This was put together for us by Greg Tate, a dear friend of ours (family, really), and our go-to guide for all things food & culture in NY. He recently moved to the West Coast for a job, and now visiting the city will never be the same without him and his wife, Hannah, to give us an excuse to live it up while we're there.
There really isn't much to say about New York that hasn't been said. Frankly, from the time I learned I didn't have to live in the same place as my parents all my life, I knew I wanted to live in New York. It's a frustrating place that will hand you what feels like your lowest low, and you'll still feel grateful for the privilege to get to be there. You're not special just because you live in New York, but you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Everyone who has gotten up that day and made it to work or a restaurant or a show or a museum is playing a part in the experience of making the best city in the world happen. I don't know who did the math that living in New York for 10 years makes you an official New Yorker, but I made it 12. I'll wear my "Official New Yorker" badge that I'm sure got lost in the mail with pride.
I recently left the city for life on the West Coast. I'll miss the city most likely every day. But I'll be back whether it's to visit or to live permanently again some unforeseen time in the future. No true New Yorker ever leaves. Regardless, if you're visiting for the first time or the hundredth -- welcome. New Yorkers are nicer and more understanding than they get credit for, and sharing the city with others is part of what makes this place so special. Now, will you please walk faster or get out of my way?
eats
I am convinced that eating in New York has probably taken years off my life, but in a good way. When former New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells retired because his health literally couldn't take it any more, I related to that probably more than I should have. However, I do believe there is no better way to get to know a city than through its food (an insight only I and Anthony Bourdain am brave enough to share with you) and New York is the best there is in that regard.
Have some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket? Maybe head to Monkey Bar, an old school midtown haunt that's been around since 1936 and has recently been revitalized from the team behind 4 Charles Prime Rib (which you can't get into anyway). Let the martinis flow, get a Prime Rib and let the good times flow. You've earned it. An absolute non-negotiable is the crab rangoon as well. You'll stumble out of their old time Hollywood style dining room a lot lighter in the wallet, but also very satisfied.
Interested in something cheaper and...dare I say...sleazier? Check out Nowon in the East Village, a Korean-American fusion serving chop cheese rice cakes and a kimchi burger on a prix fixe menu for $42 a pop. Get some soju and a pilsner and you'll be all set for your night of debauchery doing whatever it is the kids do in the East Village these days.
If you must go to Brooklyn, and these days you must, you'll find a wealth of great restaurants new and old. If you venture out to Ridgewood (which is technically Queens but spiritually East Bushwick), you'll find Rolo's. At Rolo's you'll find house made polenta bread, a two layer wood fired lasagna that sounds like not enough layers but very much is (minimalism!), and one of the best burgers in town if you can get there early enough (they usually sell out before 7PM). Up in Williamsburg, you'll find the Four Horsemen still firing on all cylinders. A wine bar with bar-raising food, this Michelin-starred staple isn't content to rest on its laurels.
I could go on, we haven't even gotten to the Bronx or Queens, yet. Or Staten Island, but I'm frankly not too sure what goes on there.
drinks
The cocktail scene remains very much alive and well in New York. While the days of Please Don't Tell-style speakeasies are (thankfully) mostly a thing of the past, you have no shortage of hard to get into places on a weekend night.
Double Chicken Please is a Lower East Side staple that specializes in off the wall cocktails inspired by things like Cold Pizza or Red Eye Gravy, two things you'll need after a night out drinking. If you can't get a reservation, be prepared to wait if you're not going on a weekday.
Interested in something more theatrical? Head to Paradise Lost, a new tiki bar in the Bowery where every drink is a show in itself. Be sure to check out the bathrooms...you'll know what I mean when you go.
Cocktails not your thing? Head to Old Town Bar near Union Square for a pint at one of the oldest bars in the City. After you've had a few, make it a few too many at Pete's Tavern a hop and skip away on Irving. Allegedly, O. Henry wrote "Gift of the Magi" there, and maybe you'll write the great American novel after polishing off an Irish Whiskey or a Guinness.
coffee
You can be as much or as little of a coffee snob as you'd like to be in New York. Want the full weighed-out-beans pour-over experience? Check out La Cabra in either the East Village or Union Square. As a bonus, they also happen to make some of the best pastries in the city. Can't live without your daily Starbucks? It's okay, plenty of New Yorkers feel the same, and they're about as frequent as rats on the subway, which is to say...very.
art museums
Everyone knows the big time famous museums in New York: the Guggenheim, the MoMA, The Met (which is not to be confused with The Met, the Opera, or the Mets, the baseball team). Those are all properly rated, and you should go if you've never been, but the Whitney in the Meatpacking District tends to get left out of the conversation more than it should. It has a great blend of modern and more traditional art -- plus, it's free on Friday evenings. As a bonus, the roof has some of the most spectacular views of the city, and you didn't even have to pay to see it. Take THAT Top of the Rock.
performing arts
Broadway...ever heard of it? The TKTS booth in Times Square is both a tourist trap and a real place to get deeply discounted theater tickets. However, real heads know you can also head to their much less busy booth up at Lincoln Center as well if you need your theater itch scratched.
If musicals aren't where it's at for you, check out who's playing at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side or at Webster Hall just below Union Square.
parks
It would be beyond cliche to write Central Park here, so I won't (though you could spend an entire day in Central Park and not get tired of it). This time you're gonna be brave and head to Prospect Park smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn. After you've had your fill of laying on the lawn in the beautiful day that currently only exists in my mind, walk up Vanderbilt Ave to check out all the shops and restaurants.
playlist
You could really name any genre (except maybe country, I guess), and someone would name five New York artists who are definitive kings of their craft. That's all well and good and, with respect to everyone's personal favorite New York artist, to me, nothing sounds more New York than "Marquee Moon" by Television. An A+ album to have on in your headphones while you wander around aimlessly.
uniform
The classic New York look is black. Maybe that Schott Perfecto leather jacket you've finally convinced your significant other to let you buy because you really CAN pull it off (this is in no way autobiographical, my wife thinks I would look ridiculous). But the chore coat/dad hat look has made quite the resurgence in recent years. You can dress it up, dress it down, you really can't go wrong.
good to know
Don't worry about buying a metro card these days -- all subway stops and buses now accept tap to pay from your credit card or wallet on your phone. Be sure to let people off the train before you get on, or you'll look like a real mensch. Also please, I am begging you, don't stop to text on top of the stairs.
