.png)
MANHATTAN
Manhattan, referred to by locals as "The City," is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. It is where New Yorkers work, transplants live, and tourists play. The city does not at all represent the true character of NYC, but is just as magical as everything you've seen in the movies.
​
Last Updated: January 1, 2023
Attractions
(Points of Interest)
Various locations
41 theatres in Midtown ​putting on grand performances and bringing stories to life.​
​
Tip: Broadway Week, which happens at the end of September every year, allows you to get BOGO tickets for super cheap.
​​​
Brooklyn Bridge Blvd, New York, NY 10038
Iconic landmark bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn.​
​
Tip: I recommend taking the train to either High Street or City Hall and walking across to the other borough, then spending time on whatever side you end up.​
​
Broadway and State St
A bronze sculpture of a bull meant to represent the bull market on Wall Street.​
​
10 South St, New York, NY 10004
Lovingly referred to as "Govs" by us locals, Governor's Island is a great day escape from the city. It's a little island at the southern end of the city between the city, Brooklyn, and Jersey with great views of the Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty, outdoor glamping, wartime-era buildings, food trucks, and more. Find more information on visiting here.​
​​​
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
Iconic museum rich with history and artifacts, also home to the flashiest gala of the year. When I worked on Park, I spent many days after work here in their Egyptian exhibit, staring at the mummies and sarcophagi, absolutely mesmerized. There's something for every history buff here and is well worth setting a few hours aside for.
​
Tip: New York State residents don't need to pay the standard admission fee, but can instead pay a donation of whatever you choose in order to gain admission. In order to do this, you must show proof of address at the entrance desk.
​​​
New York Harbor
An obvious NYC icon I don't feel needs to be introduced.​ Be prepared for long wait times in order to get into the pedestal.
​​​
Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007
What used to be two towers in Tribeca is now a memorial site dedicated to the lives lost on 9/11. In this area, you'll find two reflection pools, both the exact size and location of where the towers once stood. You'll also find the Freedom Tower, which is the new version of what the WTC once was. At the reflection pools, you will often find people stopping by to grieve loved ones and place roses or American flags in their engraved names. The atmosphere is somber and quiet, so please be respectful if you visit.
​
Tip: I don't personally recommend a visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Artifacts of the event are all around you in this area of town and I personally find the museum to be a money grab.
Bars
(The good ones)
230 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Rooftop bar with outdoor garden. Super scenic and Instagrammable, however, the drinks are extremely overpriced. More like a one and done stop.
​
90 Washington St, New York, NY 10006
Beer hall/gastropub in FiDi that was always a great spot for after-work drinks. There's good bar food, games, and a wild amount of beer on tap. It's a great, no-frills, chill environment to have drinks at after a long day. There are a few locations, but this is my favorite one.​​
​
179 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014
Underground bar in the Village with great wings, great beer, great people, and a beer pong table in the back. I have fond memories of many nights spent here. It truly is a gem most tourists would never even think of.​
​​​
416 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
A Mediterranean hookah lounge I found by accident when I was like, 19. I think this is a gem, but I'm not sure my friends agree. I've seen this place steadily increase their prices to numbers I don't like as the years have passed, but I will say, for being just outside of Times Sq, this is an oasis from tourists and it's better priced than other bars that are around. The food is good and the hookah is good, but beware: they charge for water.​
​​​
O'Hara's Restaurant and Pub
120 Cedar St, New York, NY 10006
A beloved neighborhood spot near the World Trade Center that pays tribute to first responders and military members across the country through patches and other memorabilia all over their walls. There's nothing special about this place in terms of what they offer, but after visiting the site of the World Trade, it's a nice place to grab a beer and be thankful for the sacrifices others have made so that we can be here to have one.​
​​​
215 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
A solid Steelers backed sports bar in Midtown. It's a little sad to admit, but I didn't find this one on my own. Jarren, a Montanan, found this one when he first arrived in New York before he even met me. I ended up here with Jarren and our friends during Santacon, as it was a stop on our map, and it's the spot we stayed at the longest that year. I got yelled at by the hostess for trying to dance on the table, which is totally ok, but if you're drunk and wanna dance on the bar, this maybe isn't the right spot to go to. If you like cheap (for the city) beer and a fun environment, this is the spot.
​​​
174 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Bar on the Lower East Side (LES) that gives you a coupon for a free shot after the bouncer checks your ID. Cheap drinks and friendly staff.
​​​
53 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014
I would be remiss not to mention this historic gem. The Stonewall is home of the 1969 riots that launched the gay rights movement. Today, it's loved for it's history, but also for how genuinely good of a bar it is. Everyone there is friendly and it's just a really great, positive environment to be in.
Clubs
(The good ones)
55 W 21st St, New York, NY 10010
Your typical sports bar during daytime hours turns into a lit nightclub once the sun sets. I LOVE me some Bounce. The place is crawling with fake IDs, yes, but they've been working a lot harder at getting better at that lately. Bounce is one of the only clubs I've been to where I didn't feel like I was getting crushed by a sea of bodies even though it was a packed house. The music isn't EDM like other clubs, either. It's rap, it's top 100. It's good vibes here.
​​​
39 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022
Restaurant by day, club by night. City girls love LAVO because promoters do pre-game dinners here, and the food is to die for. As for the club itself, I could take it or leave it to be honest. My experiences here have always been a mixed bag. The liquor keeps flowing and the DJs are good if you like EDM/club music, but I've also been hit in the head with chunks of ice here so, y'know, consider that.
​​​
Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge
485 7th Ave 18th floor, New York, NY 10018
Rooftop bar that is great for after-work drinks and great to get down at when the promoters come out after dark on the weekends. They used to do this thing called "Sunday Bubbles," which was basically a darty every Sunday that lasted until 3 AM. Those were some of the most fun nights I've ever had, and nothing beats the view of the Empire State Building right next door.​
​
289 10th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Marquee is one of the only clubs in the city that doesn't seem to be flooded with underage partiers armed with their fake IDs. They seem to be the most strict about it. The parties here are glorious. Once you've been here, you'll spend all of your party days reveling in the memory of a night at Marquee.
​​​
180 Orchard St 15th floor, New York, NY 10002
A Lower East Side (LES) rooftop club with good views but honestly just ok everything else. I don't see the particular appeal for this place, but the lines are always basically pressed up to the door downstairs and are a ridiculously long wait.​
​
355 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011
The best rooftop view at any club in the city. It's a bougie nightclub with good music and decent drinks. Unlike most clubs in the city, you won't find many fake IDs here.
​​​
54 W 21st St, New York, NY 10010
Super cool nightclub near the Flatiron that has two floors: a full nightclub on the top floor, and a bar with games on the bottom. Bonus: you can either take the stairs down to the bar like a normal person or you can take the giant slide down. Yes, a tunnel slide like the kind you used to play on as a kid, except way longer. The drinks here are moderately priced for the city and it's a pretty fun place to be no matter which vibe you're looking for.
​​​
369 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011
TAO is one of the more uniquely designed clubs in the city. Truthfully, I've never been, but everyone raves about the dinners and then the club afterward, so it must be pretty good.
Eateries
Breakfast/Brunch
If it's one thing that New Yorkers love, it's bottomless brunch. For insane deals on bottomless brunches, dinners, and more in the city and Brooklyn, use my link for $5 off your first Pulsd deal: https://pulsd.com/invitations/signup?inviter_id=823673​
​
45 E 33rd St, New York, NY 10016
A prime bottomless brunch spot serving upscale breakfast fare both indoors and on their rooftop. This place has a party vibe, with loud music, quick beverage service, and some killer chicken & waffles.
​​​
1650 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
A midtown diner where the wait-staff sing to you. It's super touristy of me to recommend, but I think it's a fun diner to visit. Keep in mind that you will, without a doubt, be waiting in a line outside the door, and the prices aren't diner-friendly, but you're getting an experience for the price.​
​​​
497 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016
A Murray Hill brunch spot that is mainly frequented by locals and transplants alike. The brunches are good and the ambience is even better. A good spot to go to if you'd like to get away from a touristy crowd.​​
​
47 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
A LES hotspot for bottomless brunch that will leave you on the verge of blacking out. The ambience here is fantastic, the food is phenomenal, and the drinks never cease to appear in front of you. 12/10 recommendation if you're looking to just have a good time and don't want to do anything else the rest of the day.
​​​
116 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003
A comedy club near Union Square serving bottomless brunch for good prices. An iconic thing to get here is the BEC pizza.
​​​​
Lunch/Dinner
2 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
A Japanese curry joint located in the heart of Midtown that is probably the best Japanese curry I've had to date. It's cheap and you get a good sized portion for your money, too. Thanks for showing me this spot, Tiffany.
​
Tip: Take their spice level chart seriously. Don't end up like I did during my first visit here. I thought their spice level was made for generic spice eaters, like the people that think Chipotle red sauce is hot. I'm Trinidadian, I'm used to spice, so I just assumed I should be aiming higher on their chart. NO. DO NOT aim higher unless you're the type of person that chews on pepper seeds in your spare time for fun. I chose one of the top levels of spice on the chart, I think extra spicy, and I was in pain for my entire meal. I actually couldn't finish it. It was not only embarrassing, but also sad because I wasted a really good meal as a consequence of my own actions. Believe their descriptions, they're entirely accurate.
​
119 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
A casual, no-frills burger spot located inside the Thompson hotel. This place is pretty interesting because it truly is an "if you know, you know" spot. I'm letting you in on a big secret here, because if you don't have someone in the know telling you about this place, there's no way in hell you'd ever know this place existed. I dare say most New Yorkers don't even know this place exists. "Restaurant" is too big of a word for this place; it is exactly what they call it: a burger joint. It's a really small hole in the wall inside the hotel that you could totally pass right by and not notice. There's so much character inside, though, with posters, stickers, and graffiti covering the walls; the complete opposite aesthetic of the clean and chic hotel lobby. The food itself? Well, it's just cheap, mid burgers and fries, but the experience is so unique and fun, it's enough to make you want to come back again.
​​
605 W 48th St, New York, NY 10019
A rooftop restaurant and bar in Hell's Kitchen serving Mexican fare. Don't expect to go here for a calm meal, though. Cantina is definitely party central at all times of day. It's like a club, but everyone's seated and eating. For a rooftop, the view could be better, but that's just because of their location. Their decor is fun, the music is LOUD and lively (depending on where you're seated, you may need to scream in order to speak to the person across from you), and the food is on point, authentic Mexican.
​
Tip: If you're planning on eating here, make a reservation in advance. Without a res, you'll be stuck waiting downstairs for at least a good 45 minutes on the weekends or any given day in the summer.
​​​
Dollar Pizza
Street Corners
NYC slices are one of our most iconic staples. When deciding where to go, please do yourself a favor and don't fall into the Joe's Pizza trap. Any pizza place charing you more than $2 per slice is simply ripping you off. The best pizza in town is a dollar slice. All dollar slice spots are created equal. There isn't a specific location, they operate under different names across the city, but the one thing they all have in common is that they all boldly advertise their 99 cent slices on their windows and even their awnings.​​
​
Tip: New Yorkers fold the slices in half when we eat pizza. It stops the oil, cheese, and toppings from falling out all over the place while you're eating.​
​
Halal Carts
Various Locations
My personal favorite NYC food is street cart halal. Chicken over rice with extra white sauce is a life changing meal that you will crave for the rest of your days once you've tried it. Not all carts are created equal, but they're all generally good. They're not hard to find, they're basically on every street in the city.​
​​
173 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013
An Italian restaurant in Little Italy serving Italian style brunch, lunch, and dinner. I don't have an Italian grandmother, but eating at Lunella feels like you're visiting your Italian grandma's house and your whole family is there with you. This is, in part, because it is actually a family business and has been since it's inception. The atmosphere feels like Naples and the staff are just so, so, genuinely kind. My first time here was after a day spent wedding dress shopping with my bridesmaids. We were having brunch and making conversation with our waitress, and we told her why were in the city that day. She ended up giving us a large tiramisu to share, as a way to celebrate my engagement. In a place as cold as NYC, it's so nice to be welcomed into a space like this, with people like this, and have food as great as theirs. I actually missed Lunella when I was in Italy, because I truly think the meals at Lunella are that good.
​​​
604 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Bougie Peruvian food in a bougie atmosphere, with prices almost to match. Google has this place listed as $$, but the meals here can easily run you $$$. It's a huge dining space, way bigger than the outside leads on. The food is good and is a nice experience for an occasion, but don't expect anyone of the staff to be personable, they're simply too busy for that.
​​​
1411 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021
Thai food with stylish decor on the Upper East Side. Thai food is my favorite food, so as a self proclaimed connoisseur, I can say with the utmost confidence that this is some of the best Thai in the city, and it comes at good prices, too!
​​​
96 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011
What I consider a fast food Asian eatery. This location in Chelsea isn't the one I visited; I actually used to visit a location in Midtown on my walk to Penn Station on warm days back when I worked on Park Ave. That location appears to have since closed down and this is now the only location in the city, with the rest being in Queens and Brooklyn, but I strongly vouch for the food here. It's cheap, always fresh, and scrumptious.​
​
Dessert
189 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
A French bakery and original home of the cronut. While the pastries here are good, I regret to inform you that you won't have a choice but to stomach the line. There is no circumventing it; the line forms here before they even open in the morning. May the odds be ever in your favor.
​​
398 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012
The cutest cafe in Soho serving the best macarons in New York; I said what I said. Many may consider this statement a crime, as Laduree is a chain, but I don't care. Sometimes, chains get it right, and I feel like they do a damn good job here. There is also a garden here for seating out back that will make you feel like you've been transported to Paris.
​​​
167 W 74th St, New York, NY 10023
A basement level bakery that serves the best cookies in the city. I first found Levain on a high school club trip to the Museum of Natural History. Our teacher, Doc, took us here afterward and swore that it would be the greatest cookie we'd ever have, and he was right. They're a bit pricey at $8 per cookie, but they're so rich and come out of the oven so warm and gooey, it makes you easily forget that you could've got a whole meal somewhere else for that price. They've since turned into a chain and have a few locations across the city, but this was my first experience and I'm sticking with it.
​​​
1240 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020
Ok, so this is kinda grossly touristy, but if you're gonna go to Magnolia, you have to go to the Rock location. It's a bakery (that always has a ridiculously long line) serving classic bakery fare and of course, their iconic banana pudding. No, this is not a NYC secret and any Google search will tell you to come here, but I think it's for a good reason. You will remember that banana pudding for the rest of your life, I promise.​
​
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
A chocolate-based restaurant near Union Square. I'd put money on it that almost everyone that grew up in the city has been here multiple times during their teenage years. It's such a unique experience, and the dishes are fun and delicious!
​​
Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream
88 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012
An ice cream parlor in Noho that is just to die for. Is their ice cream expensive? You bet your sweet ass it is (we're talking $13 for an ice cream sandy or a pint). But is it worth it? I cannot say yes enough times to really get the message across. Their flavors are other worldly, just listen to some of them: burnt honey vanilla, Vietnamese coffee rum, honey lavender peach, banana frosted flakes, the list goes on. Do yourself a favor: stomach the prices and go.​
​
225 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
An iconic dessert spot in Lenox Hill serving exclusive classics like their frozen hot chocolate.
​​​
85B Allen St, New York, NY 10002
A soft serve creamery with Asian inspired flavors that are so pretty to look at. They have a few locations across the boroughs, but this is the only one I've been to, so I can't speak for the rest.
Places I've Stayed
2 E 61st St, New York, NY 10065
​
Length of Stay: 1 night
Price: $400+ (This was a few years ago, so I don't really remember)
Do I recommend?: If you have money to burn, hell yeah.
​
My Review:
I spent a night here with friends in a double Queen room back in 2019 for one of my best friends, Dani's, birthday. She got this hotel because we were going out to Lavo to celebrate and wanted us to make a real night of it instead of figuring out how to get home at 4 AM like we normally did. The room was stunning, with some of the best sheets I'd ever slept on at a hotel before. This was the first time I'd ever had a hotel room with my own doorbell before, and it was used far more than we thought it would be, considering the manager had to come up and tell us to keep it down twice. It's a lovely place to stay, but the pricing is outrageous. However, if you're looking to stay in this part of the city, you're probably prepared to pay "outrageous." The city is known to be commuter friendly, so if you're not looking to blow your savings on a stay here, there are a lot of other places in the city that are much more affordable than this and can also give you a great taste of New York.​