I know there are many Who live in NYC, many more who visit regularly, and some who are just tourists. it would be interesting to exchange ideas about places to go, things to do, and hidden gems we may have recently discovered, which this city is full of. I have personally lived here for 15+ years and still continue to discover new things every day.

and I'll start by two local places in Tribeca... I have always been a fan of Belgian beer and ever since traveling to Brussels a couple of times, I always get that nostalgic feeling at Blau Gans and Edward's.

If you go to Blaue Gans, definitely order some chicken wings (they have a bar menu)...something completely unexpected, totally different than any wings you have ever had, and incredibly delicious.

Edwards has nightly specials, such as half-priced Belgian beers on Mondays (which is not unusual given the economy), but on Wednesdays, it's all-you-can-eat mussels + one Stella for $24 (guess where I just came from).

I'm going with my girlfriend at the end of Feb for a long weekend. We plan on seeing a broadway show, which she will pick, but I need some recs for hotels and restaurants.

I don't want to spend a ton on the hotel, but would like it to be nice/clean and not too far from Time Square/Broadway shows.

A few months ago we stayed for 2 days in a place called the Wall Street Inn, in downtown Manhattan. It wasn't a great hotel but it's relatively affordable (I think around 230 USD /night) and well-located.

But frankly I think next time we may stay somewhere outside NY. It's a lot cheaper, and if you pick right you can be anywhere in Manhattan within 30-45 minutes. Perhaps somewhere around Newark airport (with direct train to NY Penn Station). But I'll have to do the research before our next trip (June this year).

don't forget to check out McSourleys http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/ on east 7th street. This place looks exactly as it looked 100 years ago - they serve their own beer, and they give you two mugs for the price of one beer (there is a little foam on it, which is probably why they give you two) they have Dark or Light but what I do is ask for one and one and they bring one light and one dark.

this is probably the most famous bar in manhattan?

go to continental, on E11th and 3ave i think. its a crappy bar, but will save you money, especially if ur an a heavy drinker. any kind of 5 shots for 10$ ! ya can get tipsy there, then explore the rest of the bars/clubs in that area

Depending on where you want to stay in the city, there are a number of W's that I have always found to be very nice and pretty reasonably priced(200-250/night or so).

Living in Long Island atm and prob go out in NYC only 1-2 nights a month. I'd love to go more but if I meet a girl I'm out of luck unless she has a place in the city. Then there's the matter of going home at the end of the night. Cab costs ~100 bucks after tip, and the latenight trains are almost always a ****ty experience spending an hour coming down from your drunk surrounded by 1000 other belligerent *******s

anyone have any recommendations for decent/cheap hotels or alternative car services?

Not baller by any means I stayed here the week before Xmas: http://www.hostelworld.com/availabil...New-York/27128

It's in Brooklyn but 5 minute walk from the subway and 15 minutes from union square. $80 a night was nice when spending $400 a day on food

the best cheeseburger can be bought at the Blarney Stone bar on 3rd ave and 44th. plus they have 22 ounce beers for 4 bucks

I've been to the legendary Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn. I can't verify if it's really the best in NY so you have to believe reviews by Michelin, Zagat's and others. But it was definitely the best steak I ate in my life (I don't eat steak often).

You need to book well ahead to get a table; my friend reserved about a month ahead (on a Saturday at 4 pm I think) and he said he got the last seats.

It's not cheap, but also not exceptionally high.

for the bets steak there are a few better choices:

Angelo Maxie's - great meat and very reasonable prices ($25-$35 vs. $45+ for other steak houses in the city). They also have the biggest and best side dishes in the city.

for upscale steak house dining, the best choice is probably Dylan Prime. They also have a very nice lounge next door called Dylan.

A newcomer on the scene is Wolfgang's in TriBeca, and no, this is NOT Wolfgang Puck's place. It was started by some former Peter Lugar people, and the food is really awesome.

+1 for McSorleys... always a great time.

that seems very cheap for a W hotel. Must have been a super special day/weekend or middle of the downturn last year. They typically start at $400+... But if you can stay at one, they are all highly recommended. Great bar scenes and all of them are located in great neighborhoods.

If you are on a limited budget, I would suggest you stay in a hotel/motel along PATH line in New Jersey. It takes a PATH train an average of 12 mins to arrive at midtown (36th st) or downtown (wall st) from Jersey - beats coimg from Brooklyn or Queeens via subway. Just google PATH to find out more info.

This is actually a great idea. There is a Hyatt in Jersey city that is literally cross the street from Path Train station. The ride to downtown Manhattan takes less than 5 min. (the first stop in Manhattan is at the World Trade center site), and then you can take a subway/cab anywhere. and I am sure they have awesome views of the Manhattan skyline.

http://jerseycity.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

I stayed at the Hyatt in Jersey last year and it is has awesome views of Manhattan, plus being a good 4 star hotel. As you say it is right next to the PATH station which is one stop from downtown Manhattan.

It is also really really cheap compared to staying in Manhattan. I got it for $72 a night for 2 nights on Priceline. Absoulute bargain.

I plan on booking it again, for my trip to NYC in a couple months time.

What time of year did you go? I just tried to book it for me and the missus for 7 days in May (for my birthday) and the cheapest I can find on Priceline and other sites is around $250 a night.

Also what time does the PATH stop running at? If we were to go out clubbing downtown what's the latest we could get home on the PATH or what is an average taxi cost (if you know)? Thanks in advance for any info.

I believe 12:30 is the last one into Jersey City (the stop is actually called Exchange Place).

Taxi fare highly depends on where in Manhattan going to/coming from. I live in downtown (Tribeca) and cab fare to uptown sometimes costs me $30! Jersey City being right across Hudson river and Hyatt so close to Holland Tunnel, the cab fare shouldn't cost much more than that, but you have to pay the return toll fare + tip, which can add $10 to the cost.

Some PATH trains run whole night, schedule here http://www.panynj.gov/path/schedule.html

Or just get a place in the city? Unless you work out on LI?

It was in late May, a Sunday and Monday night iirc. The trick with the Hyatt and priceline, is to wait pretty close to the date. I booked only a couple of days in advance as I was just finishing a road trip.

Also the bid your own price on priceline is the way to get bargains, there are threads on here about the tactics to get the cheapest price and www.biddingfortravel.yuku.com is the 2p2 of booking cheap hotel in terms of info.

IMHO Luger's steak is very overrated! It's good, but nothing special. However, they have the best bacon!!!

For some damn good steak I go to The Old Homestead.

The Path from the World Trade Center to Exchange Place (which is where the Hyatt is) runs all night. WRT to cabs, you just gotta negotiate. In the middle of the night, it's just as easy to get to Jersey City from downtown as it is to get to the UWS, but cabbies will act like they're taking you to a different country. 30-35 should be good. For comparison, a cab to JFK, which is way the hell out there, is $45.

Every PATH station has service all night long. It's just every half hour late night.

I'll keep that in mind, and we'll try your recommendation next time we're there. My experience with steakhouses is limited; I live in Europe where there aren't many, and my wife prefers other types of food.

I did try the bacon, agree that it was very good.