Travelling to NYC Feb 2016

[KingOfJericho]

Yeah if steak is your thing, midtown is LOADED with great steakhouses. A few highlights are Sparks (old school and really cool), Smith & Wollensky, and Del Frisco's. They'll definitely try to upsell you on wines which will cost you a pretty penny but you can always say no, making the meals quite reasonable.

I know people will jump down my throat for omitting Peter Lugers but it's not easy for a tourist. No credit cards, it's in Brooklyn, etc.

[Fundguy1]

Agreed on all counts.

[carzaddict]

Rainbow room is a wonderful place for sunday brunch!

At the top of the Marriot in times square there's a restaurant called "the view" that spins around while you sit and eat. decently priced pre-fixe menu. very romantic

[///F80M3]

We usually get hit with a big snow storm during February.

[Alfisti]

OP you're worrying about nothing, the subway will have you zooming about, it gets everywhere fast. Anywhere in manhattan is accessible within 20 minutes or so.

If anything the Times Square area is the shittiest spot, just a mass of heaving humanity. Try the upper west side as a starter for a nicer neighbourhood.

Again though, this is REALLY gonna cost you, eating out is expensive in the US and Canada, brutally so. Even a shitty chain restaurant is gonna set you back $100+ for two. A $15 burger is really $25 once you factor in tax and tip.

[shoei]

To the guy who said NYC is underwhelming and dirty - i'd tell you to go fack yourself, but there might be children around...

With that said, to the Op, you are going to have a difficult time on V-Day getting a table... Most places will be booked solid, charge a premium, and usually a prix fixe menu... Do you have a budget per-say?

In terms of things to do, depends on the age group of you and the Mrs - but a nice part of going to another state / country whatnot, is just getting lost and exploring... You are staying in an area where it is okay to explore, even after the sun goes down, lol... You already know the tourist spots to go to, you've seen the movies and tv shows...

What i've always loved about home is; doesn't have to be the fanciest Michelin Star'ed restaurant, you can find good food anywhere... I used to walk into Balthazar and order the fries to go when I was younger... You can stroll and eat what is quite possibly some of the best french fries in existence...

[catchm3ifyoucann]

Correct me if I'm wrong but since you mentioned you don't do gifts on Valentines Day, you and your wife seem like a couple that enjoys each others company more.

If this is true, keep it simple. Eat in Little Italy, then just get lost experiencing the city together. Theres nothing wrong with simplicity.

Don't spend your entire night in a Michelin Star restaurant to miss out all the city has to offer. Everyone that visits NYC heads straight to Time Square and misses out everything it has to offer.

[C5driver]

Originally Posted by shoei

To the guy who said NYC is underwhelming and dirty - i'd tell you to go fack yourself, but there might be children around...

What i've always loved about home is; doesn't have to be the fanciest Michelin Star'ed restaurant, you can find good food anywhere... I used to walk into Balthazar and order the fries to go when I was younger... You can stroll and eat what is quite possibly some of the best french fries in existence...

QFT.

Finding the hidey hole places is part of the adventure.

Pommes Frittes in the East Village... All they do is fries. Best ever.

Some ramen places...Toto, for example...tiny, but blows away anything you can get on the west coast, IMO.

Originally Posted by shoei

Do you have a budget per-say?

3rd post...it's within range.

Originally Posted by shoei

In terms of things to do, depends on the age group of you and the Mrs - but a nice part of going to another state / country whatnot, is just getting lost and exploring... You are staying in an area where it is okay to explore, even after the sun goes down, lol... You already know the tourist spots to go to, you've seen the movies and tv shows...

One of the coolest places I've been to was a speakeasy on the Lower East...cabbie asked us if this was the right location. Walking uptown was thrilling.

[Fundguy1]

There's lots of good holes in the wall. Lugars is also great as said. If you're doing valentine's, do a reservation ASAP.

[PoorLurker]

I'd still suggest going to Peter Lugers if you get a chance even if it's in Brooklyn.

Budget for a restaurant? I thought this was BimmerPost...

I would suggest eating a Grimaldi's for some pizza. They used to only have one in Brooklyn, but have since opened one in Manhattan from what I hear.

I remember my last trip to NYC, we sat down at Lombardi's for a late lunch, ate their pizza, got on a train, and went to Grimaldi's to redeem ourselves. Then, it was off to Peter Lugers for dinner haha.

Like fried chicken? We also had Momofuku's Fried Chicken dinner. It was pretty good.

http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/fried-chicken/

We ate at a ton of other places as we literally just walked around and ate at every place we saw that looked appetizing.

CRIF dogs has a cool hidden door that leads to a bar.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Yeah get the hell out of Times Sq. - Downtown is really where the city comes alive.

Uh like, where the world trade is?

Thats the last thing I would say...

Midtown, meatpacking district is what I would recommend by far.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by PoorLurker

I'd still suggest going to Peter Lugers if you get a chance even if it's in Brooklyn.

Budget for a restaurant? I thought this was BimmerPost...

I would suggest eating a Grimaldi's for some pizza. They used to only have one in Brooklyn, but have since opened one in Manhattan from what I hear.

I remember my last trip to NYC, we sat down at Lombardi's for a late lunch, ate their pizza, got on a train, and went to Grimaldi's to redeem ourselves. Then, it was off to Peter Lugers for dinner haha.

Like fried chicken? We also had Momofuku's Fried Chicken dinner. It was pretty good.

http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/fried-chicken/

We ate at a ton of other places as we literally just walked around and ate at every place we saw that looked appetizing.

CRIF dogs has a cool hidden door that leads to a bar.

Oh them be fighting words right there... I grew up around the corner from Lombardi's... Grimaldi's it's on the list but Lombardi's holds a special place in my heart... Like Biorin and her moustache, Lups and her goats, or Sara and Valentino's... (Tonka and his ass can also be added to this list btw )

While in the BK though, if you are doing the pizza tour, you have to stop by di fara's... They've all become commercialized it's actually kinda sad and anger invoking at times but what made di fara's special was the old man made the dough by hand, ever single day, all day long... Now that he's gotten much older, it's his offspring that handle day to day and they sadly have started to whore it out... But the point is, it's something magical to watch him make the dough by hand... People go to di fara's in the airport or malls now and don't realize what made the pie special in the first place... There's something you can add to the list, because no matter how much you travel, how much money you have, but once the old man retires / goes to pizza heaven, no amount of Benjamin's in your bank account can get you the original di fara's pizza...

[borinous]

wow thanks to all who have commented so far. This is the sort of info i'm looking to get sorry if i mislead with the original post but i'm not looking for Michelin Star

As someone said regarding the non-gift buying. Yes we do enjoy each others company and we would have much more enjoyment from finding the real world better places to eat and experience. ill keep doing some digging thanks for the leads.

[borinous]

Originally Posted by ///F80M3

We usually get hit with a big snow storm during February.

im hoping so

in the south east of england we just get varying degrees of wet. very little snow just wet and damp and at the moment warm!!!

[borinous]

i also appreciate that staying where we are its going to be the cheesy tourist stuff. and being a tourist not sure i'm brave enough to venture to some areas (theres plenty of parts of london i wouldnt go to) so there is going to be a compromise

[borinous]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Yeah if steak is your thing, midtown is LOADED with great steakhouses. A few highlights are Sparks (old school and really cool), Smith & Wollensky, and Del Frisco's. They'll definitely try to upsell you on wines which will cost you a pretty penny but you can always say no, making the meals quite reasonable.

I know people will jump down my throat for omitting Peter Lugers but it's not easy for a tourist. No credit cards, it's in Brooklyn, etc.

Steak did spring to mind as a food choice. think someone else asked what food we like

[C5driver]

Originally Posted by borinous

i also appreciate that staying where we are its going to be the cheesy tourist stuff. and being a tourist not sure i'm brave enough to venture to some areas (theres plenty of parts of london i wouldnt go to) so there is going to be a compromise

The Lower East used to be Murderville, but it's not too bad. We made it out alive, walking uptown to our hotel...

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Uh like, where the world trade is?

Thats the last thing I would say...

Midtown, meatpacking district is what I would recommend by far.

Midtown is largely office buildings with little to no charm or character (trust me, I've spent many years of my life in the area and in those buildings). I would focus my attention from Union Square Park south. That includes SoHo, Meatpacking, TriBeCa, Gramercy, Greenwich Village, etc.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by borinous

i also appreciate that staying where we are its going to be the cheesy tourist stuff. and being a tourist not sure i'm brave enough to venture to some areas (theres plenty of parts of london i wouldnt go to) so there is going to be a compromise

Just have to keep your wits about you, especially in Times Sq. It's exactly the same type of opportunistic BS as central London (maybe with slightly fewer pickpockets). Stay away from the costumed characters and ignore anyone who asks if you like hip-hop music. They'll sign a CD with your name then try to shake you down to buy it since they wrote your name on it. Those few blocks are scam city so get the hell out of there after breakfast each day.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by C5driver

That's not true. Moreover, it's not even a function of your lowered expectations. Good is good no matter what the dress code says.

Meh, it's OK. The pizza is overrated and a lot of it is extremely dirty. You CAN have a good time without spending money, but then there is no reason to go to NYC. NYC DOES have good high end entertainment and restaurants which is why I'm not arguing that it totally sucks.

If you're not going to enjoy the nicer things there, there is nothing great about NYC. The people are rude, the city is dirty, the city is not pretty, no culture, the subway sucks, and did I mention the people are rude?

The whole purpose of going to NYC is seeing a nice show and eating at a michelin star restaurant. Otherwise, it's just like any big city in America. Shitty.

[BayMoWe335]

May I suggest this video:

[rcracin]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

Meh, it's OK. The pizza is overrated and a lot of it is extremely dirty. You CAN have a good time without spending money, but then there is no reason to go to NYC. NYC DOES have good high end entertainment and restaurants which is why I'm not arguing that it totally sucks.

If you're not going to enjoy the nicer things there, there is nothing great about NYC. The people are rude, the city is dirty, the city is not pretty, no culture, the subway sucks, and did I mention the people are rude?

The whole purpose of going to NYC is seeing a nice show and eating at a michelin star restaurant. Otherwise, it's just like any big city in America. Shitty.

Are you one that relates to all those "Goodbye NY" letters? Lol you seem so upset about New York.