Make sure you get a good NYC bagel while you're there. My favorite place is Ess-a-Bagel.... I've been to NYC a few times over the past few years, and always try to stop in to get one. If you like a good bagel and lox sandwich, it's pretty hard to beat. Pricey though, but hey, that's NYC for you.
I generally go on business, so I have no experience with touristy things, but there's a lot of damn good food there. If you're into scotch though, be careful to check the prices before you order things at a bar! I saw a bottle I knew is like $100, ordered a double, and was charged $94 for the glass.. I was expecting it to be less than half that! You can get robbed when it comes to drinks...
Can you really say you’ve been somewhere, if you didn’t eat that place?
Want to try proper Italian, proper bagels. All that stuff. All. Of. It.
As for Booze? I’m strictly a beer man. I know my limits on that, including when something is going a bit squiffy. Shots or Whisky etc? Not at all. And whilst it’d certainly be an authentic experience, I’m not up for a Drunk Tank!
Also looking for Nerd Delights, such as arcades and that. I’ve got 9 nights, and my flight home is a 22:00 red eye, so I’m really looking at 8 days end to end.
If you like beer, New York is PACKED with assorted breweries. At least upstate, I’m not sure how far down they go. But as NYC has everything, I’m sure a lot of places will carry local state brews.
Or you could just head up the Hudson a ways and hit them yourself.
I assume you'll mostly be in Manhattan? There are tons of sights to see just walking around. There's a GW and another game store. If you're a Stephen King fan, you can find the dark Tower at 1 Dag Hammarstad way (though they won't let you in). The delis are amazing. The museums are each worth a visit. Central Park is worth a walk through. There's Grand Central, the Empire State Building, Wall Street, etc.. Do you have any specific interests or sights you most want to see?
Oh, and you must go to the horse and buggies and say this:
.
Sadly, when I did it the cabbie didn't know his lines. Or what I was doing. Or why my wife was so embarrassed.
From Manhattan, take a walk across Brooklyn Bridge (If the weather's nice).
At the Brooklyn end of the bridge, take a right and walk down the side of the bridge. There are a couple of pizza places down there. Grimaldi's is the more famous one, but we went in the smaller one a few doors down. We were able to jump the queue because we were willing to sit at a bar in front of where they were making the pizza (why wouldn't you watch them making it!?).
Delicious pizza - it was honestly an highlight of our trip to NYC.
Nice! I'm also located in the States right now. I cant give you much advice on NY as I'm more of a California guy, but I'd recommend getting to a football game if you can.
As a fellow brit tourist there, the Intrepid is cool, you don't get to go on aircraft carriers much in day to day life. Ellis Island is also very interesting, especially if you watched An American Tail as a kid. Uber is king and a great way to get around fairly cheaply with minimal effort. Last time we were there, we went down to Coney Island which was a really great way to break up the trip and see some sandy beach, funfairs, hotdogs and other iconic Americana things, and it would be especially nice there in June. 9 days is probably more than we'd spend in New York but we tend to do a fairly tourist blistering pace. You could always do a (long) day trip to Boston using some of the coach services that go back and forth, and that is a lovely city to explore as well, though that would be quite an expensive day.
When you take a break from pizza you can go to Mamoun’s falafel, there’s a line out the door for a reason and you might go early in the trip because you might want to go back.
Check some magazine the week before you get there like the New Yorker or NY Mag and catch some music show, preferably on a weekday when the band is more random.
Museums - prioritize the Whitney, it’s a real rewarding exercise in having to try to get something out of the art, it’s explicitly American art so you avoid taking a six hour flight to look at a Turner seascape or something you could see in Britain. The highline is a mile long park built on a disused elevated train line and it’s right outside.
Brooklyn museum is right by a subway stop and pretty quirky for a big museum.
The tenement museum is pretty New York relevant and good, you have to book in advance.
Jewish museum is good. Different than the Jewish heritage museum where you shouldn’t go unless you have a 240 lb rabbi to shove you against the corner of a boxcar.
The Guggenheim is too big and boring don’t go there.
If you need clothes the stores on St Marks have better choices and prices.
As my brother once quipped ‘art for arts sake. Modern art? For feths sake’.
So yeah, happy to look at portraits (and I do love the national portrait gallery in London) and traditional paintings. Anything else just doesn’t land for me.
The Intrepid (an actual aircraft carrier turned into a museum, with a submarine, astronaut landing pod, and Blackbird as well as assorted other cool stuff) is really effing cool.
Fraunces' Tavern and the house/museum next door is a really cool bit of history right next to Wall Street - apparently Washington used to go there for a pint, and it's still an actual bar, so you can, too. I certainly did and chatted up the waitress while I was at it
For geek recommendations I'd take the subway to Union Square, Forbidden Planet and Strands are on Broadway between 12th and 13th streets, a block or two south. FP is a big comic/toy/geek shop and Strands is the biggest used book store in the city.
The GW store is a few blocks farther south on 8th street.
(There used to be more geek stuff to see around there but alas so many gone...)
Compleat Strategist is the biggest game shop, it's on 33rd street and 5th Avenue, literally across the street from the Empire State Building.
Intrepid is definiftely worth a visit, SR71, Concord, Space Shuttle and a submarine. And it's a good walk from Times Square. The METs arms and armor exhibit is a legend and rightfully so.
If you'd like to try baseball both the Mets and Yankess are on the subway as well.
Herbington wrote: Delicious pizza - it was honestly an highlight of our trip to NYC.
The downside is if you live in NYC for most of your life and then move to (hypothetically) the midwest, you've also had your last good pizza, short of visits back home.
I have no idea why these Chicagoans keep misrepresenting those casseroles they love.
I agree with Bran Dawri on the Museum of Natural History. I went on tons of school trips there when I was a kid, and I loved them. Then I went back with my wife as an adult and... it was a lot smaller. Sigh. You really can't go home again, whether literally or figuratively.
Last time I was in NYC was in...1998? Hugely underwhelming, but I'm not a city guy. Definitely plenty of landmarks to visit as shown above.
PS: If you're going to be in NYC, hit up a Broadway show, but do some research to find one you'd actually enjoy. Also, there are loads of excellent comedies/shows "off broadway" around the city.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: For our American chums, which fast food outlets would you recommend for a slice of Americana?
I’ll eat pretty much anything, and whilst I can appreciate objectively good food, I’m also weak for fast food.
Names that spring to mind with no other real knowledge? Red Lobster, White Castle, Popeyes, Chick-a-fila.
I literally just know of their names. Are there any that are better than the others?
Don’t.
Seriously, even Americans shouldn’t eat there. We export enough of that globally, so if you want a crappy burger, you should be able to find a McD’s anywhere on the planet at this point.
Especially if you are going to NYC, where you have probably the widest selections of food available in the country, if not the world. While America is sometimes refered to as a melting pot, we are more like a chunky stew, where all sorts of different cultures come together to become more than the sum of their parts, while still retaining the parts that make them unique. Take advantage of that. Go to the little random mom and pop ethnic place. Doesn’t mater where they came from originally, but odds are they put their heart into their work trying to make it happen. You could have a different cuisine every meal, every day for your vacation and not repeat yourself.
Of the places you listed.
Red Lobster is overpriced and mediocre.
White Castle is a love/hate thing. Not a fan of them myself, but a lot of people enjoy a bag of sliders.
Not had Popeyes recently, I recall it being pretty good.
Chic-Fil-a makes a damn fine chicken sandwich. I boycott them though, due to their abhorrent religious/political policies.
I'd say Wendy's the current king of burger joints, with Burger King just behind, but I think you have both in the UK. Chipoltle's however rules them all, burritos and burrito bowls.
Among the casual dining places TGI Friday's is in fact a NY-originated chain and usually has some cool kitchy décor. But over any of those I'd recommend a NY diner or pizza joint. The Greek food in diners is my poison of choice.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Yeah. Googled Chick-Fil-A, and frankly for me, they can take a long walk off a short pier!
Maybe do a fast food day? Just get a Wendys(?), Popeyes and something. Be a one day fat knacker.
Honestly, I'd just hit up Yelp! when you get there to check out some places. I travel a lot for work and this is what I do.
There are so many mom and pop shops in NYC, You shouldn't have to delve into the chains.
That being said, if you plan on a chain fast food place, 5 guys is probably the best for burgers. In-n-out is good too, but I don't think they have it up in NYC. Wendys is far away better than burger king, mcdonalds or other similar joints.
If you're expecting fast food to be good in the US, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.
Burger King: Sucks and is about to go bankrupt.
McDonalds: Sucks and is losing money hand-over-fist.
Wendy's: Completely mediocre fast food.
Popeyes: Good biscuits, crap chicken.
KFC: Just don't bother.
Taco Bell: It's just Taco Belll, cheap fake Mexican food.
Long John Silvers: Awful fast-food fish.
Subway: Supremely mediocre sandwiches
etc.
There's nothing different about US fast food. You'll be vaguely disappointed with any of these. If it's a big world-wide brand, it's cheap and relatively poor. Is it worth buying at 0200 in the morning, or when you're at a gas station on a long drive? Sure. Being in NYC everything will be NYC expensive (from 20% more to nearly double what you'd pay in a normal state/city). That's mainly due to the logistics of getting ingredients and paying for rent in NYC.
There is a secondary tier of "good" fast food restaurants which are normally a good bit better than the ones listed above:
Five Guys: Expensive but pretty good burgers
Firehouse Subs: Solid, quality sub sandwiches
Chick Fil-A: The best chicken in the fastfood game, with the best service. If you boycott them because the owner practices a religion you don't like...you've got other issues that need addressing.
Hardees/Carl's Jr.: Makers of massive and often bizarre specialty burgers. Often good fries, milkshakes and chicken tenders
Cook Out: Only if you're lucky enough to live in the Carolinas...
In-n-Out Burgers: Depending on the franchise...a quality burger. Can be disappointing in the wrong places.
Shake Shack: Battles with In-n-Out for burger bragging rights
etc.
Skip the major international branded junk and go with anything you don't recognize. You're almost guaranteed to have a better meal. While in NYC I doubt you'd even need to bother with these, other than perhaps saving some money (nothing is cheap in NYC). You'd probably get the best bang for buck by going to one of the international centres of the city (Little Italy, Chinatown, etc.) and getting some questionable foods.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: For our American chums, which fast food outlets would you recommend for a slice of Americana?
I’ll eat pretty much anything, and whilst I can appreciate objectively good food, I’m also weak for fast food.
Names that spring to mind with no other real knowledge? Red Lobster, White Castle, Popeyes, Chick-a-fila.
I literally just know of their names. Are there any that are better than the others?
Taco Bell is a cultural touchstone. Carl’s Jr. or Wendy’s will satisfy your burger requirements. Popeyes and Chic-Fil-A have a feud going on, so try both? (Be warned that Chic-Fil-a has a political association not popular in NYC.). Panda Express is good for Americanized Chinese Food. I’m not sure what other franchises are found in NY. Don’t waste a meal on Dominoes, Pizza Hut or Pápa Johns when you are in NYC. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone for dessert.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Chipotle’s is overrated and likely to make you sick, more than Taco Bell even. If you can find a La Burrita or a high Tech Burrito over there, go for them instead.
But to echo everyone else, you don’t need to go to any of them in NYC.
Elbows wrote: Last time I was in NYC was in...1998? Hugely underwhelming, but I'm not a city guy. Definitely plenty of landmarks to visit as shown above.
PS: If you're going to be in NYC, hit up a Broadway show, but do some research to find one you'd actually enjoy. Also, there are loads of excellent comedies/shows "off broadway" around the city.
I was going to suggest this. Lion King is an excellent show. Went to see it in February, and it’s a blast. If you like the theatre, it’s worth it!
I work in the city a bunch, but mostly in the Bronx. Manhattan is a rarity, but occasionally I get out there, and rarely make trips “just to
Go”. I’ll try to give whatever advice I can. Don’t waste time with “chain” restaurants; they’re over priced and worse than they would be in other locations. There is an MnM shop, a Lego store, and tons of shows/comedians. Everyone will try to peddle their tickets to you.
Museum of Natural History is huge. Go a few times; don’t try to cram it all in in one day. Plus, unless things have changed, their entrance fee is a suggested thing; I’ve gone and you pay whatever you want. They don’t advertise it, but if you’re almost out of cash and can’t spend $20 to go, but can spend $10...that’s fine.
Edit; if you need fast food, Chick Fil A is good, they’re just closed on Sunday (Christian owned chain, and they uphold Sunday as a day of rest). White Castle is...it’s White Castle. Delicious if you’re in the mood for it, avoid it if you aren’t. Hardee’s/Carl Jr’s has best burgers.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Yeah. Googled Chick-Fil-A, and frankly for me, they can take a long walk off a short pier!
Maybe do a fast food day? Just get a Wendys(?), Popeyes and something. Be a one day fat knacker.
Honestly, I'd just hit up Yelp! when you get there to check out some places. I travel a lot for work and this is what I do.
There are so many mom and pop shops in NYC, You shouldn't have to delve into the chains.
That being said, if you plan on a chain fast food place, 5 guys is probably the best for burgers. In-n-out is good too, but I don't think they have it up in NYC. Wendys is far away better than burger king, mcdonalds or other similar joints.
Yes. If you are going to NYC don't waste it on fast food joints. Besides if Brooklyn 99 has taught me anything, its that hotdog stands abound.
Get some NY style pizza, some proper Coney dogs, and report back to us!
As a Brit who goes to the US regularly, make sure you try a decent Mexican restaurant; proper Mexican food is totally different to the Tex Mex stuff we get in the U.K. (and much, much nicer).
Yep, while not something you'd find in a normal fast food franchise, actual Mexican food is solid - different, but solid. "Real" Mexican food is far more bland than the salt/cheese packed stuff you may be used to at fast food restaurants. More flavor comes from guac, salsa, etc.
Jadenim wrote: As a Brit who goes to the US regularly, make sure you try a decent Mexican restaurant; proper Mexican food is totally different to the Tex Mex stuff we get in the U.K. (and much, much nicer).
@Frazzled: True. Actual Tex-mex is almost as hard to come by in NY as well though.
@MDG: It's definitely possible to go walkabout in Manhattan. The entire island in one go is a bit much, but separate sections of the city are easily individually explorable on foot.
I was doing just that around the Wall Street area when I ran into the helicopter trips and Fraunces' Tavern, so it can pay off in getting to see things most tourists don't.
Carmine's is on Broadway and is pretty good, I went several times when I lived up there years ago. Family style "italian" food. There is also a BBQ place near there, Virgil's, which has some really good chicken wings (not the absurdly spicy sort, theirs are a buffalo/bbq sauce mix).
But you can always take the subway to Arthur Avenue (Little Italy), but I can't recall the name of any of the places I'd have gone to there.
Honestly, I lived just outside the city for 30 years and I can't think of a single thing to do there that isn't eat, I guess that shows my priorities?
The best bet, usually, to me personally, is to avoid the touristy places altogether. But that is hard to do, since no one has time to just wander around aimlessly. Still, everything is much nicer when you are off the main streets. Unfortunately, I am ultimately no real help though.
Go to 188 Cuchifritos in the Bronx! I went there all the time since I lived right around the corner. If you make it up that way, also check out Arthur Ave for some great Italian.
Chick Fil-A: The best chicken in the fastfood game, with the best service. If you boycott them because the owner practices a religion you don't like...you've got other issues that need addressing.
Most people who boycott them do so because the company owner actively discriminates and funds anti-homosexual hate groups.
But yeah, just brush that under 'other people hate religion.'
MegaDave wrote: Go to 188 Cuchifritos in the Bronx! I went there all the time since I lived right around the corner. If you make it up that way, also check out Arthur Ave for some great Italian.
Chick Fil-A: The best chicken in the fastfood game, with the best service. If you boycott them because the owner practices a religion you don't like...you've got other issues that need addressing.
1. Nobody boycotts them because of the owners' religion. 2. If you feel at all strongly about how other people choose which restaurants to frequent, you have the issue.
I didn't much care for New York so I don't have many recommendations for what to get up to, but I did have some fantastic dinners. My favourites, from opposite ends of the price spectrum, were No.1 Taco and Kura.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Also, it's hard to tell looking at maps, but is much of the city stuff walking distance?
I'm a natural wanderer, and do enjoy a little bimble around, as I find it's the best way to stumble across interesting things.
I'm aware I'll need to do some route research, as with any cities there'll be streets and thoroughfares one doesn't travel lightly.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Just looked up my hotel.
Literally the block up from Broadway. Which is nice.
When I was there for a couple of days in 2001, our hotel was a couple of blocks south of the south end of Central Park. We took the subway down to Battery Park for the ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island and walked back up, with the odd detour. Not sure I'd want to walk from Manhattan to any of the other boroughs, but it looks like you could get to them by public transport and then wander around. Subject to avoiding the dodgy bits, of course.
In that case the Macy's fireworks show would be a must see.
If you want to get really American you can go shoot some guns. Westside Rifle range in Manhattan allows you to shoot a .22 longrifle without a permit, or you could head down to Jersey and shoot dang near anything you want.
Drink a crappy American beer. Budweiser or Coors, or some other similar fare. Ideally while standing next to a grill waiting for the burgers and dogs to be done. That might be hard to arrange down in The City.
It’s horrible, but quintessentialy Americana. The beer part, the burgers and dogs are great.
(then drink any of the huge number of excellent brews you can get)
When I was still able to host 4th of July parties, the annual Budweiser was one of my traditions, and one I’d recommend. Not for the taste, but for the atmosphere.
Definitely see a Broadway show and wander the city. NYC is a great town to wander in. Also try as many varieties of food as you can as it is known for its Mom and Pop restaurants. I would also recommend Syliva's Harlem Restaurant for a slice of Americana.
Serious question for Dakkanauts that do, or have previously, waited tables in the USA. And it’s to do with tipping.
I’m happy to tip, and understand the NYC average is around 15%-25% - though naturally that will be upped on Independence Day.
But, are tips typically preferred in cash, or an addition to a card payment?
And given the tip is for my server, and not their boss, are there any companies known to skim the tips from their staff, because I’d like to avoid such where possible.
A good tip for solid service is 20%. 25% is reserved for excellent service. If it’s TERRIBLE service, leave a small pile of loose change. No tip suggests you’re foreign and don’t know how to tip. A small tip of loose change lets the server know they suck at their job.
I always leave 20% myself, unless service is either excellent or god awful.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Serious question for Dakkanauts that do, or have previously, waited tables in the USA. And it’s to do with tipping.
I’m happy to tip, and understand the NYC average is around 15%-25% - though naturally that will be upped on Independence Day.
But, are tips typically preferred in cash, or an addition to a card payment?
And given the tip is for my server, and not their boss, are there any companies known to skim the tips from their staff, because I’d like to avoid such where possible.
Cash is better, at least down here, although both will be taken.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: More or less what I was thinking. I guess that way they get the tips quicker, if not instantly.
Card or cash they get the money at the end of the night...but some servers might forget (hint,hint) to pay taxes on their cash tips at the end of the night
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: More or less what I was thinking. I guess that way they get the tips quicker, if not instantly.
Card or cash they get the money at the end of the night...but some servers might forget (hint,hint) to pay taxes on their cash tips at the end of the night
Can anyone else access Dave & Busters website? I keep getting a Proxy IP warning and bounced?
It works ok for me, but it does seem to want to use GEOIP and determine your location, so a non US IP might throw it for a loop, although I don't see why...
Nine days is a long time, long enough to basically do some of everything. Depending on your pace and how interested you are in relaxing, you'll have time to do two substantial tourist things a day. make sure to hit some history, some fine art, some broadway, some off broadway/avante garde, some fine dining, and then go nuts with ethnic foods.
You have enough meals that you'll have time to sample our amazing fast food. As for what fast food is worth trying... I'd actually stay away from the Fast Casual chains (chipotle, Five Guys, etc) because while they are objectively superior to fast food, local restaurants do what they do better, especially in NYC. I mean, why eat Panda Express when you can get real bulletproof Chinese, or why eat Five Guys when Brooklyn is the home of the hipster burger.
You want to eat nasty US fast food that is nasty US fast food. I humbly suggest the following:
White Castle: not really a burger place, they make tiny, steamed beef sliders. I wouldn't say they're great, but it's a really interesting experience, and they're one of the oldest fast food chains in the world.
Taco Bell: It's just so very, very much. The food is better than it's reputation (which isn't hard), but in the realm of "how many ways can we combine cheese, starch, and meat?" it does it without too much grease.
Checkers: Do you want bacon ranch cheese fries, and a burger they call only "Baconzilla?" Hell yes you do. do you want a lifetime's worth of saturated fat and sodium in a single meal? Damn straight. Checkers is the Fast Food place that that revels in being over the top and disgustingly good.
McDonald's: I guess, do this if you want to compare it to the British version?
All of the above have NYC locations, and I think really hit the spot of being not just Fast Food, but distinctly American Fast Food.
Too caught up in the overall dollop of Americana I’m in for, I clean forgot to enquire what foods might be quintessentially New York.
To my uncultured, fed on too much TV mind, I’ve basically got Pretzels, Bagel, Salt Beef and.....that’s about it!
Any particular dishes etc peeps can share? I mean, not literally. I’d no more take the food off your plate than, I dunno, stuff a badger up my bum. It’s simply unthinkable.
not sure if it was mentioned before but if you're going to NYC, I highly recommend visiting Katz's Deli. Bring a lot of cash and an empty belly.
Also if you like Italian food besides pizza & spagetti, there's lots of great restaurants in Little Italy (and also China Town is like 1 block over). On weekends they shut the street down in little italy so you can walk around and all the restaurants set up tables outside and stuff.
Yeah, now, if you ask 10 people, you'll probably get at least 11 answers on what the "best pizza" is in the city.
I actually have no idea what the answer is, I didn't eat at nearly enough places to even guess.
I did really like the pies at John's Pizza on West 44th, brick oven, relatively thin crust, was really nice and tasted very fresh. We got it topped with fresh basil. That's not really "quintessential" NY pizza, but was damn good to me the couple times I went.
I'm sure someone else can give you another spot that is a bit more "fundamentally" NY pizza, if we went into the city back then, it wasn't to pop into a little pizza place though, so I'd never have known.
Too caught up in the overall dollop of Americana I’m in for, I clean forgot to enquire what foods might be quintessentially New York.
To my uncultured, fed on too much TV mind, I’ve basically got Pretzels, Bagel, Salt Beef and.....that’s about it!
Any particular dishes etc peeps can share? I mean, not literally. I’d no more take the food off your plate than, I dunno, stuff a badger up my bum. It’s simply unthinkable.
Pizza, bagels and shmear, egg creams, delis in general, kabobs, street venders, hot dogs, Italian, Chinese, cronuts and cheesecake. Don't ask them to toast your bagel, and never ever let them see you putting butter on a bagel. People who put butter on bagels get what they deserve.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Ask for the original Original Ray's pizza.
Elbows wrote: Chick Fil-A: The best chicken in the fastfood game, with the best service. If you boycott them because the owner practices a religion you don't like...you've got other issues that need addressing.
That isn't really what he said though, was it? Nevelon didn't complain about their religious practices, he complained about their odious religious/political policies - not an uncommon position.
The latter is what is problematic, not the fact they are Christians, and I think it's pretty damn intellectually dishonest to pretend anyone said otherwise.
And stop by McSorley's on 8th Street, the oldest bar in NY, they don't serve beer, or wine, or sprits. They serve McSorley's Ale. Your choice is light or dark.
Ouze wrote: Pizza is legitimately the number one thing I miss about NYC. I haven't had a decent slice since I moved to the midwest.
pizzatangent
I had to go out of my way to find anything but a decent slice of New York Style.
Back in Feb. I was flying back from vacation with The Boy via Chicago and promised him a slice of deep-dish Chicago during our layover. Despite being 13, he’s never had anything BUT a NY-style pie. Unfortunately, I was not feeling the best, so was unable to fulfill that promise. Fast forward a few months and I find a chain (Pizzeria Uno’s) that still has an open store in the area. I’m sure it’s not 100% authentic, but at least it’s serviceable. And none of the local pizza slingers are going to sully their ovens with a deep dish, so I had to make do.
His verdict? It was good, but not what he’d even categorize as a pizza. But I’m sure if you asked a born-and-raised Illinois boy what he thought about a NY pizza from a chain restaurant found in Chicago, you’d probably get a similar, but inverted, answer.
So there is good eats in the midwest, just not exactly pizza. /pizzatangent.
Can I ask - is it frowned upon as a tourist to take pics around the Twin Towers site? (never been to NYC but have heard this several times. Or is it one of those overblown myths?)
Chicago style deep dish isn’t what people in Chicago usually eat, really, not compared to how New Yorkers favor New York style pizza. It’s more like a lot of the other regional variations (st Louis, new haven) in that it has a strong minority and curious tourists keeping it alive.
One of my goals in life is to visit Chicago just so I can have real chicago style pizza. Love the concept, but all I ever had was knockoffs.
I also really love Sicilian pizza. Has to be really crunchy (but not hard) on the bottom, and soft & pillowy on top. I told myself a long time ago if I ever ran my own pizza shop, it would be all Sicilian style and no thin crust at all.
Necros wrote: I also really love Sicilian pizza. Has to be really crunchy (but not hard) on the bottom, and soft & pillowy on top. I told myself a long time ago if I ever ran my own pizza shop, it would be all Sicilian style and no thin crust at all.
Yeah, I think it is sort of a "lost art" in many places. I remember a local place to where I used to live that had a really fantastic "cross" between a regular and Sicilian (basically one that wasn't quite so thick).
Another fantastic thing that I didn't like initially but it grew on me, was a really good "grandma" slice. Of course, now my digestive system is a total wreck and I can't have garlic or cheese really, so it's probably best that I don't live anywhere near where I could get some.
Necros wrote: One of my goals in life is to visit Chicago just so I can have real chicago style pizza. Love the concept, but all I ever had was knockoffs.
I also really love Sicilian pizza. Has to be really crunchy (but not hard) on the bottom, and soft & pillowy on top. I told myself a long time ago if I ever ran my own pizza shop, it would be all Sicilian style and no thin crust at all.
I have an international marriage (my wife is from Illinois). We know a bunch of Chicago people and interestingly, none of them liked deep dish.
Well, bum. Guessing my trip is gonna be postponed for the time being.
Even if things improve my end, I’d need the same to occur in NYC.
Ah well, cannot be helped. And seeing as I’ve only booked a trip up the Statue of Liberty, and am otherwise fully insured no real harms done.
But that does raise the possibility of going when schools are in session. And with that, the possibility of seeing a High School Football match. Figure that’ll be hecka cheaper than a big league game!
Would it be considered weird to attend such a game?
Re: Tipping on something like a hotel finding you a ticket, that is definitely a flat rate (whatever you choose to tip, really) NOT a percentage. That'd be crazy expensive . Honestly, hotel tipping etiquette is something that has eluded me even as an American - it's hard to tell when it is out of place (maybe even offensive) versus expected.
A really nice thing to do, if you want to tip, is to leave a small envelope with a small tip (again, NOT percentage based) in your room for the people who clean on the day you check out. But it is definitely not required, or expected. The only time I have felt a tip really is expected at a hotel is if you have someone carrying / ferrying bags for you.
Regarding the high school football game, in NYC I do think that would be considered a bit weird . If you were somewhere like, Texas, probably not . You might be able to see a college game for much cheaper than an NFL game, and their seasons overlap almost fully (fall thru early winter seasons).
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Well, bum. Guessing my trip is gonna be postponed for the time being.
Even if things improve my end, I’d need the same to occur in NYC.
Ah well, cannot be helped. And seeing as I’ve only booked a trip up the Statue of Liberty, and am otherwise fully insured no real harms done.
But that does raise the possibility of going when schools are in session. And with that, the possibility of seeing a High School Football match. Figure that’ll be hecka cheaper than a big league game!
Would it be considered weird to attend such a game?
I hate that this is going on and you're not able to come to the US.
You should definitely go to a High School Football match. The difference would be from $$$ to low $$ in cost between big league game vs high school. Definitely not weird since parents and other adults regularly attend high school football games. My small town in Texas shut down on Fridays to go to the game.
May do Texas next year. Would need to work out the best time of year in terms of temperature, lest the merciless sun spot a Scot scuttling about, and make a roasty toasty lobster coloured example of me!
Jjohnso11 wrote: My small town in Texas shut down on Fridays to go to the game.
Key word - Texas (note that's the example I used, too)
There, it's like a sporting event that anyone might attend. But in other parts of the country, you might be the only person there who isn't a friend or family of the players. Just wanted to make sure that was clear . It's not that you couldn't go, of course, but you might stand out
I mean, I’d have absolutely no idea what was actually going on, but worth if for the experience!
As I understand the game it's basically rugby, except the players wear armour, you're allowed to pass forward, and the game stops far more often for everyone to get back in position and start over.
Edit: Oh, and the rules for determining who wins a season is simply incomprehensible.
NFL game is definitely worth attending! In my opinion, its worth the money too, (although I follow and am a fan of AF) youre only going to get that one chance while you're there so why not?
baseball is cheaper (at least in California and Arizona) but slightly less exciting than football in my opinion. still a fun way to pass a few hours though.
depending on when you go, I'd thoroughly recommend an NHL game. I almost didn't go when I was in LA, as it was fairly pricey and the seats looked very far back on the ticket page, but I'm glad I did..it was awesome. The season starts later than NFL, around the start of October.
bear in mind that all these will take quite a large proportion of the day. Even Ice hockey, which is only an hour long game, has 20 minute intervals between the 3 periods, where they re-ice the rink with the zamboni. however, there is usually fun entertainment with people doing stuff or messing about during this time. NFL games, you're looking at at least 4 hours for the game itself, but you will want to get there early to experience the tailgate, and get through into the stadium. the queues will be big. Baseball is more relaxed, you can usually turn up and buy tickets at the box office once the game has already started if you want to avoid queues.
Also, be prepared to high five people multiple times during the games...
Why not. Those business class pods are cushty. Unfortunately as a Yorkshireman I'm pretty tight (with some things) and paying however many hundreds of pounds extra for a few hours of comfort is one of those things. I'll slum it with the masses out of general principle.
Not only can I afford it and like Finer Things, I’m also 6’2”, so the extra space just from not having someone next to me, or worse, either side, let alone the legroom is desired!
