Thread: NY City Travel Tips

Hi all,

Got a very good friend who is planning a New York City baseball trip this summer. He and his brother are going to Yankee and New Shea Stadiums and then taking the train down to Philadelphia to catch a Phils game. It has been quite a while since I have been to NYC so I was no help but I thought my LGK brothers and sisters could help supply the answers to a few questions he has.

- Anyone know of an NY pizza place that can give them a true NY style piece of pie?
- Also anyone got a good idea on the best Deli to go to?
- Lastly any quirky things to do there?

They plan on staying in the city and taking public transportation only and doing some typical tourist stuff (9/11 memorial, harbor cruise to see Statue and Ellis Island). If anyone else has anything interesting please pass along.

Thanks all.

If they are going to the 9/11 memorial, make sure they know they need to get a pass in advance. It is free, but for the purpose of crowd control they require you to register here:
National September 11 Memorial & Museum | World Trade Center Memorial

While they are in the financial district, they have to go to Ancora, across the street from the Holiday Inn. Best Italian (Ya better believe it!), service is excellent, and it is reasonably priced (around $20/plate), especially for what you get, and the fact it's in NYC.

That's alls I gots. Hope they have fun.

Go up to the observation deck on the Empire State Bldg. It is a great view.

Buuut, do this first thing in the morning - verify when it opens. Some friends told us to go first thing and we did, and by the time we got back down to the lobby an hour or so later, the line was out the door 2 - 3 hours long. I'm not sure if they now pre-sell time-stamped tix, when we went it was just first come first up the elevator.

Was in NYC about a month ago. had a great time, people were nice, subways were a breeze to get around.
seemed there was good NY style pizza on every block.
I agree get to Empire State building first thing in the morning, before they open, I was first in line, and when we came out the line was around the corner.

Carnegie Deli | Home
Never been, heard from other people it's great.

Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake and Desserts
Restaurant is nice enough. Cheesecake is awesome. My head nearly exploded trying to figure out how many calories where on one cart stacked with cheesecakes I saw a waiter wheeling past us.

If they get to spend time in Philly:
Jim's Steaks Philadelphia South Street location. IMO, better than either Pat's or Geno's (the two places that get most of the press).
Reading Terminal Market › Home They can eat their way through.

Katz Deli on Luldlow and Houston .
It's kinda expensive but far less than Carnegie Deli.
A bunch of celebrities go there (Bill Clinton used to before he gave up eating dead animal)
The Pastrami is great.
Filmed that scene from "When Harry met Sally" where they were in the deli and
Meg Ryan faked an orgasm at the table and Billy Crystal's mom in a cameo said "I'll
have what she's having"

Top of the Rock
Observation deck at 30 Rockefeller center.
I went when my buddy worked on Conan (when it is filmed in NYC)
I think you pay but we got it comped somehow.
amazing view.

If they have never been and the day is nice , a walk in/around Central Park
is fun.

Coney Island
A ride on the Cyclone is great and surprisingly terrifying.

Just remember for the most part if you get a soda at most restaurants in NYC it is
not unlimited refills the way it is here in LA.

I tell this to all NY Pizza hunters: go to the Pizza parlours that cook the pies in a COAL oven. There are only a handful in NY because the restaurants are no longer able to use coal, except for those few that are grandfathered in.

A couple of them are Grimaldi's, under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side, and Lombardi's, off of Spring and Mulberry just outside of Little Italy.

I've been to both of them and they are both outstanding.

Grimaldis is the best.

You can't go wrong with places in little Italy. Bella Note is excellent. (coming from an Italian).

I love Carnegie Deli. Used to eat there in college. Great atmosphere.

The city is full of touristy crap. What month are you thinking? August can get kind of nasty. It gets humid there and the city can be just gross.

I can't bring myself to go to ground Zero because I lost a couple of friends. I was also at the top of that building just weeks before an it freaks me out. Kudos to anyone who has. The cajones to go.

I think they are looking at mid June/early July.