Hi!! I’ve lived in brooklyn for a few years and part of living here is that you become effectively a part-time airbnb for all your friends when they come to NY. So I feel like i’ve seen the good and bad ways to visit.
10 days is a nice chunk of time! i think the most important thing is to pick 1 area or neighborhood and plan your days around that. like spend a day doing all the little shops in williamsburg, do a park slope / brooklyn museum day, etc.
The “perfect day for first-timers” that i take my friends when they visit me for the first time: Get a cute little lunch at Cafe Gitanne in Dumbo, go to the little dumbo shops - Front General (both locations), Natural Selection, Hudson Wilder. Then take the ferry to greenpoint - you get to see the entire skyline and it’s literally $4. Get pierogis and borscht from pierozek. Go to the greenpoint bars, end up at three-decker diner in the middle of the night.
also go to rolo’s and get the polenta flatbread!!!!
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Manhattan (Mostly LES + some extras)
- Dim Sum GoGo
- my gf‘s friend‘s new bar Sake Bar Asoko
- Forget Me Not for a chill dimes square fries and a martini asshole meal
- live music at Heaven Can Wait, Arlene’s, Mercury Lounge, Berlin Under A, Bowery Ballroom
- drunk karaoke at Winnie’s
- Roxy Cinema for a movie night
- Bk Bridge park at night for a view and ice cream if you’re a tourist or just nostalgic
- The Whitney museum and a walk by the water / more gallery hopping
- Lovers of Today bar for a date or late night move
- Orchard Express Tailor for your tailoring needs
- The Met & Central Park is a trek but worth doing on a nice late spring day
Brooklyn (I live in crow heights)
- Bk museum and Botanic Garden day (i did a whole post on this)
- Super Power or Bearded Lady (sister tiki bars) to get wasted
- live music at Baby’s All Right, Gold Sounds, Alphaville, Trans-Pecos
- a chic dinner & incredible food at Olea, Aita, Saraghina Cafe, Colonia Verde, LaRina, Sisters, Bunna Cafe
- Turtles All The Way Down or Do or Dive for dive bars
- Fan Fan Doughnuts
- Greenberg Bagels or Lula Bagels
- Island Pops ice cream
- Nana Ramen, Ichiran Ramen
- bars for dates: The Narrows, Doris, Hartley‘s, Bar Laika, Bar Velo, Pokito, Lunatico
- Fort Greene Park on a nice day
- Drive to Highland Park for nature & to feel like you are not in the city
- Red Hook day (wineries, breweries, + Steve’s Key Lime Pie)
- Rockaway beach
- dirty chai ($$$$) from Cotton Bean or Marcy & Myrtle
that’s all for now
Sep 16, 2024
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i do think anyone visiting NYC for the first time should go to times square and a musical, empire state building etc just for the novelty of it, and here are some other things that may be fun! (also search “new york”/“nyc” on pi.fyi, i did it for “london” and found a lot of cool stuff!)
- definitely go to moma or the met! also the guggenheim has an amazing jenny holzer exhibit on until sept 29. skip amnh!
- NYPL Polonsky Exhibition - everything from the original winnie the pooh to a beautiful mini leaf-shaped Quran! (you could get coffee, go to the whitney then walk the high line and take the subway to the NYPL main branch for the exhibit!)
- staten island ferry in the afternoon - to see the statue of liberty! however, do NOT go during rush hour (6-9:30AM and 3-8PM) it sucks for locals when tourists add to the crowd during that time and the boats will be crowded enough with commuters that the experience sucks for you also lol
- picnic in central park! you could do lunch, or broad nosh bagels is like a block away from the 59th st station, sometimes if i’m around in the morning, i get breakfast from there and eat it in the park. at least have a bagel at some point
- cool bookstores: the strand, p&t knitwear, housing works (soho)
enjoy your visit!! :)
Sep 11, 2024
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i've transcribed our conversation for your reading pleasure.
parks:
- Rockefeller park
- Central Park, but not if you don't like crowds and are looking for a peaceful walk (you can also rent a bike nearby and ride it through the park)
- not necessarily a park, but the Highline. used to be a railway, is now a place for gardening and walking. beautiful views, lovely walk.
- Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, river views, great for picnic
- Battery Park, very zen place to be, suggest you go at dusk to see the sun set over the city skyline. you can also see the statue of liberty from there
brunch:
- Gee Whiz Diner, dope pancakes, bomb eggs benedict
- Sarabeth's, stunning pancakes
- Pick A Bagel, you can get any kind of bagel to go/to stay, absolutely delicious
lunch/dinner:
- Shake Shack, great burgers, best attraction is the fries, can't go wrong with fast food
- Gee Whiz Diner, again, incredible grilled cheeses
- Golden Unicorn, stunning Chinese cuisine, godly dumplings
- Lombardi's, historic pizza place
- Benihana, Japanese food, you get the chef cooking in front of you experience
activities:
- Museum of Natural History, if you are a fan of archeology/paleontology/or just science in general
- South Street Seaport, occasionally there are seafood stands, but otherwise its a nice walk and a historic location
- Pier 25, great minigolf, can also play volleyball here
- If you like sports, Chelsea Piers, its also right by the Highline so you can kill two birds with one stone
- if you have money and want to do some shopping, check out Williamsburg
- take the ferry to Ellis Island, it stops at Liberty Island so you can still see the statute of liberty up close but you don't have to get off if you don't want to deal with the crowds. Plus Ellis Island is also pretty cool, you can search up if your relatives came through Ellis Island
Apr 16, 2024
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