Now that I've praised the many virtues of my favorite borough, Brooklyn, it's time to move over to what most consider the main attraction: Manhattan.
There is so much to see and do in Manhattan and there is never enough time. I mean I spent two years plus the many trips I still do back there and I still have more to see.
My advice for the first timer is to not worry about all the museums/sites, etc but try to just wander and get lost (although this is very difficult in NYC) in the many streets and avenues. You will always discover something interesting. I also advice doing that hop-on/hop-off bus tour - it's a super easy way to get your bearings and see many of the sites all at once.
In no particular order, here are some of my favorite Manhattan things:
1. Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side
I LOVE the Lower East Side. It isn't the prettiest part of NYC, but the history makes me think it's beautiful. And the Tenement Museum is a perfect way to introduce yourself into the LES. 1 in 4 Americans came through Ellis Island (and Ellis Island was only open for 32 years!) and practically all of those immigrants who landed in Ellis Island landed in the LES (not to mention the thousands for immigrants prior to 1892). Needless to say, the LES was home to many immigrants who built the United States and therefore offers a unique and interesting history.
The Tenement Museum offers an incredible glimpse into many of these immigrants lives during different periods. From Russian to Jewish to Irish to German, there are various tours that show you a glimpse of what life was like in this area. They also offer kitchen talks and a great walking tour. I have been to all of the tours, they are all wonderful. Even for a Canadian, it gave me such an appreciation for what my own ancestors had to do in order to start a new life in Canada.
Tours are often sold out so book in advance.
2. The Pickle Guys also in the LES
Once you eat a pickle from these guys, you will be ruined for pickles forever (luckily they ship!). I didn't know pickles could be this tasty and I already love pickles!
These guys pickle everything. You walk in and see several barrels with all sorts of pickled products: carrots, peppers, garlic, etc. Eating one of their FULL SOUR pickles is like eating a garlic bomb of awesomeness. If you take them to go, ask for them to make half-hot. It's delicious.
These pickles are legendary. I was once carrying a container when I went to the MET and was at first turned away because you aren't allowed food/liquids in the museum. But when I told her where they were from, she knew the value and let me take them in! HA!
3. Katz's Delicatessen (LES)
When in New York you have to eat a pastrami sandwich. So you may as well eat the best at one of the most famous delicatessen's in NYC. This is where that famous scene in When Harry Met Sally was filmed.
Take cash. And try a New York Egg Cream
4. Doughnut Plant (LES)
See a theme here? I like my food!
Doughnut Plant is DELICIOUS. They are all about filled-doughnuts which they have shaped into a square so that with each bite, you get some filling. Their flavours change daily (as well as their usual suspects) and you can have peanut butter & jelly or coconut chai cream - all are delicious!
5. The Back Room (LES)
I go here more for the novelty than anything else. The Back Room was a speakeasy back in the day and plays up it's illegal roots. It's unmarked save for a bouncer and often a line. You walk down some stairs, under the building and into a sidedoor. This door leads you into a lush room with couches and velvet easy chairs. There are several bookcases (actual exits where people would hide from the cops) and hanging chandeliers. Cocktails (1920's inspired of course!) come in a tea cup and beer in a paper bag.
Definitely a fun thing to do for a cocktail or two! Fun fact: the reason honey appears in a few of their cocktails is that when alcohol was illegally made in the 1920's, it was often terrible. So they used honey in cocktails to mask the bad flavour.
6. Foods of New York Tours (various locations)
Hands down one of the BEST tours I have ever done! I did the Greenwich Village tour which literally set the Engineer and I up on what to eat and what we now go back to. The guides are incredible (ours was Canadian!) and the amount of food you try is definitely worth the price. My parents did the Chelsea tour and spoke very highly of it.
What better way to learn about New York than to eat it? Which brings me to the next few places to eat . . . .
7. Joe's Pizza
I didn't know a simple cheese pizza could taste so good! As our Foods of NY tour guide told us, Joe's is an institution that uses proper semolina flour and San Marzano tomatoes. Seriously GOOD pizza. You can eat like a real New Yorker and fold it in half. But I don't like that because I feel like my taste sensation is over in half the time.
8. Palma
I love this place! I love it for the yummy food and I love it for the lovely back garden where you sit under fairy lights and feel like you are miles away from a busting city. They even have a perfect coach house you can rent (at a super reasonable price) for a private dinner party (Bill Clinton & Brad Pitt have done it!). For my 30th birthday, my friends and I sat at the window table which was open letting in the warm fall air and had an incredible time.
9. Amy's Bread
Around the corner from Palma is this yummy bakery that sells everything a bakery should sell PLUS this pink layer cake that I have a love affair with. It's a perfect place to sit down for a break from all the walking you will be doing in the village.
10. Murray's Cheese
What really can I say about this place other than it is a cheese lover's heaven? Just go in to smell it! A great place to gather a little picnic of foods to eat at Washington Square or grab one of the yummiest grilled cheese sandwiches you will ever eat (the one with the Murray's secret blend is a gooey heaven).
11. Le Gigot
Another lovely place for dinner is this delicious French restaurant serving some of the best duck confit I have had outside of France. Cute and quaint, perfect for a night in the West Village.
12. Ippudo
Across town is the best ramen I have eaten (well, outside of Japan). The engineer and I would go all the time, at 5:00 like old people to beat the long waits. The restaurant itself is a fun experience of loudness and communal eating. And the ramen is wonderful. Try the Shishito - so yummy! Hot peppers and salt.
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