1 day of shooting in NY...where to go

[matt_m__toronto_]

ok, so i'm in NY this weekend and will have maybe half a day to walk around on

my own. i'm staying in the upper west side (broadway & 77th), so i'd like to go

somewhere not far away. note: this is my first time in NY.

 

also, if i could eat at one restaurant here that would change my life, what

would it be?

 

thanks

[steve_levine]

This is like asking where to go in NYC or where to eat there. Oh, wait you are asking where to go, and what to eat in NYC.

 

 

I would jump on a train (subway)and head downtown if I were you. Times square is very commercialized, and other than large scale architecture and signs, it could be any city. "Downtown" holds the secrets to old NY. There are neighborhoods and restaurants for every taste. But it would help if we knew what your tastes were.

 

I would ride the #1 train to South Ferry, and spend an hour on the ferry to Staten Island and return. This will give you a tour of the harbor, and a great perspective of Manhattan too. The bldgs seem to loom larger as the boat moves away from land.

 

After the ferry ride walk north east to Broad St and and up to Wall St. If you continue north east with help from a good street map. You can reach South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, Chinatown, and Little Italy. There is also a water taxi that will drive you to various points on Manhattan from South St. Seaport.

If you still have the strength you can walk or cab ride to the West or East Village.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner? What do you like, and what do want to spend? Within your reach will be the best Italian, Chinese, Pizza, Steak, Seafood, French, Thai, Kosher Deli's, BBQ etc etc.

[matt_m__toronto_]

steak for dinner (think and blue in the middle) and a smoked meat sandwich for lunch.

 

kind of lame to ask where to go, but my time is so limited, that i'd like to just walk some cool hoods without ending up in some tourist infused area like times square.

 

thanks

[anthony_r]

Eat (and near where you will be staying) http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?

neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=273 Persian food. This is what you want to eat: Filet Mignon

Kebab Barg Marinated tender filet mignon sliced on a skewer

 

Shoot: Anywhere, anything. Walk the Brooklyn bridge.

[vic_.]

Here's are most menus in New York City:

 

http://www.menupages.com/

 

If you want to change your life, go to Masa, $400 prix fixe!

 

Cool hoods:

 

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

 

Go to the subway stop at 79th and Amsterdam, and take the Red Line express (2 or 3) to Houston Street (the Village). Walk south to West Broadway, to Prince, Spring, in Soho. People there are quite comfortable with street shooters all over the place. They think it's the coolest place in town. The women are the best looking in town, probably because a lot of aspiring models walk around there, all dressed up to go get their lattes.

 

Don't waste time in the Upper West side, for by comparison it's bland, i.e., suburban life in the city, with a museum or two, just like any city in the world. You'll get bored after five minutes.

[kbg32]

Take the #1 train down to 42nd and transfer to the R. Take that down to Canal Street. You're

just a couple of blocks from Chinatown and Little Italy. Lots to explore, lot of places to eat.

Walk up the Bowery/3rd Avenue to the East Village, St. Marks Place/8th Street. Cooper Union

is there. NYU and Washington Square Park not far to the west. Lots to explore, many great

places to eat cheaply, as well. I highly recommend Cafe Mogador on St. Marks between

Avenue A and 1st Avenue, French-Moroccan, if you haven't eaten yet. Thompkins Square Park

is a half block to the east. Many small shops, eateries, and people. Charlie Parker's home is

on Avenue B between, 9th and 10th Streets.

[brucecahn]

For the restaurant, try the 2nd Ave. Deli, on East 33rd street. Go between meals or you will have to wait an hour. Order the dish called "Instant Heart Attack" if you are adventurous. It may change your life quickly. As far as shooting locations go, midtown does not offer that much. I stick to the edges of the city and neighborhoods for photography--Chelsea, Greenwich Village, etc. Also Central Park.

[anthony_brookes5]

As a past visitor - Ellis Island, Broadway, New York Central Station, and then just stroll - don't forget to look upwards frequently. Good luck.

[m_.]

i'd kill an afternoon in washington square.

[jtdnyc]

Matt, given that this is your first time in New York and you only have half a day free, here's what you should do: just walk south on Broadway.

 

Broadway will take you to, in order, Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, Times Square, Herald Square (home of Macy's -- "The World's Largest Store"), a Korean/Africn import/export district, Madison Square (the Flatiron Building), and Union Square (a favorite shooting location of Orville Robertson, of this forum).

 

If you still have time after all that, continue south on Broadway, through the Greenwich Village/NYU area to SoHo, where the best people-watching is at the corner of Broadway and Prince. Continuing south on Broadway will take you to the fringe of Chinatown, then City Hall Park and on the Wall Street. (Before you get to Wall Street, you could make a small detour to Ground Zero if you want.)

 

If you still have time left, continue south on Broadway to Battery Park, whence you can take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry (but be aware the round trip is a little over an hour) or hop on the subway and go back uptown.

 

The entire route I have described is a walk of about 7 miles. It can be done in an afternoon or it can take a lifetime, depending on how many pictures you stop to take.

 

As a lifelong resident, I think that organizing your afternoon by walking down Broadway -- the spine of Manhattan -- makes more sense than choosing specific destinations, since no two people will agree what those destinations should be. Yes, there are places you will miss with this approach...so come back a spend a week or a month or a year!

 

As far as food, if you want a thick steak, Smith & Wollensky's is still, I believe, the busiest steakhouse by volume in the United States; Wollensky's Grill (part of the restaurant) serves until 2 a.m., so you needn't rush there. There are probably half a dozen other major steakhouses in the same league/price range.

 

I'm not a big fan of smoked meats -- I gave up all pork products after my brother brought a pig home as a pet years ago (yes, here in Manhattan!) -- but people who eat barbecue swear by Virgil's, which is just half a block from Times Square on 44th Street. For cured meats, you can't go wrong with the Second Avenue Deli or, closer to the route I have suggested, the Carnegie Deli at 7th Avenue and 55th Street.

 

(By the way, after you've finished your steak in the middle of the night at Wollensky's Grill, you can stroll over to the flagship Apple Store, at Fifth Avenue and 59th Stree, which is open 24 hours.)

 

Feel free to get in touch while you're in town. Send me an e-mail and I'll send you my cell phone number.

[anthony_r]

I'll jump in again and second the E. Village and Cafe Mogador. Tis my hood.

[furcafe]

As a frequent visitor, but non-resident, I agree w/"Jonathan-"'s recommendation of strolling down Broadway.

 

As for a "smoked meat" sandwich, are you referring to what they serve in delis in Montreal? Though it's not the exactly the same, I think the closest thing in NYC would be a pastrami sandwich. I like Katz's for that sort of thing, but that's on the Lower E. Side, which is, as they say, a bit of a schlep away from the Upper W. Side.

[jtdnyc]

Matt, I should add that if you do walk south on Broadway, you will pass the Leica Gallery shortly before you reach SoHo...but with only an afternoon to spend, you might want to skip it and stay outside shooting.

[andrew1]

For shooting, you could pretty much go anywhere. Read as much as you can about the

neighborhoods before you go, and get some ideas to guide you when you are there so that

you can make the most of your precious time.<p> As for food, there so many options it's

dizzying, but definitely check out 2nd Ave. Deli for a sandwich. Go for a late lunch, and be

hungry. For a stunning meal you could only get in New York, make sure you go

somewhere that's truly worthy of your one great NYC meal. There are a million very good

restaurants in New York, but many folks who don't live there will never find the truly

sublime places to eat, so again do your research- try citysearch and zagat, among other

places. For sushi, Tomoe (172 Thompson St, between Houston and Bleeker) is probably my

favorite place in the City, having tried hundreds. The short wait is really worth it; or go to

Cornelia St. between Bleeker and 6th is home to Po (one of Mario Battali's places), Little

Havana, (best Cuban in NYC, hands down), one of Tom Colicchio's fantastic restaurants is

there (I forget the name right now- a real shame, since I had an incredible lunch there in

December...) and a few other really world class restaurants, all in one block. Nearby is

Mary's Fish Camp, (246 W. 4th St.) which has a lobster roll so good that people come from

places like Maine and Japan to order it, and all go home happy and full. All of these spots

are an easy shot straight downtown on most subway lines from where you are staying,

right in the West Village, which is another area worth spending time in to photograph.

Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

[SolaresLarrave]

Central Park, the East Side... I'd like to return and walk around midtown. Interesting areas in

the Village too, near Washington Square. One single day isn't enough... Good luck!

[john_boyle3]

Lots of excellent suggestions above. Some 50 years ago I would take the train to Grand Central from Bronxville then wander down 42nd St and up 5th Ave. to St. Patricks Cathedral and perhaps on to Central Park. Anywhere is good for people watching and a half day is totally inadequate. Try to cancel any obligations for next week and stay for a few days.

[david j.lee]

if you happen to be hungry and near lexington and 30st, try the thin pizza at Vezzo. good

salad too and a nice french pinot served in a glass.

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

Great pizza joint across from the Woolworth Bldg near the WTC site.

If you're a good walker Matt, just plunk yourself down in lower Manhattan, say Washington Sq. Park, and meander in the direction of the Staten Island Ferry terminal. That'll be your day. You can see All or parts of Chinatown, Orchard St.,Little Italy, Soho, the financial district, etc etc. Good food is everywhere.

 

Or you could start at the Plaza Hotel & do 5th Ave., Lexington, the park,the galleries, etc.

 

Or,...

[paul_neuthaler]

Inside & outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Ave & 84th Street. Art, architecture, people, traffic!!!!

[brucecahn]

Forget the Carnegie Deli. It died with Leo, the owner. Why not spend a month? Call & say hello if you do.

[Spearhead]

<i>Nearby is Mary's Fish Camp, (246 W. 4th St.) which has a lobster roll so good that people come from places like Maine and Japan to order it,</i><p>I love Mary's Fish Camp, I've been going there since it opened, every trip to NYC pretty much. Last time I was there Gwyneth Paltrow asked me to move so she and Chris Martin could get out :-)<p>New York has some famous and very expensive steak houses, but what you get is nowhere near as good as what you can get in Omaha. I don't really see it as a "steak city."<p>

 

I like the Lower East Side for shooting, Clinton Street, around there. Not what it used to be, but it's still interesting.

[smc_.]

Washington Square Park is undergoing a massive renovation right now, with much of the park fenced off. I wouldn't spend too much time there right now, unfortunately. Try Tompkins Square Park in the East Village as an alternative. Lots of good shooting there.

[matt_m__toronto_]

wow! lots of ideas here. sounds like a i need a month! since the hotel is in that broadway/77 area, it may be easiest to take jonathan's suggestion and just walk as long as i can south on broad.

 

i was also recommended famiglia pizza by a good friend. i love food. this short trip could prove problematic. :)

[orvillerobertson]

Here's one place you should eat, Cafe Ronda http://www.caferonda.com/ great Argentinian

tapas food, gorgeous women, great atmosphere, gorgeous women, right in your

neighborhood (Columbus above 71st). Here's where you can shoot and shop, the 77th Street

Sunday Flea and Green Market, amazing place to wander around and see interesting people,

76th and Columbus, maybe the best flea market in NYC. You must check out the Museum of

Natural History. Have fun!

[sprouty]

Spike Hill in Brooklyn, get the window seats. You'll never leave...