Manhattan:
oyster bar in grand central, great oyster selection in a classic setting. I like old school spots, and this is one of them. also, stand outside and talk into opposite corners of the arched "room" that connects the halls. There's no way that makes sense, but watch for other people doing something
strange and imitate them. Plus you get to check out grand central, which is worth a visit.
rooftop bar at the la quinta inn on 32 st. You get to sit right under the Empire St. Building. It's just a regular bar..except you get to sit right under the Empire St. Building (have I mentioned that I think it's the second most beautiful building in the world--have you seen the chrysler building?!)
forbes galleries (
http://www.forbesgalleries.com/) the early monopoly boards are enough for me
Vaselka in the east village for perogi and other great ukranian food
deitch galleries in soho. rockstars of today's art (underground) world. there are often interesting shows going on. if you want to see a scene, go to an opening
Chumley's in the west village. Old speakeasy. Try to figure out how to enter via the apartment building's courtyard to get the feel of how it used to be. Dinner isn't bad and the brits I've brought feel like it's the first real beer joint they feel comfortable getting drunky in. Warning: the west village is confusing to new yorkers, so be prepared for a tough time finding it
I love Otto--for a celebrity chef he really gets it right and I don't think his higher end restaurants are worth the $$ in comparison to what you get here.
Magnolia bakery. Get red velvet cupcakes. I know there are tons of great bakeries now, but I still like their's. I love their German Chocolate cake, as well.
That NY Times review of Red Velvet cake was right, though..the best in the city is at Bake My Cake in Harlem. St. John's the divine is a great cathedral to check out. That's coming from an atheist. If I was going to frequent a church, this would be it. More impressive than St. Patricks
Brooklyn:
peter lugers, i'm veg now, but this is how i used to do it:
tomato/onion salad
1 bacon app for each person (a must)
steak for 1 or 2 fewer people than you have (get it black and blue. it was the only place that I really ever trusted for that kind of steak)
potatoes
creamed spinach
shlag for dessert with fresh fruit, if they have the fruit
lots and lots of booze throughout the whole meal
transit museum in brooklyn--you get to walk all kinds of old cars and see the history of the subway system
walk back to manhattan via the brooklyn bridge
soccer tacos in red hook--during the spring-fall right off of the soccer fields there are tons of stands selling all kinds of central american deliciousness.
sonny's in red hook. it's one of the best bars ever. it was a little better pre-liquor license, when it was a "social club" and you marked your drinks down on a slip of paper
and gave a donation at the end of the night. it's an authentic long shoreman spot that's been in sonny's family for years.
coney island
this is probably going to be the last summer of coney as we know it, so go enjoy the craziness while you can.
The original Totonnos pizza--one of my favorite pizza joints.
http://www.totonnos.com/
the side show in the summer has tons of great burlesque shows on friday and saturday nights.
the cyclone and wonder wheel and all of the carnival is worth checking out
Nathans, get a hot dog or three for me, since i don't eat meat anymore. they are really, really good.
Get a beer and walk the boardwalk during the day. i guarantee you will see something insane.
Go drinking at ruby's. just do it
Queens:
For some reason I only really get to Queens in the summer. Here's what I do when I get up there:
Bohemian Beer Garden (
http://bohemianhall.com/).
Water Taxi Beach (
http://www.watertaxibeach.com/). Enjoy one of the best views of the city and hop a boat back in. The food is really great and you get to sit on a beach!
PS1 in the summer.
The naguchi museum is cool.