marco Battali empire, see Lupa above, this is like an Italian Enoteca with great meat & cheese plates and also a pizza restaurant it has a wonderful wine selection. The pizzas and pasta are excellent and reasonably priced, it is very popular in the evenings and at weekends.

Sel Rrose, 1 Delancey Street and Grey Lady, 77 Delancey Street are both places that offer $1 oysters at happy hour. We preferred Grey Lady as you can choose the type of osyters you want from a list whereas Sel Rose is the chef’s choice.

Fiat Cafe, 203 Mott Street, we only tried for breakfast but loved the look of the lunch menu, great selection of dishes really reasonably priced as was the wine. Cash only taken but next time it is a must.

Morgensterns, 2 Rivington Street, this is an ice cream shop but had to add it because the choices were different and excellent as were the toppings including pickled pineapple which was amazing.

Midtown

Del Posto, 85 Tenth Avenue at 16th Street, is owned by top NY chef Mario Batali, it is more formal than some of his other places but the food is as ever top notch, the set lunch is supposed to be the best value set lunch in the city, three courses for $39, however with the complimentary courses it is more like a 5 course lunch.

Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue, Flat Iron District, is Mario Batali’s food emporium with various places to eat from an upscale restaurant to a raw bar and a pizza & pasta place, something to suit all pockets, plus a restaurant attached to Birreria, see bars below.

Gotham Market West, 600 11th Avenue West, is fun to try if you are in the area with a selection of food placesby some top NY chefs. We ate at The Cannibal and loved the food, also recommended is  El Colmado a Spanish place which was sadly closed the day we went.

Shake Shack, Madison Square Park and other locations, is owned by Danny Meyer of Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern. They are supposed to be some of the best burgers in town with their own specially brewed beer from the Brooklyn Brewery, unfortunately we did not get a chance to try as the queue was too long, so go early !

Union Square Café, 21 East 16th St, between 5th Ave and Union Sq West, always in the top NY restaurant survey, you can book 28 days in advance and you need to. Food is Californian/ Italian influenced and is superb, as is the service and the setting, try and get a table on the ground floor. Still so good after all these years but rumoured to be closing and re-locating due to rising rents.

Gramercy Tavern, 42 East 20th, between Broadway & Park Ave South, is owned by the same person as Union Square Café. A special treat place, the restaurant must be booked a month in advance but you can eat in the bar area if you are unable to book, so be prepared to wait but worth it for excellent food and service. It is still up there in the top places to eat.

The Modern at MOMA, 9 West 53rd Street, between & 5th & 6th Avenue, is a more recent venture by Danny Meyer who owns Union Square & Gramercy above, it is attached to the Museum of Modern Art but with a separate entrance. Go to the Museum in the morning and then try and get a table in the Bar Room, it is less expensive than the restaurant but a great place to sample the cooking.

Grand Central Station Oyster Bar, eat at the bar, good at lunchtimes and worth a visit, also lots of places in the food court

Brooklyn

Bar Tabac, 128 Smith Street, Boerum Hill, is a neighbourhood gem, it produces excellent french bistro style food and attracts a loyal local clientele. This says a lot given that there are so many places to eat in the area.

Rosarito Fish Shack, 168 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, what a great place, we were taken by a local friend. Fantastic fish, oysters, and most dishes, but not all, with a Mexican slant, it is so good and what a great way to finish an evening after a drink in the rooftop bar at the Wythe Hotel, see below.

Coco Roco, 392 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn between 6th & 9th Streets, is a Peruvian restaurant, rated by the locals, we tried it for brunch which was excellent. Some of the mains also being served looked great.

Bars

Downtown – West & East Villages & Lower East Side

Arturos, West Village, see above for full details, just pop in for a wine or beer, meet the locals and listen to the jazz.

Fanelli, 94 Prince Street, Soho, at Mercer, is an excellent old fashioned Soho bar and eating place, locals comment that the food is so-so, so perhaps just stick to popping in for a drink, they do a mean Bloody Mary! It has a kiosk outside doing fabulous soups.

Broome Street Bar, 363 West Broadway, recommended by a local as one of the few original bars in the area, we had to visit. It did not disappoint, friendly staff and the feel of a good neighbourhood bar.

Swift Hibernian Lounge, 34 East 4th Street, an Irish Bar but not as you know it, a real mix of customers, good range of drinks and a wide selection of food. The sliders are recommended by one of NY’s top chefs as his favourite late night snack. Live traditional music session on a Tuesday nights and last but not least great bar staff.

Ten Degrees Bar, 121 St Marks Place, East Village, is an excellent bar, with good wines and meat and cheese platters along with other food. Good Happy Hour offers and generous pours of wine.

Reservoir Bar, 70 University Place is a good simple sports bar, loads of excellent beers and with a real friendly local atmosphere.

Ear Inn, 326 Spring Street, between Greenwich & Washington Streets, is a great old fashioned bar possibly the oldest in the city and one of the best. It has good beers and very reasonable food.

Blind Tiger Ale House, 281 Bleeker Street, at 7th Ave, is a very popular bar with an incredible selection of draught beers and bottled beers, it also has wines and does food and is open late every night. Gets incredibly busy at weekends in particular.

Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher Street, is a good local bar with decent beer and wine selection and reasonably priced, more of a local feel than some in the area.

Schillers Liquor Bar, 131 Rivington Street, Lower East Side, is a great place for a drink and it also does food, it is very popular so if it is packed there are loads of other interesting eating places close by.

Walkers 16, N Moore Street, at Varick St. is in Tribeca and is a lovely old fashioned bar with a couple of dining rooms, serving good and reasonably priced food.

Corner Bistro, 331 West 4th Street, at Jane Street, is known for one of the best burgers in NY. The Bistro Burger cooked to order was top notch with a good selection of beers and it is great value.

Midtown

230 Fifth, at 230 Fifth Avenue, Flat Iron area, is a roof top bar that at weekends does a brunch buffet and during the rest of the week the bar is open from 4pm. There is lots of space, great views and the drinks are reasonably priced given the views.

Birreria, 200 Fifth Avenue, look for the signs when you enter Eataly the food emporium on the ground floor then take the lift up to the roof top bar and restaurant. They brew their own beer and have a huge selection of other beers and wines as well as full meals.

Old Town Bar, 45 East 18th Street, is a NY institution, you may not agree with the politics expressed on the notices but the bar is worth a visit, there are not many old bars like this left in this part of Manhattan.

Pete’s Tavern, 129 East 18th Street, between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue, Union Square, also claims it is the oldest continuously operating bar in New York, also serves food but with mixed comments, still worth a visit just to see it and have a drink.

Brooklyn

Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, is a true gem of a bar, music in the afternoon is likely to be jazz or blues played on vinyl on the turntable behind the bar. On weekend nights there are live bands, the bar has a lovely garden patio. A step back in time but a lovely one, check for opening hours.

Rooftop Bar at the Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, this is a fairly new hotel close to the waterfront, the bar has incredible views of the Manhattan skyline. Check the opening hours and avoid the queue before it opens by having a drink in the ground floor bar first. There is also a highly recommended and popular restaurant called Reynard.

Brooklyn is a very hip area to visit and even stay these days, loads of bars and restaurants so worth checking out the various areas, see below under Culture.

Drink

New York is a drinking city and bars only shut in some cases between 4am and 8am. It has to be said however that drinking in the city can be pretty expensive but there are huge numbers of happy hours in so many bars with different offers on beers, wine, spirits and cocktails. A bit of planning can save you quite a lot of money if you are planning on enjoying NY’s great bar culture.

Wine is expensive in restaurants and often the US wines are more expensive than imported varieties but do try some locals wines if you get a chance. The other local drink to try is craft beer from some of the many US micro breweries. One to keep an eye out for is Brooklyn which is now commonly found in the UK however they do produce many more beers than just the Brooklyn Lager most often found abroad.

One important thing to be aware of is that it does not matter if you are well over 21 as you may well be asked to show proof of age and refused if you cannot comply so take a photocopy of your passport with you.

Top of The Rock, is the re-opened observation deck at the Rockefeller Centre, book on line for a time slot then get the lift up 67 flights, it is amazing with all round views of New York. The best viewing experience by far.

The 9/11 memorial is now open and is free to visit, the museum requires tickets and these can be booked in advance The web site www.911memorial.org is also good for information on the best subways and bus access.

Circle Line Cruise from the pier at West 42nd Street, you don’t need to book on line as there is a hefty surcharge but check out the times of the round Manhattan three hour cruises and get there early, take your own picnic the snacks on board are poor.

Walk the Highline the old railway line along the west side which is now a walkway with wild flowers and art installations stretching from West 34th Street, near 11th Avenue to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking district. It is now one of the top tourist destinations but also popular with locals. It is less crowded during the week and the final part from West 30th to West 34th is now open although taking you closer to the water it is disappointing compared with the first stages. The new Whitney Museum has opened at Gansevoort Street, you can buy tickets on line as queues in the early days have been long.

Lower East Side Tenement Museum, ticket office 97 Orchard Street, you visit as part of small organised groups but there are frequent slots, it is a fascinating experience where you learn about the immigrant families who occupied the building over the years.

Staten Island Ferry, has to be the best free journey anywhere for the amazing skyline views, another great free thing to do is to walk across Brooklyn Bridge from City Hall you can always take the subway back

If you want a change from Manhattan do consider Brooklyn, there are loads of options, Park Slope and Prospect Park are great areas with lots of great eating choices on 5th Avenue and Food Trucks at the park entrance at the weekend. You could try Williamsburg around Bedford Avenue, with a great selection of places and you can visit some of the recommendations above around Wythe Avenue. Go to the nearby Brooklyn Brewery, tours are at the weekend, check out their web site, with a short tour and free tasting afterwards in bar, it is very popular.

Also in Brooklyn take the subway and see Coney Island and Brighton Beach then check out neighbourhoods like Carrol Gardens and the beautiful Brooklyn Heights with stunning views over to Manhattan. Finish up at DUMBO, Down under Manhattan Bridge Overpass, full of great bars, restaurants and shops & galleries.

One of the up and coming areas in Brooklyn is Red Hook and there is a ferry from Pier 11 downtown to the IKEA warehouse nearby, this is free on Saturday & Sunday and the secret is to get off at the stop before IKEA called Fairway, lots of places to eat and Sunny’s Bar, see above.

Go discount shopping, Loehmanns 101 Seventh Avenue,  Daffy’s 11 5th Avenue at 18th, these are all around 17th & 18th, Century 21, 22 Cortland Street. DSW, Designer Shoe Warehouse, is an amazing place to buy of course shoes and the Manhattan branch is at 40 East 14th at Union Square. Also visit Dean & De Lucca 560 Broadway at Prince possibly the best food shop ever seen.