Thank you for all of the tips so far! I can't wait to work my way through these and hope everyone finds them helpful. I've been sent a couple of links to NY guides written by others, so I'll add those here...
I’m useless when it comes to recommending anything cool as I barely leave my home but I can recommend lots of things to avoid! My biggest advice is to avoid any place you’ve ever seen on social media. They all suck and we’ve lost so many former favorite restaurants to TikTok crowds. For a very cost effective meal, you’re always welcome to dine at our place!
Did you guys do Woodstock last time? I think I remember you skipped it but that’s the best upstate town (despite being the most touristy). It just has so much more going on and has such a fun quirky vibe. We’ve found pretty much every other town dead and depressing in comparison.
We pretty much always do an airbnb but there are a handful of cute hotels too. The Woodstock Way hotel seems really cute and has a pretty setting right in town. Oh and the Twin Gables B&B was cute in a dorky old lady sort of way when we stayed there 374848 years ago!
I always prefer being in a car than on public transportation, and it’s much more romantic too! Rent in the city!
I’m not sure what’s on your list but we used to love Vic’s which recently went down the tubes and has become full of 20 years olds photographing the bathroom wallpaper. Lafayette is a shitshow of people lining up outside for their pastries. Carbone gave me food poisoning so bad I wore a pad to work just in case I shit myself. Let me know what’s on your list and I’ll tell you if any are sure to disappoint!
Zitomer's is a Upper East Side department/pharmacy that is both smaller and bigger than you think it is, full of local flavor, a very particular UES blend of fancy and un-fancy, and a great place to shop for combs. A good stop-in if you're going to the Met.
Argosy is the oldest independent bookstore in NYC, and has a floor full of catalogs of antique prints and bookplates that are wonderful to look through.
Both are not where you're going to go for fancy design, but both are special, are good for finding unique mementos of your trip, not overly touristy, and products of their exact place and time.
*Rubs hands together*. 12 years here in NYC! I'd love to hear your Edinburgh recommendations as well if you have any, I'm headed that way for the first time.
I'd spend no more than 2 days upstate. I drive typically, but you can take the Metro North to Hudson.
Americans do kind of expect tips on EVERYTHING. But it will always be clear to you when to tip or not, because they will prompt you to.
A lot of the recommendations that came in via Instagram are DEEPLY overhyped. (99% of them.) You may struggle to get in to them, if it doesn't work out, I wouldn't wait in a long line or freeze outside waiting.
Overhyped list: Pop Up Bagels (if you do go, make it a weekday), Leon's Bagels, Joe's Pizza (legitimately bad!), Radio Bakery (they are so mean!), Hamburger America, Caffe Panna (delicious but this is a 100% outdoor experience, you wait in a long line outside and then there is nowhere to eat your ice cream-- not realistic in winter), Wilfie and Nell (can't believe this hook up bar for 24 year olds was recommended to you!), Apollo Bagel, Partner's Coffee, Bernie's, Misi.
Underhyped (or adequately hyped!) things that I deeply recommend!: The Odeon or a reservation at Balthazar. An espresso at Sant Ambroeus on the Upper East, preferably after a snowy Central Park walk or day at The Met (best museum). Brooklyn Ball Factory makes an out of this world matcha latte. Long Island Bar (get there early and have drinks and a burger! Enjoy the people watching). Lilia for Italian (try to put your name in early or right at opening). Eat a cruller and a breakfast sandwich at Daily Provisions. For a classic NY experience, try Peter Pan Donut (an old haunt with the prices to match) and their honey dip or honey cruller and bacon egg and cheese. Drinks at any of the classic NYC fancy bars-- Bemelman's at the Carlyle or King Cole Bar at the St Regis, both of which get busy during prime time. A cheeseburger at JG Melon afterwards (cash only) is DIVINE. Librae Bakery and Hani's Bakery in the Gramercy/Cooper Sq area.
Vintage shopping: CRAZY overpriced in New York. Highway robbery. The best cheap places to go are L Train vintage or their huge outpost, Urban Jungle in Bushwick. Come hydrated and with lots of energy. I also like Fantasy Explosion in Greenpoint for menswear/streetwear and Stella Dallas 10 Ft Single in Williamsburg.
Great neighborhoods to walk: Gramercy Park thru Irving Place. Williamsburg up to Greenpoint. Franklin Avenue in Greenpoint. Museum Mile uptown.
Tourist traps: All of Soho. Anything you see on Instagram or TikTok (unfortunately).
Take the subway everywhere! Ubers are for chumps and wayyyyyy overpriced.
I recommend Gaby Scelzo's newsletter, Perfect City.
Omg 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas and Stella Dallas Living are still around!?! I went to 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas in 2011 and LOVED IT. I was with my very stylish London photographer Debi Treloar and she went crazy there too. Yeah that’s a definite must.
Ah congrats on 10 years! Funnily enough my boyfriend and I planning a trip in April too. I’ve been a few times but only ever at Christmas, so looking forward to a completely different trip!
My Pinterest board has circa 150 places saved so I have a bit of sieving through myself!
Commenting so I can see any other suggestions but also sharing those I’ve saved recently or visited before;
Shops - Quarter, Porta, 180, Roman and Williams Guild, Beacons Closet and Tictail.
Food - Pastis, Juniper, Lambrusco, Twin Tails Gage and Tolner, Port Sa’id, Raouls, The Dover and A Bar Revered for cocktails!
A trip to Dia:Beacon gallery is well worth it. The train ride along the Hudson is beautiful and the gallery is 👌🏼
We stayed part of the time at the hoxton in Williamsburg and really rated it. Williamsburg has lots to offer, the hoxton is just the right bank balance side of special, and the breakfast bag they hang on your door is a lovely touch for a quick start to the day and a hop on the ferry.
I also haven’t been since 2019 so some of my recs are likely wildly out of date, but my favourite experiences last time were:
- going to the Russian Turkish baths in the east village (perfect on a cold, gloomy day) followed by dinner at Superiority Burger,
- getting my aura photographed at Magic Jewellery in Chinatown, followed by lunchtime soup dumplings at Deluxe Green Bo,
- a long afternoon browsing in Dashwood books (all photography books), Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, Codex (classics and amazing art books) casa magazines and Iconic magazines
- I love weird highly specialist stores so I loved wandering around Kalustyan’s, the compleat sculptor, economy candy, Kremer Pigments, ninth Avenue international foods
Oh! And years ago I tried to go to the Guggenheim but picked the one day it was closed, so ended up at the Neue Galerie near by and wandered around lapping up all their German and Austrian art (Klimt! schiele!) and then ate an excellent piece of sacher torte in their cafe. Highly recommend.
For Museums, when you're in NYC, visit the Noguchi Museum and Garden in Queens! The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn is amazing too. You can spend an hour or so perusing the old subway cars and the subway ads from the past 100 years. The advertisements are unbelievable and you’ll feel like you’re in an episode of Mad Men. Salon 94 is a great space on the UES.
It's not cheap... but Gramercy Tavern for food is worth every penny. No need to book the Dining Room, the Tavern has amazing food too. Would be perfect for a 10-year anniversary.
Thirding. So many places have fallen off or the service is awful. I’ve started going back to Gramercy and also Union Square Cafe because they are so solid.
I know you said bars not needed but there are some great new non alc bars in NY
- Mockingbird in Park Slope, Brooklyn just opened this past weekend.
-Hekate in the East Village has been around a couple years.
Also great NA bottle shops, my favourite is Minus Moonshine in Prospect Heights.
Another lesser known museum and a favourite of mine is the Merchant's House on E.4th Street
between Lafayette and the Bowery. A preserved 1835 townhouse where only one family lived.
There's also a new gallery space owned by NYU just around the corner from the Merchant's House at 18 Cooper Sq. It's free entry and great exhibitions (currently one that celebrates the collection of Parisian art dealer Berte Weill)
I lived in New York for 13+ years and recently moved to Hudson with my husband and our cats. One thing in restaurant culture that has changed quite a bit is that you really need a reservation if you want to spend your time dining or sightseeing rather than searching or waiting for a table. So start Resy and OpenTable accounts, make a bunch of reservations at places that look interesting (even double-booking slots), then as your itinerary starts coming together, cancel what you don’t need.
My specific NYC suggestions include:
- Historic bagel place: Russ & Daughters, founded in 1914, is one of the city’s few remaining “appetizing” shops. The original takeaway shop is on Houston St., and there’s a beautiful cafe with table service a couple blocks away on Orchard St. (This is on the Lower East Side.)
- See a movie at Metrograph, a restored movie theater not far from Russ & Daughters. They show an array of films from the collection, usually not current stuff.
- Bite-sized museum: The Morgan Library: The closest we’ll ever get to anything like Sir John Soane’s house! The permanent collection includes a copy of the Gutenberg Bible as well as a very cool/scary room-sized safe. Don’t miss whatever the current art exhibit is upstairs. (37th St & Madison Ave.)
- After the Morgan: M&J Trimming on 37th St and 6th Ave is an old-school ribbon and notions shop with the most incredible inventory. Just look at the photos on Google and you’ll see what I mean!
- See a jazz show & Mezzrow (West Village) — buy tickets in advance!
Other restaurants & cafes:
- The Odeon (Tribeca)
- The Waverly Inn (West Village)
- Té Company (West Village)
- Sant Ambroeus (Upper East Side) for a cappuccino at the espresso bar
Shops:
- Casa Magazines (West Village)
- Zitomer (Upper East Side)
- The Locavore Variety store carries only products that were made within 100 miles of NYC. (West Village)
If going to Russ and Daughters, which I highly recommend, I would also go to The Tenement Museum which is a fascinating slice back through time into the LES
- For quirky, interesting shops and restaurants/bars, Nolita and LES is where it's at, especially along Orchard Street. Highly rec November 19 for homeware/gifts, Susan Alexandra for beaded stuff, Coming Soon for homewares. There's also the pickle bookstore. For food, Scarr's for pizza, Katz's for Jewish deli (but go earlyish - long lines/ticketing system), Trappizzino for arancini, Golden Diner, Thai Diner. Note- the Bode store is on Hester Street, it's good for a look, but tbh they're kind of snobby so YMMV (i'm saying this as a Bode devotee).
- Cafe China (W. 37th St/6th Ave) for really amazing Chinese food (the best dandan noodles in the city) near Bryant Park in a very pretty setting (reminds me of a Wong Kar Wai film). Also on same block as Magazine Cafe, which has a ton of fashion/home magazines and international titles.
- Underrated museums: Morgan Library Museum (height of Gilded Age wealth) and The Met Cloisters (medieval church with lots of medieval/Renaissance era tapestries).
- Underrated experience: Happy Medium Art Cafe. You can do a small craft (collage, beading, drawing0, or sign up for a larger thing like a giant painting or a table lamp.
I would NOT recommend:
- Times Square (unless you're seeing a show- and then I would recommend spending time in Hell's Kitchen for dinner/drinks. Pure Thai and Ariana Afghan are food favorites).
- Fifth Avenue for shopping (too $$$ and not impressive tbh).
- Rockefeller Center is crowded AF (but there are some good things there now -- McNally Jackson books, Lodi, and believe it or not the American Girl Cafe has a good birthday package (though a bizarre, surreal experience as you'll be sitting with dolls. And it's close to MOMA.)
- Bad Roman: It's very TikTok famous but tbh it's just fine? I would rather try to score a table at Via Carota.
I've had some suggestions come in via Instagram, so I'll paste them in the comments here to keep everything in one place...
John’s Luncheonette - Classic Diner
Wilfie and Nell - Great bar
The Odeon - Martini and dinner
The Greenwich Hotel - Breakfast
Emilio’s Ballato - Meatballs!
Milano’s Bar - Dive bar
Joe’s Pizza
Birds of a Feather - Amazing Chinese
3 Decker Diner - Pancakes
Dudleys - Brunch
Katz Deli - A classic
Le Dive - Cocktails
L’industrie Pizzeria
Leon’s Bagels - Quick breakfast
Taqueria Ramirez - Tacos, the best
Caffé Panna - Desert
Radio Bakery - Get it all
Hamburger America - Smash burger
I second these recco’s!
Hey ! First : congratulations on this anniversary, 10 years, this is something !!
Second : I spent a month in New York this summer, and walked a lot !!!!
Here are my fav walk I did :
- west side highway : I went during the day to read a book or in the evening to watch the sunset and once to have a pizza from L’Industrie
- I walked around Brooklyn Heights, and tried lappartment 4F, as a French, I can say it’s good bread and croissant ! Cute shop : Salter House !
Also a beautiful sunset view from the piers
Closer to Dumbo : lunch at Usagi was nice !
Once thing I loved was taking the ferries, to governor island and to Red hook, or simply from Brooklyn to manhattan.
My favourite coffee shops :
Sey coffee (Bushwik)
Partner’s coffee shop on Williamsburg
La Cabra, though it was a little too crowded, they still have good coffee and pastries
The coffee shop on the Bandir Shop
Saint George was really nice to chill
Rosecrans was intriguing, with all the flowers, it’s a nice set up.
Lê Phin : the most insane matcha, ask the owner what they recommend, it’s delicious
Loved the cookie from From Lucie
The tomato bagel from Apollo Bagel
Sitting in Tompkins Square for a lunch or to read !
I’d say these are my fav fav !!
Can’t wait to read people’s recs !
Enjoy your trip!!!!!
Thanks so much! x
This is such a good guide for all of us! Thank you.
Thank you for all of the tips so far! I can't wait to work my way through these and hope everyone finds them helpful. I've been sent a couple of links to NY guides written by others, so I'll add those here...
- A couple of NY guides from The Anna Edit https://theannaedit.substack.com/p/everything-i-wore-last-week-a-trip and here https://www.theannaedit.com/we-went-to-new-york-heres-our-updated-city-guide/
- A NY guide from my friend Mads at Studio Bust (a wonderful female-founded small business creating bespoke sculptures) https://www.studiobust.com/journal/new-york-city-guide
I’m useless when it comes to recommending anything cool as I barely leave my home but I can recommend lots of things to avoid! My biggest advice is to avoid any place you’ve ever seen on social media. They all suck and we’ve lost so many former favorite restaurants to TikTok crowds. For a very cost effective meal, you’re always welcome to dine at our place!
Did you guys do Woodstock last time? I think I remember you skipped it but that’s the best upstate town (despite being the most touristy). It just has so much more going on and has such a fun quirky vibe. We’ve found pretty much every other town dead and depressing in comparison.
We pretty much always do an airbnb but there are a handful of cute hotels too. The Woodstock Way hotel seems really cute and has a pretty setting right in town. Oh and the Twin Gables B&B was cute in a dorky old lady sort of way when we stayed there 374848 years ago!
I always prefer being in a car than on public transportation, and it’s much more romantic too! Rent in the city!
We did go to Woodstock but just for the day, we didn’t stay overnight there. Which TikTok faves do I need to strike off my list?
I’m not sure what’s on your list but we used to love Vic’s which recently went down the tubes and has become full of 20 years olds photographing the bathroom wallpaper. Lafayette is a shitshow of people lining up outside for their pastries. Carbone gave me food poisoning so bad I wore a pad to work just in case I shit myself. Let me know what’s on your list and I’ll tell you if any are sure to disappoint!
😂 the pad
And I definitely will!
Zitomer's is a Upper East Side department/pharmacy that is both smaller and bigger than you think it is, full of local flavor, a very particular UES blend of fancy and un-fancy, and a great place to shop for combs. A good stop-in if you're going to the Met.
Argosy is the oldest independent bookstore in NYC, and has a floor full of catalogs of antique prints and bookplates that are wonderful to look through.
Both are not where you're going to go for fancy design, but both are special, are good for finding unique mementos of your trip, not overly touristy, and products of their exact place and time.
Seconding Argosy! The basement floor has some good gems.
I’m so glad you mentioned Zitomer!! A must-see spot.
*Rubs hands together*. 12 years here in NYC! I'd love to hear your Edinburgh recommendations as well if you have any, I'm headed that way for the first time.
I'd spend no more than 2 days upstate. I drive typically, but you can take the Metro North to Hudson.
Americans do kind of expect tips on EVERYTHING. But it will always be clear to you when to tip or not, because they will prompt you to.
A lot of the recommendations that came in via Instagram are DEEPLY overhyped. (99% of them.) You may struggle to get in to them, if it doesn't work out, I wouldn't wait in a long line or freeze outside waiting.
Overhyped list: Pop Up Bagels (if you do go, make it a weekday), Leon's Bagels, Joe's Pizza (legitimately bad!), Radio Bakery (they are so mean!), Hamburger America, Caffe Panna (delicious but this is a 100% outdoor experience, you wait in a long line outside and then there is nowhere to eat your ice cream-- not realistic in winter), Wilfie and Nell (can't believe this hook up bar for 24 year olds was recommended to you!), Apollo Bagel, Partner's Coffee, Bernie's, Misi.
Underhyped (or adequately hyped!) things that I deeply recommend!: The Odeon or a reservation at Balthazar. An espresso at Sant Ambroeus on the Upper East, preferably after a snowy Central Park walk or day at The Met (best museum). Brooklyn Ball Factory makes an out of this world matcha latte. Long Island Bar (get there early and have drinks and a burger! Enjoy the people watching). Lilia for Italian (try to put your name in early or right at opening). Eat a cruller and a breakfast sandwich at Daily Provisions. For a classic NY experience, try Peter Pan Donut (an old haunt with the prices to match) and their honey dip or honey cruller and bacon egg and cheese. Drinks at any of the classic NYC fancy bars-- Bemelman's at the Carlyle or King Cole Bar at the St Regis, both of which get busy during prime time. A cheeseburger at JG Melon afterwards (cash only) is DIVINE. Librae Bakery and Hani's Bakery in the Gramercy/Cooper Sq area.
Vintage shopping: CRAZY overpriced in New York. Highway robbery. The best cheap places to go are L Train vintage or their huge outpost, Urban Jungle in Bushwick. Come hydrated and with lots of energy. I also like Fantasy Explosion in Greenpoint for menswear/streetwear and Stella Dallas 10 Ft Single in Williamsburg.
Great neighborhoods to walk: Gramercy Park thru Irving Place. Williamsburg up to Greenpoint. Franklin Avenue in Greenpoint. Museum Mile uptown.
Tourist traps: All of Soho. Anything you see on Instagram or TikTok (unfortunately).
Take the subway everywhere! Ubers are for chumps and wayyyyyy overpriced.
I recommend Gaby Scelzo's newsletter, Perfect City.
LOVE the overhyped and adequately hyped lists! So helpful - thank you 🙏🏻
Omg 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas and Stella Dallas Living are still around!?! I went to 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas in 2011 and LOVED IT. I was with my very stylish London photographer Debi Treloar and she went crazy there too. Yeah that’s a definite must.
Ah congrats on 10 years! Funnily enough my boyfriend and I planning a trip in April too. I’ve been a few times but only ever at Christmas, so looking forward to a completely different trip!
My Pinterest board has circa 150 places saved so I have a bit of sieving through myself!
Commenting so I can see any other suggestions but also sharing those I’ve saved recently or visited before;
Shops - Quarter, Porta, 180, Roman and Williams Guild, Beacons Closet and Tictail.
Food - Pastis, Juniper, Lambrusco, Twin Tails Gage and Tolner, Port Sa’id, Raouls, The Dover and A Bar Revered for cocktails!
Go to cure thrift. Such a great curated thrift store. I have more but it’s a couple of years old. Will revisit
A trip to Dia:Beacon gallery is well worth it. The train ride along the Hudson is beautiful and the gallery is 👌🏼
We stayed part of the time at the hoxton in Williamsburg and really rated it. Williamsburg has lots to offer, the hoxton is just the right bank balance side of special, and the breakfast bag they hang on your door is a lovely touch for a quick start to the day and a hop on the ferry.
I second Dia Beacon, which my lover and I always referred as Dear Beacon. worth it for the trip and best contemporary art.
I also haven’t been since 2019 so some of my recs are likely wildly out of date, but my favourite experiences last time were:
- going to the Russian Turkish baths in the east village (perfect on a cold, gloomy day) followed by dinner at Superiority Burger,
- getting my aura photographed at Magic Jewellery in Chinatown, followed by lunchtime soup dumplings at Deluxe Green Bo,
- a long afternoon browsing in Dashwood books (all photography books), Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, Codex (classics and amazing art books) casa magazines and Iconic magazines
- I love weird highly specialist stores so I loved wandering around Kalustyan’s, the compleat sculptor, economy candy, Kremer Pigments, ninth Avenue international foods
Have a great time!
Oh! And years ago I tried to go to the Guggenheim but picked the one day it was closed, so ended up at the Neue Galerie near by and wandered around lapping up all their German and Austrian art (Klimt! schiele!) and then ate an excellent piece of sacher torte in their cafe. Highly recommend.
For Museums, when you're in NYC, visit the Noguchi Museum and Garden in Queens! The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn is amazing too. You can spend an hour or so perusing the old subway cars and the subway ads from the past 100 years. The advertisements are unbelievable and you’ll feel like you’re in an episode of Mad Men. Salon 94 is a great space on the UES.
The New York Transit museum is on my list for our next visit. Looks right up my street :)
I also recommend a day trip to Dia: Beacon via train. I go there every time I visit New York.
It's not cheap... but Gramercy Tavern for food is worth every penny. No need to book the Dining Room, the Tavern has amazing food too. Would be perfect for a 10-year anniversary.
I second this! Everyone sort of forgets about Gramercy, but it’s so great.
Thirding. So many places have fallen off or the service is awful. I’ve started going back to Gramercy and also Union Square Cafe because they are so solid.
I know you said bars not needed but there are some great new non alc bars in NY
- Mockingbird in Park Slope, Brooklyn just opened this past weekend.
-Hekate in the East Village has been around a couple years.
Also great NA bottle shops, my favourite is Minus Moonshine in Prospect Heights.
Another lesser known museum and a favourite of mine is the Merchant's House on E.4th Street
between Lafayette and the Bowery. A preserved 1835 townhouse where only one family lived.
There's also a new gallery space owned by NYU just around the corner from the Merchant's House at 18 Cooper Sq. It's free entry and great exhibitions (currently one that celebrates the collection of Parisian art dealer Berte Weill)
I lived in New York for 13+ years and recently moved to Hudson with my husband and our cats. One thing in restaurant culture that has changed quite a bit is that you really need a reservation if you want to spend your time dining or sightseeing rather than searching or waiting for a table. So start Resy and OpenTable accounts, make a bunch of reservations at places that look interesting (even double-booking slots), then as your itinerary starts coming together, cancel what you don’t need.
My specific NYC suggestions include:
- Historic bagel place: Russ & Daughters, founded in 1914, is one of the city’s few remaining “appetizing” shops. The original takeaway shop is on Houston St., and there’s a beautiful cafe with table service a couple blocks away on Orchard St. (This is on the Lower East Side.)
- See a movie at Metrograph, a restored movie theater not far from Russ & Daughters. They show an array of films from the collection, usually not current stuff.
- Bite-sized museum: The Morgan Library: The closest we’ll ever get to anything like Sir John Soane’s house! The permanent collection includes a copy of the Gutenberg Bible as well as a very cool/scary room-sized safe. Don’t miss whatever the current art exhibit is upstairs. (37th St & Madison Ave.)
- After the Morgan: M&J Trimming on 37th St and 6th Ave is an old-school ribbon and notions shop with the most incredible inventory. Just look at the photos on Google and you’ll see what I mean!
- See a jazz show & Mezzrow (West Village) — buy tickets in advance!
Other restaurants & cafes:
- The Odeon (Tribeca)
- The Waverly Inn (West Village)
- Té Company (West Village)
- Sant Ambroeus (Upper East Side) for a cappuccino at the espresso bar
Shops:
- Casa Magazines (West Village)
- Zitomer (Upper East Side)
- The Locavore Variety store carries only products that were made within 100 miles of NYC. (West Village)
- Canal Lighting & Parts (SoHo)
- Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks
- Left Bank Books
If going to Russ and Daughters, which I highly recommend, I would also go to The Tenement Museum which is a fascinating slice back through time into the LES
Sadly M&J closed--it was such a gem of the Garment District. I second the Morgan though!
Congrats on 10 years!
New Yorker here ...
- For quirky, interesting shops and restaurants/bars, Nolita and LES is where it's at, especially along Orchard Street. Highly rec November 19 for homeware/gifts, Susan Alexandra for beaded stuff, Coming Soon for homewares. There's also the pickle bookstore. For food, Scarr's for pizza, Katz's for Jewish deli (but go earlyish - long lines/ticketing system), Trappizzino for arancini, Golden Diner, Thai Diner. Note- the Bode store is on Hester Street, it's good for a look, but tbh they're kind of snobby so YMMV (i'm saying this as a Bode devotee).
- Cafe China (W. 37th St/6th Ave) for really amazing Chinese food (the best dandan noodles in the city) near Bryant Park in a very pretty setting (reminds me of a Wong Kar Wai film). Also on same block as Magazine Cafe, which has a ton of fashion/home magazines and international titles.
- Underrated museums: Morgan Library Museum (height of Gilded Age wealth) and The Met Cloisters (medieval church with lots of medieval/Renaissance era tapestries).
- Underrated experience: Happy Medium Art Cafe. You can do a small craft (collage, beading, drawing0, or sign up for a larger thing like a giant painting or a table lamp.
I would NOT recommend:
- Times Square (unless you're seeing a show- and then I would recommend spending time in Hell's Kitchen for dinner/drinks. Pure Thai and Ariana Afghan are food favorites).
- Fifth Avenue for shopping (too $$$ and not impressive tbh).
- Rockefeller Center is crowded AF (but there are some good things there now -- McNally Jackson books, Lodi, and believe it or not the American Girl Cafe has a good birthday package (though a bizarre, surreal experience as you'll be sitting with dolls. And it's close to MOMA.)
- Bad Roman: It's very TikTok famous but tbh it's just fine? I would rather try to score a table at Via Carota.