With spring just around the corner add your recommendations to the list (with a link if you have one).
From past threads:
Museums/Exhibitions/Things to Do



9/11 Memorial
American Museum of
Natural History
Beretta
Gallery
BODIES...
The Exhibition
Broadway TKTS Discount Booths

Broadway
Plays
Bronx Zoo
Brooklyn
Botanical Gardens
Central Park
Ellis Island
Empire State
Building
Hayden
Planetarium
Jones Beach State Park
IMAX - Mysteries of the Great Lakes

International Center of Photography Museum
Metropolitan
Museum of Art Arms & Armor Collection
Museum of Modern Art
(MoMA)
Museum of the City of
New York
New York City Fire Museum
New York City Police Museum
New York Mets Baseball
New York Yankees Baseball
NY Botanical Garden
(Bronx)
South
Street Seaport
South
Street Seaport Museum
Statue of
Liberty
The
Jewish Museum
Top of The
Rock

USS INTREPID Sea, Air & Space Museum
Restaurants
69
Bayard Chinese
Carmine's
Carnegie
Deli
Churrascaria Plataforma
Da
Nico
Dim Sum go go
Forlini's Restaurant
Il Giglio
Il Mulino
John's
Pizzeria
Katz's Delicatessen
L&B Spumoni Gardens Pizza
La
Bella Ferrara Pasticceria
Lederhosen
German Wurst & Bierhaus
Lombardi's Pizza
Peter Luger Steak
House

McSorley's
Old Ale House
Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills
New Wonton Garden
Patsy's
Pizzeria
Sambuca
Shanghai Cafe
Totonno’s Pizza
Vincent's
White Horse Tavern
Wo
Hop Chinese
Zaitzeff Burgers

All Museums List:

Alice Austen House Museum American Craft Museum American Folk Art Museum American Museum of Natural History American Museum of the Moving Image American Numismatic Society Americas Society Artists Space Asia Society and Museum Bronx Museum of the Arts The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens The Brooklyn Children's Museum The Brooklyn Museum of Art Carnegie Hall/Rose Museum Central Park Zoo/Wildlife Gallery The Children's Museum of the Arts Children's Museum of Manhattan The Cloisters Cooper-Hewitt Dahesh Museum Dia Center for the Arts The Drawing Center Ellis Island Museum Empire State Building Lobby Gallery Museum at FIT Forbes Magazine Galleries The Frick Collection Grey Art Gallery Goethe House Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Guggenheim Museum SoHo Rose Center The Hispanic Society of America International Center of Photography Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Jewish Museum LaGuardia and Wagner Archives Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Madame Tussaud's New York Merchant's House Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art The Morgan Library Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden Municipal Art Society El Museo Del Barrio Museum at Eldridge Street Museum for African Art Museum of American Financial History Museum of Chinese in the Americas Museum of Jewish Heritage Museum of Modern Art Museum of the City of New York Museum of the Moving Image Museum of Television and Radio National Academy Museum National Design Museum National Museum of the American Indian New Jersey Children's Museum New Museum of Contemporary Art New York Botanical Garden New York City Fire Museum New York City Police Museum New York Hall of Science New York Historical Society New York Public Library New York Transit Museum Nicholas Roerich Museum PS1 Contemporary Art Center Pierpont Morgan Library Queens Historical Society Queens Museum of Art Rose Center for Earth and Space Schomburg Center Seaman's Church Institute Snug Harbor Cultural Center Sony Wonder Technology Lab South Street Seaport Museum Staten Island Institute Studio Museum in Harlem Taipei Gallery Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Ukrainian Museum Wave Hill Whitney Museum of American Art Whitney Museum/Philip Morris

NYC Zoos, Aquariums and Gardens

• Central
  Park Zoo and Tisch Children's Zoo (212) 861-6030
  


• Bronx
  Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park (718) 367-1010
  


• Prospect
  Park Wildlife Center (718) 399-7339
  


• Queens Wildlife
  Center (718) 271-1500
  


• New York
  Aquarium AKA the Brooklyn Aquarium (718) 265-FISH (3474)
  


• Brooklyn
  Botanic Garden (718) 623-7200
  


• The New
  York Botanical Garden (718) 817-8700
  

NYC Self Protection FAQ:
 
 





 




 
 
 
 

 
 

 

Central Park

Ellis Island

This should be made into a sticky at the top for all of the out of towners.

Added to list and a bump.



 

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

NY Botanical Garden (Bronx)

Museum of the City of New York

International Center of Photography Museum

The Jewish Museum

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Added to list. Where are the rest of you mopes with recommendations?

Broadway Plays

New York Mets Baseball

New York Yankees Baseball

Jones Beach State Park

Added to list. Where are the rest of you mopes with recommendations?

Rkbar - here goes

Everyone loves NY pizza but where is/are the best places. It's all about the brick pizza oven and most NY'ers are going to say one or all of the following...

Grimaldi's in Brooklyn- Excellent but out in brooklyn and always a long line. Not too much else going on on the menu either.

Patsy's- Formerly Grimaldi's or the other way around. Very good also, located in the Village on 12th Street and University Place. Nice restaurant especially in the summer with the big windows open. Excellent Pizza!

Lombardi's- The ONLY place worth eating at in Little Italy. I had the luck of eating there when Italy won the World Cup a few years ago and it was quite a scene. Pizza's awesome and gotta love a place that includes extra garlic on the toppings list.

Joe's on Bleecker- The famous Bleecker street in the village, a mob scene on the weekends, especially at night. Pizza is good but not anywhere near as good as...

MOTORINO on 12th street in the east village between 1st and 2nd avenue (closer to 1st)- THIS is the best pizza I have had ANYWHERE. Get one all to your own and chow down. I have had three different pizza's from the menu but the Sopressata is to die for. Literally if I had to choose the last meal I ever ate it would be the Sopressata pie from Motorino. It's no 'scene' and the wine list is nice and doable as well. Even the brussel sprout pizza is awesome. LOVE LOVE this place.

Hope this was a help for some of you and PM me any questions you may have for a NYC food hound like me. :)

Lincoln Center

Times Square

Grand Central Station

China Town

Grant's Tomb

Fort Tryon Park (near GWB)

Best Burger in NYC, hands down.

http://www.zaitzeffnyc.com/

You forgot Totonno's Pizza in Coney Island....

And L&B Spumoni Gardens on Avenue U in Brooklyn.

And Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills.

Totonno's burned down and hasn't been rebuilt.

Other locations http://www.totonnos.com/Index-2.html



1544 Second
Avenue



(Between 80th and 81st Street)



462 2nd Ave.

(Between 26th & 27th Street)



$5 off coupon



 

So now I gotta' leave Brooklyn to get my Fix? I'm no fire inspector but that fire seemed "kind of suspicious"

Supposedly it was the coal fired oven that burns 24/7 that started the fire. They never reopened?
Coney Island Staple Vows To Rebuild After Fire
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/95604/coney-island-staple-vows-to-rebuild-after-fire/?ap=1&Flash





ETA: Looks like they opened one in Yonkers too. Website says four locations. http://www.totonnos.com/Aboutus.html





http://www.totonnos.com/Yonkers.html
 

How can this landmark not be on the list?  

Flashdancers New York Gentlemen's Club

Are there any good Military Surplus stores anyone is aware of?
I have to travel to NYC this spring...

Veselka, a great Ukranian diner in the East Village open 24/7

http://www.veselka.com/

The Corner Bistro for late night burgers and beers

http://www.cornerbistrony.com/

The Astoria Beer Garden

http://www.bohemianhall.com/en/Index.php

Great idea guys!



I am headed to NYC last weekend in April. What is nice place? We are going to a show on Saturday and would like a nicer place for dinner that night.



Thanks.

All are excellent choices sir, I just couldnt see an out of towner cruising around bensonhurst looking for L&B's!! Love the squares!! Sauce on bottom, cheese on top!

Hey, great idea!  Thanks for this thread!  We'll be in NYC 31 July - 6 August, staying near the NYSE.  The COL will be pretty tied up almost all the time from morning til 8 pm, except that he gets off at 6pm on Wednesday and we're going to see Rock of Ages Thursday night.  Except for my cousin coming in to spend the day with me Thursday, I will pretty much be on my own the entire week.

This is not my first trip by any means, so I don't plan to go back to places like the Empire State Bldg, Statue of Liberty, etc.  I DO plan to go to the MMA - I always do - and do a little shopping on Canal St.  I will spend some time checking out those links in the OP, but would also appreciate any other suggestions that might be interesting and safe for someone flying solo.

Oh, last year I had downloaded a NYC transit app on my Droid that I found very useful.  I have since deleted it, and now I can't seem to find one that looks familiar.  Can anyone recommend a good subway app for a Droid?

Thanks!

ETA:  Some of my interests are  history, architecture, military stuff, as well as girly things like fashion design.  I do NOT like much modern art.

Do a quick search for an app called "on the go"

It updates directly from the NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority site with delays and schedule changes, as well as having full maps searchable by station, line, and connection

Thanks!  I'll look for it!

American Museum of Natural History iPhone Apps:

http://www.amnh.org/apps/

Those look great!  Wish they were Droid-compatible.  However, the COL is considering picking up an iPad - if he does, I'll download them!

I have a day and a half in NY Dec. 6th & 7th. I'm definitely going to see the  World Trade Center Memorial & Statue of Liberty. I wish I had more time there. What else can I fit into a day and a half?

I'm going to occupy Times Square, from the Holiday Inn Express on 39th. Any feedback on that hotel would be appreciated.

The only thing blank on OP? "NYC Self Protection FAQ:"
LOL (I'm sure it is a legal issue.)

Thank you in advance for any feedback regarding this request for short trip must sees.

Make sure you go to the 911memorial website for passes to the memorial,  if you don't get them you are not getting in

Thanks Fish! I didn't know that.

No prob.  Few people know that passes are required.  

Also (as I learned the hard way) there is airport quality screening just prior to the actual entrance.  They took my benchmade folder from me when they spotted it on the scanner.  They measured the blade, and since it was"legal" gave me a voucher to pick it up in the visitor center at the exit to the memorial.  Gave the guard the voucher, and then they delivered it from the main entrance.  Took almost 15 min. to get it back when we wanted to leave.

The passes can be reserved here:  http://www.911memorial.org/

They can be printed at home.  They will be checked on at least 4 different occasions.  Entering the line, then when having the bar code scanned at the screening station,  having it punched when leaving screening, then again checking for the punch when passing the last checkpoint.  

Take special note of how many NYPD and 911 memorial security cameras are put up along the line, and within the memorial.  My kids made a game of counting, and finally stopped at 200.  Don't pick your nose or scratch your ass if you don't want it on video.

The memorial is somber yet uplifting.  I have a bunch of pics that I need to upload for a thread.  Also, stopped by OWS and took a bunch of pics too.  Got them Sunday night just before they cleared the tents out of the park.

In light of downstate's recent actions I think this thread should be un-stickied, at the least.

By all means spend your money and tax dollars in a city and area that supports the safe act and will lock you up for clip knife on your pocket.

the only real viable means of self defense in the five-boroughs is a walking stick/cane/shalalie. anything else is "arrestable".

one of the cold steel jobie-doos would work just fine.

Knives with a locking blade are more trouble than they're worth most of the time here. I carry a Mini-Griptilian when I know I am not going into any buildings or areas with metal detectors but for the most part it's not worth the trouble. The one plus side though is that NYC is a pretty seriously safe city now. I came here via LA/Oregon/NM and haven't been fucked with seriously once although my situational awareness is 100x better than most people. There are some simple things to keep in mind like don't check your iphone walking down the st, don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk to look/point/etc, avoid black cars unless you called them, taxis are fine, and the subways are fine within manhattan and up to 5 or so stops in any of the boroughs. For the most part if you keep to yourself you will be ok.

Also I wanted to add the restaurants in my neighborhood which has become stupid trendy/gentrified but the quality of the food is pretty amazing and it's way less crowded than midtown or downtown.

http://freewilliamsburg.com/listings/the-20-best-restaurants-in-williamsburg-greenpoint-and-bushwick


NYC is a pretty stupid place to be but it's worth seeing and while I don't plan on living here forever or raising kids here it's a fun place to live in your late 20s and early 30s.

... heck of a list!
We're going next week