Love the El D format here and will pic/review dump some places I’ve eaten the last couple months -

Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop: outstanding pizza by the slice, probably top 5 in the city. Pepperoni slice has spicy honey on it, white slice is super garlicky in a good way. Bar in the back with 20 beers on tap including Greenpoint/Other Half, etc. Great place for a cheap group dinner with friends.



Mama’s Too: hype delivers, pepperoni square second to only Prince Street in the city. Classic slice even better - fresh out of the oven with parm/basil. Only issue here is ridiculous lines and employees very overwhelmed. Only 2 tables in the place so basically takeout only.



Made in New York Pizza: Some guy that worked at Prince Street opened up his own place and is now getting SUED for allegedly stealing secrets, particularly on the pepperoni square. Seems like a frivolous lawsuit but got me to try it on a weekday for lunch. Good selection, not too crowded. Pepperoni square had entirely too much pepperoni with as many as 5/6 roni cups stuck together rendering them not crispy and also cold so slice was mediocre at best. This slice doesn’t hold a candle to Prince Street and is also significantly worse than the Mama’s Too slice above (also note the difference in crust). Will go back in a few months to see if they work out the kinks.



Adda: new Indian place in a weird area of LIC that is getting insane hype. Definitely delivered, incredible goat biryani, lamb curries, naan etc. Best mango lassi I’ve ever had. Probably need reservations at peak hours.



Misi: no pics. Menu entirely veggies and pastas from Missy Robbins. Pastas all excellent with the exception of a pork sugo dish. Ricotta toast w/ peppers and artichoke apps A+. Still, Lilia is better and it is a joke to try and get a reservation at either place so probably stick with Lilia if you want these pastas.

I'm currently planning a bachelor party in NYC in June (a bunch of dudes in their 30's). We'll be staying at an airbnb in Brooklyn (Gowanus). You guys have any recs for stuff to do around there? Or any recs for a sunset booze cruise? I haven't booked much yet, but I've got a steak dinner at Peter Luger and an improv show at Upright Citizens Brigade planned so far.

Not really close to Gowanus but Sunshine Laundromat in Greenpoint is a good time.

Premier pinball/bar destination hidden in the back of a normal looking laundromat that only opens after 4pm. They have about 35 total games and some rare titles you wont find on location anywhere else.

Luger’s is a nice choice for a bachelor party dinner. Not my favorite steak in the city but it’s a great experience. Make sure to get some of the bacon.

Gowanus has an archery place and an axe throwing place that might be good as a pregame to some day drinking. If you like craft beer, Threes Brewing and Other Half are fairly nearby. The Well is in Williamsburg, but an awesome place for large groups. I used to go to Lavender Lake a lot on the weekends, bit of a lower key spot, but good drinks and a fun crowd at night. Buttermilk Channel would be good for a hungover group brunch. Ample Hills is an expensive hipster ice cream, but it’s outrageously good and worth a stop. Hometown BBQ in Red Hook is the best BBQ in NYC IMO (counter ordering by the pound with big tables to sit, but long-ish lines during peak times) and the neighborhood is a cool place to walk around there too. Probably won’t blow you away if you’re from Texas or something but I think it’s top notch BBQ. Pig Beach in Gowanus is another BBQ place, food is worse but still decent and they have a huge outdoor space if the weather is nice to eat and drink.

How big’s the group? Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill have some great restaurants and bars, but if you have a ton of people it might limit your options. I also wouldn’t limit your options to just the immediate area - you should be able to Uber/Lyft most places affordably, especially splitting the cars 4 to 6 ways.

What is your favourite, and what else do you rate highly?

I have a sister in Bedminster NJ who I usually visit for a week each summer. We drive to Weehawken NJ where we catch a Ferry across the Hudson into Manhattan.

If you like good cheeseburgers - there is a restaurant called 5 Napkins Burger if I call it correctly. You can eat indoors or outdoors if you want to people watch. They have a pretty cool Mural inside. We usually see a play or go to a museum, a few years ago, we went to what they finally decided to do at the 9/11 site.

And that was my last yearly visit cause of health issues. But we also took a boat that circles Manhattan and they will have a guy pointing things out as you go - and the guy we had, had a terrific sense of humor, which made the trip.

I also just like being in or on or by rivers, lakes, oceans, and feeling a good breeze or the power of ocean waves & the sun, birds, conversations wafting in the air on the beach & digging your feet into the sand & seeing what look like ghost ships on the horizon cause they all look so gray & distant.

Although on that day of the visit we will be at a nice beach on the Jersey shore - so I guess that's a bit off topic.

Anyone else going to parx tomorrow 5/5 for day 2 of the 300? I qualified but buddy and gf did not , and don't have my car , so if anyone else is going and could give me a ride (I'll pay for stuff) . I live next to the holland basically and can travel some if need be . Gl either way.

What about playing poker in New York? Is there any places or gotta drive all the way to the Casinos?

Will be going to Valcluse this weekend - should be a good meal.

...and it was. Ate in the West room and had the tasting menu. Was an excellent choice. Elegant space. Found the service to be a little off - our server had a friend in the dining room who kept occupying all her time - but it wasnt awful.

Also happened to visit Belvedere Castle in Central Park - has some massive renovation done and just opened this year - was well worth it. Beautiful scenery and grounds, and fantastic air conditioning.

Stumbled into the Play it Loud collection at the Met - this was amazing. Collection of guitars, basses, drums, pianos, posters, clothing, and gear from all areas of rock n roll. They had Eddie Van Halens Frankenstrat, Don Felders Hotel California Double Neck Gibson, Jimmy Page's Stairway Double Neck, Tom Morellos Soul Power, Stevie Ray Vaughans Number One, and too many others to mention.

Highly recommended.

Will have to add the castle to list of things to visit during our next trip which will hopefully take place next year.

Have been lucky enough to go to NYC once and found it a magical place.

For steak we only went to one place, Wolfgang's in the New York Times building, due mainly to shortness of stay, but also we liked it so much that we squeezed in another meal there.

If people think this should be in Travel, let me know and I will see if I can get a mod to move it.

I am working up a possible itinerary for at least five full days in New York and was wondering how many days the wife and I would need in lower Manhattan to see the 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty, and attend a session of night court.

My plan after doing these things is to move to a hotel near Broadway to take in a show or two, dinner at Wolfgang's, and Central Park Zoo.

This would be part of a three city/seventeen day vacation blowout, but if people think New York needs more time, I could cut out the middle city and make it a two city vacation.

We have been in New York once before where we stayed near the New York Times and went to Phantom, took a carriage ride in Central Park, and saw the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

This can be done in one day if don't mind a busy day.

Under no circumstance would I recommend staying in a hotel near Times Square. Even if you want to go to a Broadway show, there is no reason that you need to be within walking distance.

New York was going to be part of a three city/eighteen day trip next year, but the wife guessed where we are going and we decided to cut the middle city (Vegas) out so we will have anywhere from eight to ten days in New York.

The plan is to stay for about three days in lower Manhattan than move farther north.

Why shouldn't we stay near Times Square?

I should tell you I won't do the subway. I am claustrophobic and I get motion sick. I can imagine how well it would go over if I threw up on a native New Yorker.

3 days is too much for downtown. Oculus, 9/11 memorial and freedom tower are a half day, as is statue of liberty. Not sure when you are coming but there is an amazing Auschwitz exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Battery Park, across the park from the sea glass carousel which is worth a stop. That’s 2 days. An option worth considering is the One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the walk across the bridge to the freedom tower is cool.

Instead add a night in lower east side - vibrant neighborhood, attractions include the awesome tenement museum, Katz’s deli, Chinatown, little Italy,etc.

Times Sq is overcrowded, overpriced, and has the most bed bugs of any area of the city.

3 days downtown is fine, there's much more to do at night than there used to be. Chinatown has such great food.

Taxis and ubers are everywhere, city is very walkable.

Frick museum is probably GOAT underrated thing to do in NYC. Also like 3 blocks from the Met, although I'd do on diff days for somewhat obvious reasons.

One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge? They didn’t sell naming rights to the bridge, did they?

My phone was doing an update and I am posting on my wife’s tablet so I wasn’t able to search for the answer. My phone is done updating so I was able to search now.

I see that One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is a hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge and that they didn’t sell the naming rights.

Thanks for the recommendation. It seems like a nice place, but it is beyond our budget.

This, plus the food is bad with the exception of a couple of decent places that cater to the pre-theater crowd.

Really hoping the natural history museum is having an adult sleepover when we're in New York. We have done a zoo sleepover so sleeping at the Museum would be really fun for us.

I have written the museum about this.

Check out the club quarters wall st (actually on pine and william st). What I always recommend to budget conscious friends and family looking to stay (way) downtown. Is walking distance to Battery Park (for your statue of liberty tour), 9/11 memorial, South Street Seaport, NYSE, etc.

It's clean but no frills. Walk down the street to Manhatta for drink one evening -- they will be $15-20 ea (tip included), but quality alone makes up for the price so you get one of the best views in NYC for free.

IMO skip the freedom tower and go for the 9/11 museum instead. It's world class (obv intense and emotional so be prepared for that or don't go if that doesn't suit you). The tower is a tourist trap with a view. The memorial itself doesn't require more than 20-30 min tops so you can do everything you talked about in a day if you want to.

+1

If you get a nice day, I like Gigino at Wagner Park. It's maybe 5-6 blocks south of the 9/11 Memorial and is basically an open-air restaurant on the water with great views of the Statue of Liberty and harbor.

This looks cool. Thanks for the tip.


Went to JGV's restaurant Perry Street this past weekend - and was pleasantly surprised - it's all the way over on the West side drive so it's quiet - but the food was excellent. Snapper Sahimi as an appy, and Roast Duck and Fried Checken for entrees - all were excellent. Would go again.

Nothing on the dessert menu looked all that great, so we ended over at Van Leeuwen ice cream over on 10th and Waverly - was good not great. I had the ice cream sandwich and found the vanilla ice cream to be good enough, but the cookies (vegan only - if you are looking for that) were kinda meh at best. Wife got the afogato which was excellent.

That looked really great and I was hopeful when I checked their menu as they had a simple spaghetti dish pictured, but it doesn't seem to be on the actual menu.

When I make spaghetti for myself, I cook the noodles, drain the water, and drop an insane amount of garlic butter into the pot with the pasta. I am looking for a New York joint that serves pasta like that.

I’m sure every Italian restaurant in NY will serve you pasta with garlic butter.