Where the Sidewalk Begins: NYC

Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts

July 6, 2011

Best Restaurants in Downtown NYC...

Every once in awhile I get asked...What are your favorite restaurants in downtown New York? I posted this over a year ago, but revisit every once in awhile to add to the list! Working on Chicago next...

Atlas Cafe - fun for groups, yummy tapas & sangria

Barbuto - opens the doors in spring and summer for a great outdoor feel
Bar'Rique - newbie wine bar on Bleeker St. with the tastiest dinner menu and to-die-for cheese plates

Blue Hill - seminal Greenmarket haven with fresh farm fare from an upstate complex called Stone Barns

Blue Ribbon Sushi - delish sushi and relaxed atmosphere
The Breslin - gastropub in the Ace Hotel that serves delicious cocktails and meat lover's faves
Cafe Cluny - favorite Sunday brunch spot in the W. Village, wait in line for the best egg sandwich 'ever'

The Charles - s'mores and more make this speakeasy/lounge a great dinner spot

Diablo Royale - West Village Mexican taqueria saloon

Essex - great weekend brunches on the LES

Five Points - warm and relaxed Mediterranean-American eatery

Freemans - comforting american cuisine tucked away in a charming LES alley
Gemma - hot spot on Bowery that serves up yummy Italian food
Gitane - Moroccan French cafe in the Jane Hotel

Hotel Griffou - trendy grotto eatery with amazing cocktails and yummy dishes

Il Buco - warm antique charm and Mediterranean dishes

Indochine - French-Vietnamese fairy-tale favorite

Kingswood - candlelit rustic feel with yummy american food
La Gazzeta - cozy Meat Packing district brasserie
La Esquina - best south of houston mexican spot on the map with killer margaritas (literally;)

L'artusi - italian with amazing flavorful food and busy upbeat vibe

Little Owl - tiny w. village neighborhood fave

Lupa - soft-hearted Tuscan trattoria
Lure Fishbar - new seafood, sushi, oyster bar that celebs love to frequent

Morandi - cozy Italian with winning wine list and attractive crowd

Palma - rustic Mediterranean-Italian gem
Pastis - chic, crowded Parisian style bistro in the heart of Meat-Packing district

Pearl Oyster Bar - intimate New England style seafood restaurant
Pulino's Bar & Pizzeria - a boisterous crowd always hovers over the bar here for the best thin crust pizza

Smith & Mills - small cozy Tribeca restaurant where the food and experience are both amazing
The Spotted Pig - long waits are worth it at this upscale pub that serves up salty, smokey cured fare

Tartine - BYOB french bistro that is tiny and terrific

Waverly Inn - impossible to get a reservation, this American dining is delicious

December 3, 2010

Holiday Guide for NYC...

New York City is one of the most festive places to deck the halls with holiday spirit. A few things you might want to put on the list:

Go see The Nutcracker
Visit Pop-Up gift shops open for the holidays
Dine at Rolf's among the kitschy Christmas decor
Head uptown to the Annual Park Avenue Christmas Tree Lighting
Put on your skates and visit NYC's seasonal rinks
Tour the cities famous holiday department store window displays

September 27, 2010

Eataly in NYC...

I walked through the hustle and bustle of Eataly this weekend and it was amazing. With stand up food and drinks bars amidst the market you can only imagine the yummy salami, cheeses, wines, fresh pastas, pizza, fresh breads, espresso and gelato that you can enjoy there or pick up to cook Italian cuisine at home. The also host many cooking classes through the week, and I can't wait to try!

September 10, 2010

Happy Friday...

Happy Friday! It's Fashion Night Out in a city near you...I can't wait to hit the shops for cocktails and discounts. There are a few great planning guides for parties you can't miss in NYC. Have a wonderful weekend. xo

July 25, 2010

Sunday Best Series: NYC Scene this Week...

Coming to you weekly will be a new series on Walking Around - Sunday Best - scoping out the best activities {in a city near you} and dishing them here...

This next couple weeks, my intern Alix has put together a great list of faves in NYC. Next stop - SF of course, and from there we'll be stopping off to explore the hottest cities in the US. Stay tuned.

July 25^th –Aug 1^st

Sun – Saturday

July 25^th Sunday

· Mad Men Screening in Times Square (free)

Cynthia Rowley up to 80% off

July 26^th Monday

· Monty Python and the Holy Grail Showing in Bryant Park (free)

July 28^th Wednesday

· District 9 showing at the Husdon River Pier 54 (free, free popcorn too!)

July 31st Saturday

· Sonic Youth in Prospect Park (free)

July 19, 2010

NYC Favorites...

Come visit me at Fern + Feather today, where I'm guest blogging. Alexis asked me to put together a list of favorites about my city, NYC, from fashion, to art and glorious pizza spots.

June 25, 2010

Al Fresco in NYC...

There are so many lovely restaurants to visit in NYC, and in summer months an outdoor spot in the back garden or on the curb is covetable. DailyCandy just posted their list of favorite places to dine Al Fresco this season! And you can revisit my list too;)

NYC: Laundry Stork...

Are you scheduling 'laundry night' and dreading it all week long? It is top 5 on my list of least favorite things to do. So, that's why I'm sold on this idea...wash, dry, fold, delivered!

The Laundry Stork offers a way to pick up, clean and deliver laundry and dry cleaning. They are the only service in Manhattan that offers 24-hour turnaround eco-friendly laundry service and 48-hour turnaround GreenEarth dry cleaning service.

Why else you should love this, they are truly environmental friendly:

Detergents: Offer multiple detergent choices, including non-toxic, biodegradable and fragrance-free.
Hangers: They encourage you to include your hangers in your bag for pick-up so we can return your clothes on recyclable hangers, thereby reducing the 3.5 billion hangers that fill our landfills every year.
Packaging: Using dual-use bags, which serves as your dry cleaning bag and garment sleeve, drastically cutting down on the estimated 300 million pounds of single-use plastic bags from dry cleaners that go to our landfills every year.
Washing/Drying: High efficiency washer / extractor machines are designed to minimize water usage while our oversized dryers allow for maximum air flow.
Dry Cleaning: They use green earth dry cleaning, the leading alternative among environmentally-safe dry cleaning methods.
Location: The cleaning facilities are located nearby to minimize our carbon footprint and we try to serve customers that are already located within our pick up and delivery areas.
Transportation: Prius hybrids and the new Ford Transit Connect are used for transportation to and from our dry cleaning facilities.
Donation: They donate at least 1% of our sales to "1% for the Planet" -- a network of over 2,000 environmental organizations worldwide. We are also in the process of initiating a clothing donation program for customers that wish to give used clothes to those in need in the area.

June 2, 2010

NYC: Hot Summer in the City Guides...

On the stands right now are great summer guides for all kinds of city fun. Time Out New York created a list of staycations, and Yelp, a summery guide of outdoor escapes that will entertain while your friends are off at their summer shares. If you find yourself in a panic with open weekends on the calendar in the hot months ahead - fear not, there's so much to do! My favorite is Vanity Fair's Summer Guide.

May 25, 2010

Colorful Contemporary Art...

I'm about to finish a large abstract painting that I have been working on, and am totally inspired by these contemporary pieces. Each artist has a unique style and uses vibrant contrasting colors. 1. Malene Landgreen 2. Kate Long Stevenson 3. Lindsay Brooks (currently showing in NYC)

May 7, 2010

Sia at Terminal 5...

Last night I saw Sia on stage at Terminal 5 in NYC. It was amazing, and I highly recommend getting tickets to see her 'We Meaning You Tour' in a city near you - she has such powerful voice and fun cheeky personality:) I love this MTV live version of her doing 'Clap Your Hands'.

May 5, 2010

Beautiful Day For Bike Ride...

It's the most gorgeous sunny day in NYC. Where would one find a bike to cruise the park or west side highway? I scouted a few spots. Enjoy!

Central Park $35/dayday (Another Central Park Rental Shop)
Chelsea Bicycles 26th b/w 6th and 7th Ave. $6/hr $35/day
City Bicycles 38th b/w 8th and 8th Ave $35/day
Gotham Bikes W. Broadway b/w Duane and Reade $35/day
Landmark Vintage Bikes on 3rd/Ave. A $35/day
Manhattan Velo 17th b/w 3rd Ave and Irving Place $35/day
Metro Bikes (Several Locations)
Waterfront Bicycle Shop W. Side Highway b/w Christopher and W. 10th $32/day

April 19, 2010

New York City Concerts...

I'm getting that desire to run around the city - music venue hopping. Here are a few upcoming concerts this spring/summer that you can't miss!

The Whitest Boy Alive 4/21 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Morning Benders 4/24 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg
Shout out Louds 5/5 at Webster Hall
Sia 5/6 at Terminal 5
Mumford and Sons 5/18 at Webster Hall
Pearl Jam 5/20-5/21 at Madison Square Garden
LCD Soundsystem 5/22 at Terminal 5
Broken Bells 6/5 at The Fillmore NYC
The National 6/16 at Radio City Music Hall
Passion Pit 6/29 at Prospect Park in Brooklyn
Jack Johnson 7/14 at Madison Square Garden
Seu Jorge 7/30 at Terminal 5
Cat Power 7/31 PNC Bank Arts Center

April 14, 2010

25 Best Films about New York...

A couple years back Vanity Fair editors made a grand list of their favorite films about my favorite city—I posted in 2008, but am revisting. Here are VF's 25 best films about New York again;)

Executive Suite (1954), directed by Robert Wise

Lover Come Back (1961), directed by Delbert Mann

Working Girl (1988), directed by Mike Nichols

Annie Hall (1971), directed by Woody Allen

Manhattan (1979), directed by Woody Allen

The Warriors (1979), directed by Walter Hill

King Kong (1933), directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

Raging Bull (1980), directed by Martin Scorsese

Saturday Night Fever (1977), directed by John Badham

The Best of Everything (1959,) directed by Jean Negulesco

Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), directed by Joseph Sargent

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), directed by Blake Edwards

Angels in America (2003), directed by Mike Nichols

Mean Streets (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese

Ghostbusters (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman

Dog Day Afternoon (1975), directed by Sidney Lumet

The Apartment (1960), directed by Billy Wilder

All About Eve (1950,) directed by Joseph Mankiewicz

West Side Story (1961), directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Speedy (1928), directed by Ted Wilde

Taxi Driver (1976), directed by Martin Scorsese

Midnight Cowboy (1969), directed by John Schlesinger

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Goodfellas (1990), directed by Martin Scorsese

March 25, 2010

No. 7 Sub...

Ok, I may have just lost 4.9 lbs (with a few more to go before bikini season), but I’m about to gain it all back just by committing sins at this sub shop that just opened in the Ace Hotel. No. 7 Sub has most eclectic list of sandwiches I’ve ever seen. For vegetarians – a General Tso’s Tofu Sub made with Broccoli Mayo, Roasted Onions, Carrots. I’ll be torn between trying the Roast Beef sando with Romaine, Pickled Blueberries, Doenjang, Smoked Gouda or the Lobster Thermidor with Capers, Potato Chips and Swiss. Yum! Soon they will deliver, and then it’s just basically over for me;) {images via grub street, tasting table}

March 23, 2010

Crosby Street Hotel Sunday Movies...

The Crosby Street Hotel in Soho launched Sunday Night Film Club! It’s open to guests and public – dinner and a movie for $50 per person or cocktail, bar plate and movie for $25 per person. Dinner & cocktails are served in the Crosby bar and the movie is viewed in their 100 seat cinema at 8pm. I can't wait;)

March 28th The Hurt Locker
April 4th Up
April 11th Crazy Heart
April 18th Avatar (3D)

Ice Cream Lovers in Manhattan...

This is totally brilliant. I'd like to be a lifetime member please...

MilkMade is a membership-based ice cream company that hand-delivers fresh, homemade ice cream to New York City residents. Each month, members choose from a menu of two seasonal flavors.

March 9, 2010

Highlands NYC...

If your looking for a Scottish gastro-pub/scotch and whiskey bar in the city, you've found it! This past weekend I met a few friends at Highlands in the West Village. I didn't get to sample their menu, which boasts ham and cheese melts or Gairloch Bay mussels that sound tasty. But I can speak for this perfectly packed bar that was wall-to-wall good looking downtowners minus hipster types (thankfully). The bar whips up Scottish cocktails, and micro-brewed ales along with many single malts. It makes top five on my list. {image via nymag}

February 17, 2010

Brook Farm General Store...

From old treasures to new ones, this general store in Williamsburg is a favorite. For pics of the store and more, visit Sunday Suppers.

January 26, 2010

NYC Winter Restaurant Week...

Let's dine! Yesterday New York City's Winter Restaurant Week kicked off for 2010. The list of restaurants participating won't dissapoint, and will offer three-course lunches for $24 & three-course dinners for $35 (bubbly and cocktails not included) until February 7th. Here are a few faves: