I'm going to New York 30th September advice needed.

[FatFreddysCat]

Should you find yourself downtown in the financial district, the Pound & Pence carries both Fuller's ESB and London Pride on draft!  :045: Decent pub on top but not a place for late night drinks as downtown is dead after 8 o'clock.

Anyway, it's at 55 Liberty street.

www.poundandpence.com

ESB is just plain wrong on every level  :020: .

[jarv]

I guess I am on my own here, advice, stay at home. NY, I don't get the attraction. Been there a few times (live near Boston) and couldn't wait to get out. Mr Finn, however, nearly sold me on another visit.

[MrCheviot]

I will be meeting Mike out there and he's showing me a bar and introducing me to New York FFC fans to watch the West ham game... the countdown is on..

Yes you are and if you're lucky I'll even buy you a beer.

Post details as we get closer if you don't mind.. think that might be a busy weekend for me (girlfriend is moving, wedding to attend, 100mi bike ride) but it would be good to meet some folks from these parts...

[blingo]

If its your first trip to NY believe me you will love it and you will love it even more the more often you visit. One of my favourite places. Now stop going on about it.  :59:

[SHADY1]

DID I MENTION I'M GOING TO NEW YORK..

& Why's everyone obsessed with where to get a beer ... i'll only put lemonade in it ...  i'm not travelling all that way for a 5 day beer fest i'm sure there is more on offer ...

[RidgeRider]

DID I MENTION I'M GOING TO NEW YORK..

& Why's everyone obsessed with where to get a beer ... i'll only put lemonade in it ...  i'm not travelling all that way for a 5 day beer fest i'm sure there is more on offer ...

I'd focus on finding the perfect martini then, beer is overrated.  :dft012:

I'm with Bling, hopefully you will love the place like many do. So big, so much to do that you can't do it all in one trip so don't try. We have always stayed in Midtown but have been all over. Enjoy!

[blingo]

I have stayed at the Ramada 44th and Broadway if I remember correctly and also the Waldorf (had to do it) RR is right, far too much to see and do in 5 days m8. It really is a great city. As I see it, if you like London life, you will love Jew York. (yes i did mean JEW YORK). The restaurants are A1 and very good night life......you'll see soon enough. What I will say though, is that when you see the Manhattan sky line for the first time, your mouth will drop open. It is amazing. Enjoy it m8.

And don't forget......DONT EYEBALL ANYBODY....HAHAHAHAHAHA

[finnster01]

DID I MENTION I'M GOING TO NEW YORK..

& Why's everyone obsessed with where to get a beer ... i'll only put lemonade in it ...  i'm not travelling all that way for a 5 day beer fest i'm sure there is more on offer ...

You know what Mr Shady, I took a great part of my day to write a very long list of suggestions on what to do in New York to be helpful, as I live here now. I don't know what makes you tick as I have never met you, but don't come on here and ask for help only to act snotty because someone suggested a place to have a good pint.

Teaches me a lesson for trying to be helpful and save you some work. Sorry I wasted some of your very precious time.

[duffbeer]

I have always wanted to take the Roosevelt Island tram, but it was closed for refurbishment last time I was in NYC.  They said it would re-open in September, but I dont know if they are on schedule with that.  THe tram is suppose to have great views of the city, is very cheap at @ $2.50, and only takes a few minutes.  You may remember it from Spiderman.

I like this site for planning a trip, www.nyc.com.  If you click on visitor's guide, there are links to site-seeing/activity suggestions based on your interests/"style".  

[HatterDon]

Katz's deli -- near the intersection of 1st St. and 1st Ave. Order the hot pastrami on ryd -- tip the counterman. Best pastrami, best mustard, best rye bread I've ever eaten.

Watch out for famous people.

[SHADY1]

DID I MENTION I'M GOING TO NEW YORK..

& Why's everyone obsessed with where to get a beer ... i'll only put lemonade in it ...  i'm not travelling all that way for a 5 day beer fest i'm sure there is more on offer ...

You know what Mr Shady, I took a great part of my day to write a very long list of suggestions on what to do in New York to be helpful, as I live here now. I don't know what makes you tick as I have never met you, but don't come on here and ask for help only to act snotty because someone suggested a place to have a good pint.

Teaches me a lesson for trying to be helpful and save you some work. Sorry I wasted some of your very precious time.

[/quot   

Your very helpful reply was copied pasted and printed for future reference but as you say you don't know me or what makes me tick but snotty i certainly am not... a good pint will certainly be drunk but as i said not travelling all that way to sample them all...thanks again ... shame you are so tetchy as you appeared a decent chap...I had heard some New Yorkers are up there own arse...

[jarv]

The problem with posting, emails etc. is that they can easily be misunderstood. I think that is what has happened here. Mr Finn, I too have kept your list in cas I decide toget in the car and visit NY again.
Mr Shady, the comment about new yorkers, word of advice, no matter where you decide to visit, do not pre-empt and pre judge what you expect to find. Just enjoy the visit. Else you will end up with that "once in a lifetime holiday.....never again"
I have lived near Boston for 22 years, I find them a bit stiff but really nice people. (Stiff = reserved in England)

[SHADY1]

I don't judge ... pre judge anyone Jarv  ... I'm going to New York with an open mind as i have anywhere in the world.
I also feel a mis understanding has taken place and will PM Finnster and thank him for his effort it was much appreciated and my original comment wasn't aimed at him at all.... and was tongue in cheek ..those who know me know i rarely drink .. :beer:...

[FatFreddysCat]

I don't judge ... pre judge anyone Jarv  ... I'm going to New York with an open mind as i have anywhere in the world.
I also feel a mis understanding has taken place and will PM Finnster and thank him for his effort it was much appreciated and my original comment wasn't aimed at him at all.... and was tongue in cheek ..those who know me know i rarely drink .. :beer:...

You seemed to be having a good go at drinking in Hamburg Shady  :dft012:

[jarv]

Mr Shady,
as I said, postings. did not mean to sound so harsh, have fun. time square is packed with people way beyond midnight, too late for me. bars and restaurants, loads of choice.

[Jimpav]

Hey Shady,

I've been to NY a few times and can recommend the following.

Sights

Empire State building - go at sun set for a great view and to see the city come to life. It's open until 1-2am so it's a good place to go after dinner if you are not up for a bar.

Statue of Liberty - If you are going to get up close and personal with the statue then it's best to get the first boat of the day (about 9am) out to Liberty Island. You buy the tickets at Battery park but you then have to queue up and go through a lot of security (airport style bag scans and metal detectors). As others have pointed you can get the staten island ferry which is free and also affords good views of the statue but you won't get that close.

Wall Street / Ground Zero - This is not really a must do but it's only about a mile from Battery park so you can walk here after the ferry. Its quite a poignant place (check out the memorial near the fire station - a lot of crew from that station died there). Wall Street is nothing special but worth a look if you are in the area.

Central Park - Loads to see and do here. Ice Skating in the shadows of sky scrapers is quite cool. We hired bikes and did a lap of the park. It's free from traffic so it takes less than an hour to do a full circuit. Hire them from the place near the Boathouse for about $14 - not from the dodgy blokes outside. My wife hadn't been on a bike for nearly 20 years but loved it.There is a memorial to John Lennon at 72st if you are a Beatles fan but otherwise its not a must see. Generally the park is just a fantastic place to chill out and people watch.

MOMA - Not sure if you like modern art or museums but this is worth a look if you. Its free between 4-8 on a Friday night. Lots of Warhol and other "big names" if that floats your boat.

Helicopter ride - It's a bit pricey but there are few places in the world better to do this than NYC. They vary in length but the cheaper ones do a loop over Statue of Liberty and Wall Street. The longer ones go up and over the park and past Empire State building. Very cool.

Coney Island - Not the top of everyones list but this place is worth a visit if you have exhausted all of the big sites. Its about 45 mins from Manhattan - out in Brooklyn. Basically a run down old seaside resort on the beach. Quite atmospheric and a must do if you have seen The Warriors. Also home to Nathans - a famous hot dog restaurant.

Eating out

Here are a selection of places I can recommend:

21 club - This place is very good. Excellent food with a mostly American menu. It used to be the place to be seen but is very old school. A jacket and tie are compulsory.  During prohibition there used to be a secret drinking den in the cellar. If you do go here, ask to see the cellar. They take you through the kitchens and down into the cellar which you enter through a hidden door. You could easily reach £200-250 on a meal for two with wine but they also have a fixed price 3 course menu which is only about $25 - ridiculously cheap!

http://www.21club.com/web/onyc/21_club.jsp

The burger joint at Le Parker Meridien  (118 West 57th Street)- This place is quite random and tucked away in a hotel. I read about it in a guide book and thought it was abit dubious but if you like burgers then it's definitely worth a visit. They cook them like steaks (rare, medium etc) and don't add anything else apart from cheese and salad. very good.

Maze Grill - Went here for lunch one day and it was very good. They do a 3 course menu for $35. Great restaurant but very casual and  close to 5th Avenue so nice and close to Empire State Buiding and shopping.

http://www.gordonramsay.com/mazeatthelondonnyc/menus/lunchmenu/

PM me if you have any questions.

Cheers

[FatFreddysCat]

Probably better of just going to Spain  :54:

[Hammer Smith]

Many good suggestions so far. I again recommend Katz's for the experience; MOMA has a great collection of wonderful world famous paintings. If you are interested in history, in this case the history of New York, there is a brilliant museum called the Tenement Museum and a whole house is as it was in the mid nineteenth century. You get a guided tour going through this multi-occupied tenement building furnished as it would have been then: http://www.tenement.org/ You can imagine you are back there working a 16 hour day.

If you fancy a French brasserie with an amazing athmosphere - an old style looking large room full of mirrors - great food if quite pricey but much more authentic looking than the real thing, you could try getting a table at Balthazaar http://www.balthazarny.com/ . We've managed to do this at short notice at lunchtime provided you don't mind eating outside regular times eg 12-2 lunch hours. Don't know about evenings but it might be easier to get a table at some point. If you do go you are likely to come across some celebreties - from memory the last two times we've been there first there were Jude Law and Sienna Miller and then next time we suddenly realised that we were sitting next to Cagney or Lacey (used to muddle them up but it was the one with the dark hair). As we weren't sure we referred to her as "Cagney and Lacey". If you are bothered enough to stare, the mirrors help.

For watching Fulham, Navada Smith's is sh!t. A hell hole which was full of Manu, Scouser (playing eachother) and worst of all Scum fans (vs Blackburn) who were on at similar times. It was against Man City at home last season when we lost 1-2. We were stuck in a filthy dark basement with no natural light alongside a few English Fulham fans but with the sound turned off for our match while the neighbouring scum fans downstairs had their sound turned on really loud in the same room despite most of the filth fans watching it on a big screen upstairs and us outnumbering them down below. Only when we kicked up a real fuss at half time did we manage to get our sound turned on at their expense. Better to try this venue if it's showing there: http://www.mccormacks.net/index.php5 . On another occasion we went there and met up with some ok Fulham USA fans via their website (which is now being rebuilt). That was a little better than Nevada's and we won 1-0 against Everton when Brian Mcribe very appropriately got our winner.

Anyway, enjoy NY because it's a great place. Even just walking around exploring for ages can be quite a lot of fun if you get a good sunny day and choose from any number of appealing districts. East Side is particularly interesting to stroll around - small independent shops etc. - loads of sixties pop stars started out at a venue around there and it still has a very athmospheric slightly seedy feel. Katz's and the Tenement Museum are in East Side if this takes your fancy.

I'll be at West Ham. Maybe you can recommend a local French brasserie in Upton Park?

[SHADY1]

More great suggestions and getting more excited now as the days get ticked off...

Fredster have to confess we just booked 5 days in Spain yesterday ... starting 4th November just to keep you happy ...

[FatFreddysCat]

More great suggestions and getting more excited now as the days get ticked off...

Fredster have to confess we just booked 5 days in Spain yesterday ... starting 4th November just to keep you happy ...

Not my cup of tea but the River Ebro is meant to be great for fishing, massive catfish, carp etc, quite a few English firms specialising in fishing there.