Stay on the east side
The East Village
The east village has several things going for it. Firs, it
is where real Yorkers live and work. If you want to experience Manhattan at its
finest then the east village offers you some of the best views, restaurants/delis,
and shops to visit. Looking for a simply good bagel? Swing in to the Union
Market on the corner of E. Houston and Avenue A. Union market will sell you a
toasted bagel and smear for under $2, while other shops will easily charge you
$3 plus. The best coffee and tea can be found at the Punjabi Grocery & Deli
just a couple of blocks up from Union Market. You also can’t beat the view of
the east river
China Town
Just below east village is China town. Here you will find a
vast array of interesting sights, sounds, people, and smells. The egg tarts and
other confections are delicious, and very cheap. For some reason, there didn’t
seem to be many tourist in china town, even though it is just off wall street
and is really cool.
23rd Street north
Venture north of 23rd street on the east side and
you will find the United Nations building, beautiful views of the east river
and Astoria/Brooklyn. While I did not try the Indian food, other than the Chai,
I can tell you that if that is what you are looking for the best places are on
Lexington around 28th street. (The food at the Punjabi Grocery &
Deli is all vegetarian and looked good. See the east village section.)
Swing on up to Financier Patisserie, on the corner of 54th
and first, for one of the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever. The patisserie
packs their cookie with raisins, nuts… and all sorts of deliciousness. The Patisserie
has a wide range of confections including some of the biggest macrons I have
ever seen. Travel on north of the
Patisserie and you will see the beautiful Queensboro Bridge, Mount Vernon Hotel
Museum, and many other beautiful buildings and sights.
Walk in and out of Manhattan
I highly recommend walking into Manhattan across the Brooklyn
Bridge. The views of the Manhattan from the Brooklyn bridge are amazing. If you
are a morning person you will be treated to a beautiful sunrise over the east
river, and amazing lighting on the Manhattan skyline.
While on the subject of walking, I would recommend that you
spend most of your time walking around New York. The city is extremely compact
and walkable. Manhattan is only about 8 by 2 miles at the most and it is very
safe to walk. The upside of walking is that you can see things so well and are
more likely to uncover new things you would miss if you took the subway or
Uber.
From the Airport to Manhattan.
The best way to get from JFK to Manhattan is to take the AirTran
and then transfer to the J or E line subway. This will get you from the airport
for only about ten dollars, as opposed to the $50+ you could spend on other
methods. I would suggest the J line to Brooklyn followed by a transfer to the
A/C lines and then get off at High St. and walk across the Brooklyn bridge.
Don’t buy from street venders
You will see tons of street vendors, but avoid the
temptation. The food they sell is cheap rip-offs of the real thing. For instance,
you will pay $3 for a knish at a street vendor that is a poor excuse for the
real thing purchased in the east village for the same price.
Street Vendor Knish
_____________________________________________________
A Real Knish
Brooklyn
I would highly advise that you spend some time in Brooklyn.
The borough
of Brooklyn is very beautiful, and the home of Prospect Park. You will
enjoy amazing view of Manhattan, interesting architecture, and fun people.
Visit Time Square; but do it early in the
morning.
Time square is neat; but visiting early in the morning gives
you all the beauty, without the crowds of people and heavy traffic.
To be continued...
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