A group of 2 couples -- former co-workers, all retired now
We've never been to New York City
We all like Chinese, health foods and vegetarian food
My husband wants to know if there are any good all-you-can eat places -- buffets, I guess that's what they are called
Interested in museums and libraries
Likes gadgets and electronics and music
I like to bum around thrift stores -- are there good ones in NY City?
Are there places where you can purchase good ready made clothing at bargain prices?
What are things we must see and must do?
We are travelling together and will stay at the same hotel but plan to split up if necessary, since we are likely to have different interests
2007-03-12 17:32:04 · 4 answers · asked by Lynda 7 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ New York City
My favorite Chinatown restaurants are
Fuleen Seafood, 11 Division Street (lunch prices are great )- portions are big and the shrimp dishes - ummm
Sunrise 27, 27 Division Street, I especially love their fried squid, but all the fish dishes are wonderful
NY Noodletown, 28 1/2 Bowery, small, drab, crowded - the food here is awesome
Shanghai Cuisine, 89 Bayard Street - really good Shanghai food
On Canal Street between Church and Broadway, there are a lot of plastics, hardware and odd shops with very discounted "things" (tools, electronic parts, used computers) - my husband is fascinated by these stores - I am so bored.
There is an excellent Japanese all-you-can eat buffet called Todai on East 32nd Street near Madison- just look at the menu - they do custom-made sushi and stir-fries - you pick the ingredients
http://www.todai.com/
The main street of Koreatown is 32nd between 5th and 6th - lots of different restaurants - all price ranges - some have hibachi cooking, tasting menus, lots of vegetarian options (some are open all night)
The best Chinese buffet is in Flushing - the Queens Chinatown (get the #7 train at Times Square or Grand Central and go to Flushing, the last stop - pleasant ride - most of it outdoors). It's called East Buffet and they have a lot of unusual dishes - if you go, be sure to try the sharksfin seafood soup and the cold dessert soup with the melon balls.
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/localguide/108587,0,2017812.venue
A restaurant with the real "flavor" of New York is Katz's Deli on Houston Street near Ludlow on the Lower East Side interesting area to walk through (note: we prounounce this Howz' ton not like the Texas city). There are two areas at Katz's - one is self-service and one is waiter service. Definitely sit in self-service - you go up to the counter, order your sandwich and, tip the counterman a dollar or two. He, then, will put much more meat in your sandwich than a waiter will bring you. (A few years ago several reporters went to Katz's with a small scale - some sat in waiter service and some sat in self service - all the self service sandwiches had at least a quarter of a pound more meat).
To add to the New York experience, drink a cream soda or celery tonic with your meal. Sandwiches are big enough to share - get an order of fries and you're all set. My favorite there is tongue and corned beef on a club roll. (Great for the carnivores)
Read about Katz's
http://www.katzdeli.com
Two excellent inexpensive Italian restaurants:
Near Union Square: Via Emilia on East 21st Street and Park Avenue. Appetizers are unusual and outstanding - gnocco fritto - large platter of Italian coldcuts served with delicious little fritters; tigelle (not served in too many places) hot biscuits with proscuitto and melted cheese; wonderful soups, good pastas, fish is always fresh. Some desserts are outstanding.
http://www.viaemilianyc.net/dinner.html....
In the West Village: Da Andrea on Hudson Street and West 11th Street.
Excellent pastas - I especially love their clam sauce, they, too, make tigelle, can get very crowded on weekends.
http://www.biassanot.com/
If you like Spanish food (from Spain, not Mexico - it's an entirely different cuisine), Costa del Sol on 50th Street and Ninth Avenue is wonderful - for $25, you get a complete dinner with a ton of choices - AND IT's GOOD! You get a choice of soup or salad - (I never order salad when there's another choice, so I can't comment). My favorite soup is the Caldo Gallego - from Galecia Spain - a delicious hearty soup with bacon, chorizo sausage, white beans, kale and other vegetables; you can also order the cold gazpacho or a chicken soup with noodles. You have a choice of more than twenty entrees - at least six different shrimp dishes - my favorites are the very lightly floured shrimp with wine sauce and the garlic shrimp - HUGE portions. You can also order salmon, paella, a whole lobster with butter sauce, various chicken dishes, mixed seafoods, veal., pork chops. These come with saffron rice and string beans - large platters on the table for everyone. You also get dessert and coffee - the cheesecake is good, but you can have flan or rice pudding or ice cream. As if all this food weren't enough of a bargain, if two of you order this three course dinner, you can get a bottle of red or white wine for only $6 more ($3 each)
http://members.aol.com/cdelsol/
If you get to Coney Island in Brooklyn (The New York Aquarium is wonderful) there is an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet on Neptune Avenue one block from Nathan's. There is also Totonno's one of the best pizza places in the City.
There are excellent thrift shops on East 23rd Street between Second and Third Avenue - the one I really like is the one that supports the New York City Opera - some very upscale clothing, accessories, kitchen wares, etc. They have a good book collection, especially cookbooks. There is also a Goodwill store on the block and a Housing Works (these are good shops) across the street. There are more thrift stores on Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue between 23rd and 28th.
Our best bargains for clothing:
Century 21
http://www.century21deptstores.com/...
Loehmann's
http://www.loehmanns.com/skipintrofinal....
Daffy's
http://www.daffys.com/index.cfm...
Filene's Basement
http://www.filenesbasement.com/master.ht...
Barney's
http://www.barneys.com/b/;jsessionid=dkj...
Museum of Natural History is great. Metropolitan Museum of Art is world class
My favorite (and, it's not popular, it's not even well known) is the Gubbio Studio. It's a fifteenth century library in a duke's palace. As you walk into this room, you see cabinets, closets, bookcases filled with books, musical instruments, scientific instruments, all made of little pieces of inlaid wood. You are not going to believe it when you get close - it's flat! This should take your breath away - I can't describe it. And the museum hardly advertises it. It's on the first floor, north of the medieval sculpture court.
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/vi...
Next favorite are the weapons and armor:
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/de...
Then, the costumes
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/de...
You can't possibly see this place in one visit. It's one of the greatest museums in the world.
The Cloisters - medieval - is uptown on a hill overlooking the Hudson River - great museum, gorgeous spot and they play Gregorian chants - you can ride all the way up on a bus and get to see different parts of the City.
Don't buy any electronics, cameras, computers, etc in the Times Square area - they sell a lot of defective goods - they know the tourists will not be repeat customer and they won't be back to complain. If you are buying anything, go to a store with a good reputation and a good return policy (B&H is excellent)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
Bring the most comfortable shoes you own and have a great time!
2007-03-13 01:40:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
We've never been to New York City
....Welcome! It's huge. Also, it's overwhelming. But it is ultra cultural! I;ve been here 59 years and won't leave.
We all like Chinese, health foods and vegetarian food
...NYC has a Chinatown in lower Manhattan. If you got to Yahoo maps. Type in 10007, you might find in that zip code a lot of vegetarian places in lower Manhattan. Be aware than NYC is 5 counties all easy to get to via subway and/or bus. Most great things are in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Bronx zoo world class. Queens has the Mets and Flushing meadow park, in addition to the Astoria Sound studios ..So much ethnic foods.
Brooklyn botanical gardens world class
My husband wants to know if there are any good all-you-can eat places -- buffets, I guess that's what they are called
. Yes indeed, but not Manhattan, unless you like Indian food. I frequent Buffets. Look up Queens county NY buffets. Also, there is an a-1 buffet ; it is called East Buffet. Do an engine search. It's the best of all...exotic and gorgeous. Others are cheaper.
Interested in museums and libraries
They are all specail Donnell Libray in Manhattan has lots of free shows. Lincoln Center is where high brow culture is. Town Hall has great concerts. Cnetral Park is nice but huge.
Make sure you get to the Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of TV and radio in Queens, Manhattan's' metropolitan Museum of art, and the Museum of Natural History. There are so many really. Note:L You can give even a dollar at many to gain entrance, despite their posting. higher prices.
Likes gadgets and electronics and music
Fotunoffs,
I like to bum around thrift stores -- are there good ones in NY City?
Many.
What are things we must see and must do?
1/2 price ticket booth to see a musical or play. NY Philharmonic.
www.poetz.com
www.acousticlive.com
www.cabarethotlineonline.com
We are travelling together and will stay at the same hotel but plan to split up if necessary, since we are likely to have different interests
2007-03-12 18:00:40 · answer #2 · answered by Legandivori 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1
2017-03-01 00:59:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im pretty sure if you like museums youre already planning on going, but if youre not, you need to go the metropolitan museum of art.. it was one of the most incredible places i have ever been.. you could literally spend days in there without seeing everything and getting tired of it
and i was not even interested in art before i went, but i surely appreciated it after
have fun
2007-03-12 17:37:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋