alaint@muff.cs.mcgill.ca ........... I wanna go back home! ........... Last update: Sep. 27, 1996

Manhattan



Contents

Chop
Pastries
Bagels
Architecture
Bucher
Museums
Theatre
Shopping
Neighbourhoods
Clubs
After hours
A little advice


Addresses are approximate! call before you go. All these places are from memory, and God knows I left New York 5 years ago, so there's not much I remember, really...


Chop..

Chinese
  • Empire Schezuan, Broadway at 97th street. Other places risky. A lot of rat meat in New York...
    • French
  • (Chez?) Napoleon. Somewhere in the theatre district. Very good.
  • La Jumelle. 55 Grand St. (just East of West Broadway)
    • Italian
    Every block has its Italian restaurant. Usually safe and cheap.
  • Trattoria dell'arte. 900 7th ave (bet. 56th and 57th). excellent. about $15 dishes.
    • Japanese
    Most places are ok (but more expensive).
    Lebanese
  • Eden Rock Cafe, Broadway at 84th st. Just a snack. Cheap, clean, and good. (3 item combo for $5 (1988); try the kebbe)
    • Pizza
  • Pizza Piazza. Broadway somewhere between 14th and 8th streets. Ask for fresh garlic and spread it on top. You won't kiss anyone afterwards, but you'll love it.
  • (forgot the name!) there's a really cheap place in the village :-)
    • Mexican
  • Benny's Burritos (3 locations downtown). Really cheap!


    • For brunch...
  • Isabella's. Columbus avenue, at level of museum of natural history (83rd st?). There are other good places on Columbus Avenue in the 80s, just walk around, it's nice there.
  • Elephant Castle, in Soho somewhere.

    • Pastries

  • Cafe Lalo, 201 W.83rd st between Amsterdam and Broadway (closer to Amsterdam). 496-6031. Good tart selection.
  • Dante, Mc Dougall st. right below Bleeker (in Greenwich village). Try the gelato.
  • Veniero's, 9th st (i think), right off first avenue (to the West). Italian too...

    • Bagels

  • H&H Bagels. Broadway in the 70's. Delicious.

    • Architecture

    Avoid the famous places, you may wait for hours before getting in (or up!).
  • AT&T building (now Sony bldg). Most beautiful building in the city. Granit from top to bottom.
  • World Trade Center. There's a bar/cafe at the top, great view.
  • The Brooklyn Bridge. Unique in the world in its architectural beauty. Has a combination of suspension and stay cables.
    • The city is actually full of architectural treasures, but I think they're best appreciated when encountered unexpectedly.


    Bucher

    Photography
  • A Photographer's Place. Soho. Unique collection, but you can't look at the books as much as you'd want.
    • Art
  • Rizzolli. Best location: 31 W 57th st, bet. 5th and 6th. 759-2424.
    • All
  • Barnes and Noble. 2 good locations, 5th avenue in the teens, where the sales annex is, and Broadway in the eighties (where you can actually have a cafe).

    • Museums

  • Guggenheim. Most beautiful museum I've seen (in terms of interior architecture); designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Like a huge atrium; all natural lighting.
  • MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). Great Picassos etc. Nice architecture/decoration section. Cool sculptures too.
  • The Met (Metropolitan). Great art, but tiring place. Old fashioned small rooms, dim light. Headaches. Nice Egyptian section (is this acceptable morally?).

    • Theatre

    Get half-price tickets at noon, at Times Square (possibly another location too).
    P.S. Do you know why Times Square is so called?
    Ans. Because it's home to the New York Times!


    Shopping

    Clothing
    Don't waste your time in the HUGE department stores. The nice boutiques are on Madison avenue in the 60s and 70s (espensivo!). There are some boutiques in Soho too. Don't waste your time on 5th avenue, it's for tourists only.
    For larger stores, the most beautiful (and most expensive!) are
  • Bergdorff Goodman, or
  • Barney's.

    • But probably the best place to buy clothes from in New York is
  • Century 21. Great quality at great prices. It's somewhere near the World Trade Center. Highly recommended.
    • Music
  • Tower Records. 3 locations. Visit especially the "sales annex", on 4th st and Lafayette (one block east of Broadway). Don't mix it up with the main store, which is on Broadway and 4th st.
  • J&R. Near City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge.
    • Electronics
    Warning: DON'T BUY ANY PIECE OF ELECTRONICS IN ANY STORE EXCEPT IN THE ONES I MENTION.
    Even in larger stores, they use dirty tricks you couldn't possibly start imagining (like putting into the box a model different from the label, or giving a warranty for an item different from the one purchased, or stripping the item of required parts and selling them separately, etc...).
    And DON'T buy from the street: if there's anything other than rocks in the box, it's guaranteed not to work, or your money back.
    Don't mention you're from Canada! (TOURIST ==> RIPOFF). Don't forget the customs on the way back!
  • 47th Street Photo.
  • J&R

    • Call them first, they may have restricted hours. These two stores have the LOWEST PRICES in town, guaranteed. Also, their prices are published, so they won't cheat you on sight. Still, be careful, individual salesmen may not be correct.

    Neighbourhoods

    Harlem
    Simply the best, but don't go there on foot or at night. On a hot summer day, all fire hydrants are broken, streets are flooded, and everyone is outside getting soaked. Burnt/abandoned houses (Leyla calls it downtown Beirut). Don't forget this side of the city for a fair view.
    Soho
    Best for day and night.
    Day: walk around, visit every block; you'll find great boutiques, galleries, studios, cafes, restaurants. Enter the boutiques, some are incredible. Find the fur store with all the tropical animals.
    Soho may have gotten a little yuppie, but it's still ok.
    East village / Alphabet city
    Punk. As you walk east on Bleeker or 8th st., from Broadway, it gets funkier. (Note that there are 2 Broadways at this level: Broadway, and West Broadway.) The east village is cool, and ends at 1st avenue. Alphabet city: avenues A, B, C. Cool places on Avenues A and B, but don't go alone.
    Greenwich village ("the village")
    Students like it (it's full of them.) Walk on Bleeker St, from the Hudson river all the way to West Broadway. The middle part (West of 7th avenue) is very popular. The western part ("West Village") is more artsy, and probably has nicer places.
    Chinatown
    Not worth it.
    Little Italy
    Doesn't exist anymore, except for 2 streets. Was devoured by Chinatown.

    Clubs

    Ask around for what's popular now! The dance you won't find anywhere other than in New York is Savoy Lindy Hop, a breathtaking style of swing out of Harlem. Lead: find out where Frankie Manning hangs out...
    Ps. Unfortunately the following information is completely out of date...
    Samba
  • SOB (sounds of brazil). They don't play samba every night, so call before you show.
    • Salsa
  • Club Broadway, broadway at 95th st. (I'm sure there must be better places by now.)
    • Swing
  • The Cat Club has closed, and I don't remeber the name of the place what has replaced it :-( . Call the NY Swing Dance Society for info.
    • Other
  • Limelight: cathedral converted into club; always popular.

    • After hours

  • The Coffee Shop. Bar/cafe/restaurant, 5th avenue at 16th st.

    • A little advice

    Avoid walking alone, avoid overcrowded areas, a lot of gangs operate midday in the crowds, and they'll hit you before they rob you. Avoid Times Square, the Penn Station area, as well as 5th avenue.

    If you take the subway, make sure you know what train you're on and where it's going. Destinations often change on the fly, so listen carefully to the operator's messages. If you're in doubt as to the new destination of a train, GET OFF FIRST, ask questions afterwards. It often happens that a train turns express and goes into a neighbourhood you don't want to be in...


    If you have questions please mail me at alaint@muff.cs.mcgill.ca.
    If you have problems connecting to this site, please contact the webmaster.