Things to do in New York City
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Junior’s
Sure, cheesecake, in one form or another, has been baked and eaten in Europe since the 1400s. But New Yorkers, as they do with many things, have appropriated its history in the form of the New York–style cheesecake. Immortalized by Lindy’s restaurant in Midtown, which was opened by Leo Lindemann in 1921, the particular type of confection served there – made of cream cheese, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a cookie crust – became wildly popular in the ’40s. Junior’s, which opened on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn in 1929 and in Midtown just a few years ago, makes its own famous version of the creamy cake with a graham-cracker crust.
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Pure Food & Wine
The ‘chef’ (there’s no oven in the kitchen) at this gem achieves the impossible: churning out not just edible but also extremely delicious and artful concoctions, made completely from raw organics that are put through blenders, dehydrators and the capable hands of Pure’s staff. Results are creative, fresh and alarmingly delicious, and include the wonderful tomato-zucchini lasagna (sans cheese and pasta), Thai coconut ‘noodles’ with red curry, and the white-corn tamales with raw cacao mole and salsa verde. The dining room is sleek and festive, but in warmer months don’t miss a chance to settle into a table in the shady oasis of a backyard.
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STK
An oddly stylized restaurant, with sleek banquettes, metallic and black decor and one kitschy pair of horns protruding from over the bar, STK bills itself as 'not your daddy's steakhouse.' That's why you'll find salads filled with green melon, avocado, mâche greens and kaffir lime, or blue cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes and smoked bacon, plus organic roast chicken, tuna tartare with pineapple, crispy shallots and plantain chips and scallop seviche. But there's still plenty of what you'd expect: T-bones, skirt steaks, filet mignon etc. Portion sizes can be petite, medium or large, and you can add toppings such as black truffles.
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Starr Saphir Birding
Ornithologist Starr Saphir leads regular birding walks through Central Park during migration seasons – roughly April to June and September and October. Tours depart at 7:30am Monday and Wednesday from the corner of 81st St and Central Park West, or from 103rd St and Central Park West at 9am Tuesday and 7:30am Saturday.
You can show up without a reservation or call ahead to confirm your attendance by leaving Starr a message.
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Pierpont Morgan Library
Part of the 45-room mansion once owned by steel magnate JP Morgan, this sumptuous library features a phenomenal array of manuscripts, tapestries and books (with no fewer than three Gutenberg Bibles). There's a study filled with Italian Renaissance artwork, a marble rotunda and a program of top-notch rotating exhibitions.
Recent exhibition themes include Islamic manuscript painting, drawings from Revolutionary France and Charles Dickens.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
One of Brooklyn’s most picturesque attractions, this 52-acre garden is home to thousands of plants and trees, as well as a Japanese garden where river turtles swim alongside a Shinto shrine. The best time to visit is late April or early May, when the blooming cherry trees (a gift from Japan) are celebrated in Sakura Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom Festival.
A network of trails connect the Japanese garden to other popular sections devoted to native flora, bonsai trees, a wood covered in bluebells and a rose garden.
There are multiple entrances. The best one is at Washington Ave, south of the Brooklyn Museum, which is scheduled to be sporting a remarkable new visitors…
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B&H Photo-Video
Visiting NYC's most popular camera shop is an experience in itself – it’s massive and crowded, and bustling with black-clad (and tech-savvy) Hasidic Jewish salesmen. Your chosen item is dropped into a bucket, which then moves up and across the ceiling to the purchase area (which requires a second queue).
It’s all very orderly and fascinating, and the selection of cameras, camcorders, computers and other electronics is outstanding.
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Spice Market
Yet another innovation from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Spice Market lives in a dark, clublike realm where every fantasy of a faraway souk comes to life through thick waves of gossamer drapery, glinting meditative Buddhas, and pots that steam and bubble as the waiter rushes them by. Fusion fare is distinctively Asian in taste, but many of the dishes have lost their initial luster now that the shiny veneer of newness has worn away.
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Blue Smoke
Another contender in the city’s ongoing BBQ cook-off, this soulful spot presents a potpourri of various Southern ’cue style: St Louis, Texas, Kansas and Memphis ribs are all representin’, as is pulled pork, smoked chicken, peel-and-eat shrimp and the classic ‘salad’ consisting of an iceberg-lettuce wedge. Mouthwatering mini-cornbread loaves and jalapeño-studded hush puppies are gut-busting sides, and homemade pies and cakes take you down for the count. When you’re done chowing, head downstairs to the Jazz Standard, where pros bust out with blues, folk, rock and jazz.
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La Esquina
This mega-popular and quirky little spot is housed in a former greasy spoon that sits within the neat little triangle formed by Cleveland Pl and Lafayette St. It's three places really: a stand-while-you-eat taco window, a casual Mexican cafe and, downstairs, a cozy, overly hip cave of a dining room that requires reservations. Standouts include chorizo tacos, rubbed pork tacos and mango and jicama salads, among other authentic and delicious options (most of which are also available upstairs at the anyone-welcome area).
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Pastis
While the West Village is known for classy, cozy, intimate spots that cause quiet envy among the most casual of passersby, the adjacent Meatpacking District’s dining scene is a bit more… ostentatious, complete with nightclub-like queues behind velvet ropes, eye-popping decor and crowds of trend-obsessed young folks. The most solidly pleasing option here is the original cool-kid spot, Pastis, Keith McNally’s perfect homage to the French brasserie.
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Park
The party may have moved elsewhere but the Park, with its multiple rooms and over-the-top design, has lost none of its appeal. The main dining room boasts a stand of 30-ft-tall bamboo and wide glass doors leading into the garden. There’s also a Penthouse and loungey Red Room with fireplace – festive spaces that open only on weekend nights (at 11pm); there’s no cover, but expect lines.
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Sustainable NYC
Across from Tompkins Square Park, this ecofriendly shop offers all sorts of home and office gear for living green. Organic T-shirts, shoes made out of recycled auto tires, compost bins, biodegradable beauty products, recycled stationery, and books on going green are all on hand. The store itself sets a fine example: the interior is built from 300-year-old reclaimed lumber and fixtures are recycled (and for sale).
A small cafe onsite sells snacks and fair-trade coffee.
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St Augustine's Episcopal Church
St Augustine’s Episcopal Church is an 1828 landmark housing the largest African American congregation on the LES. Peek inside to see the restored ‘slave galleries,’ created to separate worshippers by race in the church’s early days.
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Bowlmor Lanes
Among retro-crazed New Yorkers, a night of bowling qualifies as quite a hoot. Maybe it’s the shoes, or all the pitchers of beer. Open since 1938, Bowlmor has Manhattan’s go-to-lanes for stars, bar mitzvah parties and beer-slugging NYU students. After 9pm Monday, it goes DJ-blasting glow-in-the-dark, with unlimited bowling for $24 including shoe rental (age 21 and up).
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Babbo
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has multiple restaurants in Manhattan, but everyone has a sneaking suspicion that this two-level split townhouse is his favorite. Whether you order mint love letters, lamb's brain francobolli (small, stuffed ravioli) or pig's foot milanese, you'll find Batali at the top of his innovative, eclectic game. Reservations are in order.
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FAO Schwarz
The toy store giant, where Tom Hanks played footsy piano in the movie Big, is number one on the NYC wish list of most visiting kids. Why not indulge them? The magical (over-the-top) wonderland, with dolls up for ‘adoption,' life-size stuffed animals, gas-powered kiddie convertibles, air-hockey sets and much more, might even thrill you, too.
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Caracas Arepa Bar
Cram into this tiny joint and order a crispy, hot arepa (corn tortilla stuffed with veggies and meat) such as the Pepi Queen (chicken and avocado) or La Pelua (beef and cheddar). You can choose from 17 types of arepa (plus empanadas and daily specials like oxtail soup), served in baskets with a side of nata (sour cream) and fried plantains.
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Fraunces Tavern
Can you really pass up a chance to eat where George Washington (it's been documented) supped in 1762? Expect heaping portions of tavern stew, clam chowder, beef Wellington and your choice of cobbler, butterscotch bread pudding, spiked fig and apple tart or strawberry shortcake for dessert. The bar, filled with friendly locals, is great for a snack and a drink.
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Africa Kine
One of the first African restaurants to open up along the stretch of W 116th St now known as Little Senegal, Kine's succulent lamb and fish dishes, with big bowls of brown rice, garlicky veggies and sometimes couscous, bring in a big lunchtime crowd. Kine doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's a real treat for Africa aficionados. For hard-core Senegalese fans, check out nearby Le Baobab. It's a small hole in the wall with minimal decor, mostly doing takeout for taxi drivers, but the food is authentic and flavorful. House specialty poulet yassa (spicy lemon chicken with rice) sells out fast; call ahead if you want it for dinner.
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Cathedral Church of St John the Divine
The largest place of worship in the United States has yet to be completed – and probably won’t be any time soon. But this storied Episcopal cathedral nonetheless commands attention with its ornate Byzantine-style facade, booming vintage organ and extravagantly scaled nave – twice as wide as Westminster Abbey in London.
Founded in the 19th century by Bishop Horatio Potter, the first cornerstone for the Cathedral was laid on St John’s Day in 1892. But the construction – as its incomplete state will attest – was hardly smooth. The engineers had to dig 70ft in order to find bedrock to which they could anchor the building. Architects died and were fired. And in 1911, the…
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Surya
Sleek and sexy, Surya's cool interior gives way to a trellis-lined patio where you can sip chilled white wine or an excellent bar cocktail while waiting for a fiery vindaloo, flavored with spices from India's southwest coast, or a tender saag with fresh ginger. Meat lovers and vegetarians will be equally thrilled with the choices.
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Daffy's
Two floors of designer duds and accessories for men, women and children (as well as a random handful of homewares), with prices that can be blissfully low. And the tags – like those at most discount shops – show you the item's suggested retail price on top of Daffy’s price, which, at an average of 50% off, just gives you more incentive to buy.
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Eatery
Come and hang at the bar even if you don't feel like eating - you'll have a hard time not ordering something once the plates of edamame, ginger calamari, black mussels in curry broth and big juicy burgers start going by. Maybe if you fix your attention on the DJ spinning cool tunes in the corner, you can resist - but why try?
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Ikea Water Taxi
When in the area it's worth considering hopping on the Ikea water taxi operated by the Swedish furniture store from Pier 11 (six blocks south of South Street Seaport) to its store in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Besides offering the chance to get out on the water and take in breathtaking views of the city, it's free.
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