Classy Rooftop Hotel Bars

Hudson Hotel- 58th and 9th. 356 W. 58th St.  Sky Terrace Sat- Sun-2PM-9PM Mon- Fri 3-11PM . Also Library Bar and Hudson Bar

Ganesvoort Hotel -13th St and Ninth Avenue -Zezura at Plunge- Nightclub and bar Mon-Sun 11-14PM

Standard Hotel High Line- 13th and Washington: Top of the Standard  also Le Bain Nightclub   and the Standard Biergarten

Dine Around Downtown at 28 Liberty Plaza- June 8 2016

NYC has no shortage of food festivals in the summer, and they're a fantastic way to sample restaurant fare--some quite high-end--without having to spring for an entire meal. Our particular favorite from this comprehensive list for the week at  Gothamist.com is Dine Around Downtown  --held Wednesday, 11-3 at 28 Liberty Plaza (Between Liberty & Pine and Nassau and William),  and hosted by the Food Network's ubiquitous Alex Guarnaschelli. Over 40 local restaurants will be serving small plates and the event couldn't be in a more scenic venue.

Cheap-and less cheap-places to stay in NYC

Manhattan is one of the costliest cities in the world to visit, and I get a lot of people asking me for tips on inexpensive places to stay in NYC. Yes, they’re hard to find. But if you're willing to make concessions on amenities, they do exist. And a cheap hotel in NYC can be a better choice than staying in a New Jersey or airport hotel. Though staying off-the-grid in NJ or by the airport is definitely an option, you need to consider that you'll likely spend all day in Manhattan, since the commute could be an hour or more. This makes going back to the hotel for a rest mid-day, or to regroup for an evening out, very difficult.

And, of course, there is the added thrill of staying in Manhattan itself, where you have a plethora of entertainment options right outside your door. Manhattan is more compact than any other city its size; pretty much anything is reachable by a subway ride of under a half hour. You can go from Battery Park (downtown NYC/ Wall Street) to the Upper West Side (Central Park) in 30 minutes or less! Subways are frequent, run 24 hours, and are the most efficient way to travel in NYC (though unfailingly gross and grubby--but remember they were built over 100 years ago, so cut us some slack!).  

So below are TWO recommendations for VERY inexpensive (by NYC standards) but SAFE accommodations in great Manhattan neighborhoods (I am partial to the 63rd St. Y location and casual, young and budget- European vibe, myself, but have visited the POD Hotel on 51st and liked it very much):

2 or 3 days in NYC- A Tutorial

Having just spent 4 days in New Orleans, I know a short-term trip in a totally unfamiliar city (especially one was complicated as NYC) can be daunting, because there is so much to see, and it's hard to A: Decide what to prioritize and B: figure out how to get everywhere quickly, when public transportation is the only way of getting around that makes sense (yes, you can take taxis/ Uber if you have the $, but for longer distances or crosstown during daytime, cars can take forever. Even rich people take the subway when in a rush!).

Therefore, below are some of my hints on what might make a short visit easier and help you hit the highlights without having a panic attack!

Restaurants to try below 14th St.

New York Magazine always has a fantastic list of restaurants and reviews on their website that I refer to when I want to direct visitors to someplace special. What follows are some of their recommendations that sound like places I would like to try, all below 14^th Street. Will I? I hope so!  As usual, I find that my visitors often are more adventurous than I am in NYC—so let me know if you go to any of the following, and report back!

East Village: 
Bruno Pizza  ($) 204 E. 13th St., nr. Third Ave)

Superiority Burger  ($) 430 East 9th Street. Veggie burgers but with a twist  CLOSED TUESDAYS

Pearl and Ash ($$$)   220 Bowery

West Village: Po ($$$) 31 Cornelia St. nr. Bleecker St.

Home 20 Cornelia St.,nr. Bleecker St.  

Cafe Cluny  284 W. 12th St.at 4th St.  

Lower East Side:

Cheeky Sandwiches  ($) 35 Orchard St., nr. Hester St.8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Note: Miniature beignets are deep-fried to order. 

Best NY Breakfasts-from New York Magazine

Loved this article in NY Magazine this week--Best Breakfasts in NY by Adam Platt. Everything sounds so delicious! Breakfast! Who needs anything more!
All are on Lower East Side area or so. I’m intrigued by these places especially:

• Santina's   820 Washington St., at Gansevoort St. 
• Pies 'n' Thighs: 43 Canal St., nr. Ludlow St.
• El Rey Coffee Bar and Luncheonette   100 Stanton St., near Ludlow St. 
• Dimes   Canal near Orchard St. 
• Baz Bagel and Restaurant  181 Grand St., near Mulberry St 

NYC BASIC: WTC, Brooklyn Bridge, 34th Street. Met. Museum, Empire State, Brooklyn Bridge

I probably have 4 different posts on this site about basic NYC directions and how-to-do-it-quicker hacks. But there seems to always be something new that comes up, so herewith a list of visitor-hacks for some popular NYC sights-to-see:

NYC Basic: Downtown NYC, including: WTC, Statue of Liberty views (west side of downtown tip of NYC), and South Street Seaport/ Brooklyn Bridge (east side of downtown tip of NYC)

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Downtown NYC (tip of NYC): To the west is the Hudson River, where the Statue of Liberty is. To the East is the East River where the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge is. 

The tip of Manhattan is not so wide across--you can usually walk from West to East in about 20 minutes or less. If you’re in good shape you can walk from the WTC/ Esplanade/ Statue of Liberty area east towards South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Bridge.

Best NYC Bars

I don't drink--but I still know plenty of people who do. And I'm not opposed to drinking a Diet Pepsi at a bar, as long as it's not too rowdy. Herewith, some famous old-timey NYC bars that are a must-visit if you are a history buff--and then some links to articles with a list of other NYC bars worth a visit. 

Old-Time NYC Bars with historical connection:

• The  Old Town Bar: 45 East 18th St, of Fifth Avenue a
• White Horse Tavern 567 Hudson St in Greenwich Village, of 11th St, north of the Christopher Street #1 stop, where Dylan Thomas had his last drink. 
• McSorely’s - 15 East 7th St. Oldest pub in NYC (or so they say)

Also, links to a few articles with reviews of other bars:

• 10 Best Open Rooftop Bars at Gothamist.com  
• 10 Best Rooftop Bars--Indoor at Gohtamist.com 
• East Village Bar Crawl at New York Magazine
• Ultimate NY Bar Crawl at Lonely Planet    
• Best NYC Rooftop Bars at Thrillist
• 50 Best NYC Bars  at Time Out New York

Higher -priced restaurant bars:

• The Dead Rabbit: 30 Water Street, South Street Seaport
• NoMad ("Best Hotel Bar"): 117 Broadway, (at 28th Street)
• Saxonand Parole-:316 Bowery at Bleeker
• Cafe Standard--Cooper Square (5th Street) at Bowery (East Village higher end hipster feel) 

Cheap ballet tickets! NYCB and ABT $29 tickets on the upper tiers are a bargain

I love ballet! I confess I didn’t understand it for many years, and only went now and then when invited because I didn’t want to seem un-cool. But after many years of “not getting it”, I finally “got it” after an evening with friends who invited me to see Diana Vishneva in “Giselle” at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Then decided that, living in a small apartment building with some of the most recognizable members of the New York City Ballet (NYCB), it was pretty ridiculous to not make the effort to understand what these highly respected artists –and athletes—did for a living.

NYC BASIC: Statue of Liberty visit- or just the view

Before you begin-consider how much time you have: The estimated time for visiting both Liberty Island AND Ellis Island, including wait time for ferries, etc., is about 5 hours. For visiting just Liberty Island, including wait time for ferries: 3 hours. The actual ferry ride to Liberty Island is only 15 minutes--but the wait on line to get on ferry can be over two hours on a hot summer day. And if you have tickets for the Statue platform, crown etc., you will be spending pretty much all day just getting there, taking the tour, and coming back. So adjust time accordingly. Security is tight for inside the SOL and can take up even more time.Thus the 3 hours estimated time for visiting the SOL itself. 

I would say pretty much everyone who comes to NYC wants to see the Statue of Liberty. And rightfully so. After almost 40 years in NYC,  I still get goosebumps when I see it. But with popularity comes effort—and, as with the Empire State Building, it can take a long time to actually get into the physical location. You need to allow a great deal of time for actually visiting both these structures, because they are heavily visited (especially in summertime), and it takes a great deal of time to navigate the ferry access or the building access.

The fact is, if you are willing to forego actually being on Liberty Island, where the Statue is located, you can still enjoy the view of it from the water, and still get the joy and the photos--but you don't have to deal with the massive crowds and herding that are involved with getting in and around these two most heavily tourist-ed sights. 

Here is how to enjoy the SOL from both up-close and afar: