New York City, New York, USA by Gautam Khattak
Last updated: July 8, 2015
Disclaimer: My New York Guide is not as complete as the others but I threw together a list of the major spots for a tourist which I hope are helpful. These are notes I’ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.
General Tips
Currency: US Dollar (USD)
Tipping:
Tipping is pretty standard as in the rest of the US: On restaurant bills, tip 15-20% depending on service. Tip valet parkers $3 to $4 and taxi’s $1-2.
Iconic Sites
- Times Square – (and a Pastrami Sandwich @ Carnegie Deli or Katz’s Delicatessen)
- Statue of Liberty
- Empire State Building – Buy your ticket onlineto reduce waiting-in-line time. OR go to the Top of the Rock
- Grand Central Terminal (not Station!)
- Central Park
- Brooklyn Bridge
- 911 Memorial & Freedom Tower (former World Trade Center)
- Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock (Benefit of Top of the Rock is your skyline includes the Empire State Building)
- Coney Island (OLD Amusement Park)
Areas (Shopping, Boutiques, Eating):
- Soho
- Greenwich Village
- West Village – Magnolia Bakery, Spotted Pub (gastropub)
- Walk the High Line (this generation’s Central Park), Meatpacking District (good clubbing
- Chelsea
Museums
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Smithsonian
- Museum of Natural History
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET)
- Guggenheim
Food:
- Pastrami Sandwich @ Carnegie Deli or Katz’s Delicatessen
- Serendipity 3 (Upper East Side)
- Magnolia Bakery (West Village) – cupcakes!
- Spotted Pub (West Village)
- Dinosaur BBQ – Best BBQ joint when I was in college!!! Two locations now (Brooklyn & Harlem)
- Tom’s Restaurant (Diner from Seinfeld if you care)
- 10 best breakfast’s in NYC
Pizza:
- Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
1 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718-858-4300 grimaldis.com - John’s of Bleecker Street
278 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014; 212-243-1680 johnsbrickovenpizza.com - Lombardi’s
32 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012; 212-941-7994 firstpizza.com - Di Fara Pizza
1424 Ave. J, at East 15th St., Brooklyn, NY 11230; 718-258-1367