To any New Yorkers out there..

Hey,

I'm heading out to New York this summer, and would love to know the places that would be worth a visit. I've been to the US many a time, but never graced New York. While I am aware of the general attractions, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc, are there any 'hidden gems' that only people who live, or know New York well would urge a visit.

Also, any well known bars, or sporting bars. My brother is big into US sports, particularly baseball, so are there any great bars associated with that.

Thanks very much

No clue.

Are you going to be staying in the city?

There is a bar called Johnny Utah's on 51st street that I go to that is pretty good, but I've only been to a few different bars. Its right near Rockefeller center and Radio City.

For baseball, Yankee's stadium is a quick train ride from Grand Central and the summer is a great time to go to a game.

If you do want to do 'touristy' stuff, check this out. http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/cruise-details.aspx?id=5

Hey, thanks for that. I had intended to visit the stadium. Yeah I'll be staying in an apartment in Manhattan.

If you go out to Long Island there is a nice nature reserve called Sands Point. That's all I have, don't do much here.

Do not go to Long Island.

You listed the big spots - there's the Intrepid if you want to see an aircraft carrier, Natural History Museum... most of the smaller attractions in NY are art museums, of which I know nothing. But let me tell you, NY is not about the tourist scene. It's nice to walk Manhattan and see what there is to see during the day, but NY is all about the food and the night life. Find our way to the Village and start barhopping and you're sure to find at least one enjoyable experience you did not expect.

@Veektarius said:

Do not go to Long Island.

You listed the big spots - there's the Intrepid if you want to see an aircraft carrier, Natural History Museum... most of the smaller attractions in NY are art museums, of which I know nothing. But let me tell you, NY is not about the tourist scene. It's nice to walk Manhattan and see what there is to see during the day, but NY is all about the food and the night life. Find our way to the Village and start barhopping and you're sure to find at least one enjoyable experience you did not expect.

Why no Long Island? It's great for nature and beaches.

You should go to Nathan's for a Hot Dog.

Here's a site for good bars and stuff (Site also has a menu on the left where you can click on neighborhoods etc.):

http://nymag.com/srch?t=bar&N=259+501&No=0&Ns=nyml_sort_name|0

The Intrepid is pretty awesome with the jets on it and the mechanics of the aircraft carrier. If you're looking for cheap and a safe bet, the MET is good. You'll probably find something interesting there.

@Flawed_System:

I live on Long Island. Despite the proximity to NY, the commute is too long for a typical weekend vacation. If you want to do 'nature & beaches' particularly (god knows why you're visiting NY if that's what you want) you're talking getting to Suffolk County, for the most part, which is even further. And things on Long Island are not close together, either. If you're flying in, you'd need a car rental for this. About the only thing Long Island has that stands out are the wineries (again, in Suffolk County) though they are not of a particularly high quality as wineries go (according to people who like wine, i.e. not me).

I've never spent much time in NY myself, but there's this one totally badass, ginormous bookstore called The Strand that I think is worth a look-see. Also, a friend recently found and told me about this one place called 'Barcade', which is just a bar with hella arcade machines in it. Dunno if you're into that kind of thing, but it sounded kinda cool.

And, I dunno if this counts as 'major attraction' yet, but the Highline, or whatever it's called. The elevated train tracks they converted into a park. That's a thing you're supposed to go see. Which I haven't. But you should.

@MarkWahlberg said:

And, I dunno if this counts as 'major attraction' yet, but the Highline, or whatever it's called. The elevated train tracks they converted into a park. That's a thing you're supposed to go see. Which I haven't. But you should.

The highline is pretty nice, and they are gradually expanding it, which is pretty awesome. Also, if your brother is really into baseball, you could also hop across the river to Hoboken, NJ (a simple train ride), where one of the intersections on the main drag is actually the diamond where the first organized baseball game was played, in addition to all of the bars, clubs, and stuff that are located throughout the town.

@MarkWahlberg said:

I've never spent much time in NY myself, but there's this one totally badass, ginormous bookstore called The Strand that I think is worth a look-see. Also, a friend recently found and told me about this one place called 'Barcade', which is just a bar with hella arcade machines in it. Dunno if you're into that kind of thing, but it sounded kinda cool.

I looked up Barcade so that I could see where it is and maybe go next time I'm in NY, but realized there's one in my city (Philadelphia) too. Thanks for pointing that out! Totally gonna check it out soon.

You'll want to check out 2 places on St. Marks Place:

Dumpling Man (Tiny dumpling restaurant with the goddamn best dumplings) - 100 St. Marks Place

8-Bit & Up (used game store with a decent selection) - 35 St. Marks Place

Thanks for all the responses. I'm there for a week, before heading out to Washington, so I'm sure I'll get to see some of this stuff. Thanks for the baseball info, really invaluable. I like going to places, and not just thinking you've seen everything everyone else has seen, and literally got the fucking t-shirt.

People ask me about London, there are so many cool places to go and see, but everyone just goes to see the fucking London Eye!

@Veektarius said:

@Flawed_System:

I live on Long Island. Despite the proximity to NY, the commute is too long for a typical weekend vacation. If you want to do 'nature & beaches' particularly (god knows why you're visiting NY if that's what you want) you're talking getting to Suffolk County, for the most part, which is even further. And things on Long Island are not close together, either. If you're flying in, you'd need a car rental for this. About the only thing Long Island has that stands out are the wineries (again, in Suffolk County) though they are not of a particularly high quality as wineries go (according to people who like wine, i.e. not me).

I didn't know he was here just for a weekend. Thought it was all summer.

Sushi Choshi down near Gramercy Park is one of the best restaurants I found while going to school in NYC. Get the gyoza and the salmon sashimi salad.

Also, make your way to Madison Square Park and get in line for Shake Shack. Delicious burgers, 'shroom burgers, and fries.

@Unilad:

I love Chelsea Piers. It's a beautiful pier (that goes on FOREVER) in and of itself, but there are some activities toward the middle that are pretty fun. You can go on helicopter rides, there are parks, you can play golf, pool, basketball, there's a gym, bowling, etc. Personally, I used to just go there and stare at the city at night. When the water is illuminated by the moon, it looks really nice.

The Marcy Projects are nice this time of year.

Recently went there, and personally I loved places like SoHo, The Village and especially Williamsbourg in Brooklyn.

When I was there I lived close to Central Park, loved the heck out of NYC. A little bit crazy on the driving but who need a car in the city as a youngster. Also, check the museums like the Metropolitan if you like a little bit of culture in your trip. For sports you have everything. I prefer Flushing Meadows (U.S Open) on the fall. What about Yankees or Knicks they are sort of famous ...