<![CDATA[FI TRAVELGUY - New York City]]>Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:29:23 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[A Complete Beginner's Guide | Travel Tips]]>Mon, 22 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://fiwiththetravelguy.com/new-york-city/what-to-do-in-new-york-city-travel-tips
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New York City can be both amazing and overwhelming!

With so much to do it's a challenge to know where to begin. This list is for Manhattan because once you add other boroughs it's a little ridiculous. This is no definitive since things are always changing but it's a start!

If you are interested in seeing what I did last time I was there you can check that out here.

What To Bring

If you are interested in getting travel insurance I recommend TravelInsurance.com. They are considered one of best in the industry, you can easily compare coverages and get the right one for you.

​Things to do:
1. Time Square – I typically try and avoid this now as it is very crowded but is cool if it is your first time.
2. Central Park – I don’t go every time I go back but it is a beautiful park, especially in the fall. Walking around can make you forget where you are as once inside it becomes very peaceful and the hecticness of the city gets drowned out.
3. The Metropolitan Museum – It is cool to see the historical artifacts. There is also a rooftop bar that is overlooking Central Park which is cool!
4. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) – I personally always bring an artsy friend I have to teach me what I’m looking at and always find that helpful. If you don't have that luxury they have audio guides which help also!
5. The Bull- This is located in the financial district. I’ve walked by it once or twice and it is always pretty crowded but is iconic.
6. Washington Square Park – This is right by NYU and has a pretty iconic arch and fountain. If you time it right you can stumble across street performers who will build up a large crowd and let you down with their performance but that is part of the experience!
7. Governor’s Island – This is kind of random thing but you can take a ferry that will go near the Statue of Liberty a to a small island. It was a  prison on it but now there are coffee shops, ice cream stands, and even a hammock park to lay around.
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Time Square
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Central Park

​8.  High line - It is an old subway line that now has plants, I thought it was alright.
9.  Play pick up at a park- I stuck to west and 4th and park. Playing on concrete can be rough tough on the ole knees though..
​10.  The Comedy Cellar- I highly recommended this one and that's why it's italicized. You'll need to make a reservation online and when you go you'll pay your cover charge and a requirement of two drinks. The guest list is always a surprise but thats what makes it fun. I’ve had the best luck seeing "famous people" going mid week, like a Tuesday or Wednesday at the second showing. While there I’ve seen Aziz Ansari 3 times, Jonah Hill, Judd Apatow, Adam Driver, Paul Rudd, Pete Davidson, Judah Friedlander, Michael Che, and more I’ve forgotten. 
11.  The Financial District -  There are some historical markers if you wanted to hunt them out. For example, near the bull there is a gate that used to have crowns on top for the king and was eventually cut off during the revolution and are still left jagged today.
12.  Grand Central Station - It's another iconic place that you'll see in a lot of rom coms that if your in the neighborhood you can pop in to. I've taken a train out of there a upstate New York to some breweries which was also cool!
13.  Rockefeller Center - Depending on the time of year you go this can either be simply an iconic place or where they have the giant Christmas tree and skating rink.
14.  Brooklyn Bridge - I've walked the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn into the city and it is pretty cool. It is just crazy packed with a lot of people stopping to take pictures, naturally.  
15.  Events - New York City has 2 NBA, NFL and MLB teams in the area that you can check out. I've gone to free concerts in the park, charity soccer events with pro athletes, watched shows in the parks. Look up free events or things that may be going on whenever you visit, there may be some cool free options!

​*I’ve never done the Statue of Liberty  (you can cruise by it on your way to Governor's Island) or the Empire State Building. The time it would take to do these never seemed worth it to me. I've also never seen a show on broadway, that just sounds expensive!
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Grand Central Station
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Bottom of 30 Rock

​Restaurants
1.  Joe’s Pizza – (Greenwich Village) - There are a lot of places to grab a slice while in NYC and there are a lot of Joe's but the one on Carmine Street is my favorite. Celebrities like it also, and make sure you bring cash!
2.  Via Carota - (Greenwich Village) - A slightly more expensive Italian restaurant.
3.  Mintta Tavern – (Greenwich Village) - A good place for burgers.
4.  Emily – (Greenwich Village) - They say it is Detroit style pizza, whatever that is!

5.  Stone Street - (Financial District) – This area is closed off with tables all outside with a variety of restaurants.
6.  Luke’s Lobster - (Financial District) – For a quick bite.
7.  Pier A - (Financial District) – They have outdoor and indoor seating and views of the statue of liberty. It is also a historic dock.
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8.  Lan Zhou Hand Pull Noodle  - (China Town) - They have great noodles!
9.  Shanghai Café Deluxe - (China Town) - They naturally are serving up good Chinese food!
​10.  Xian Famous Foods - (China Town) – It is a mini chain but they have good noodles.
11.  Kat’z Deli - (Lower East Side) – Get a pastrami reuben sandwich.
12.  Russ and Daughters - (LES) – They have the best lox! You can either sit down or a pickup at the counter. For sit down they don’t take reservations so expect to be waiting for 1-2 hours. They send you a text when your table is ready so you can go explore and come back. Everything here is good!
13.  Clinton St. Baking Company - (LES) – They are known for their pancakes. You can expect a 1-2 hr wait but you can wander and come back when they text you.
14.  Barrio  Chino - (LES)- If you are on the hunt for Mexican food while in New York.
15.  Dimes - (LES) - For more of a healthier option.
16.  Mission Chinese - (LES) - Naturally this is Chinese food!
17.  Kiki’s - (LES) - If you want some Greek food!
18.  Slouvaki GR - (LES) - I've only been to the one in the Lower East Side and it serves up Greek food with the traditional whites and blues on the inside!
19.  Vandal - (LES) - A fancy tapas restaurant. 
20.  Gaia - (LES) - An Italian cafe that is right by Clinton St Baking Company.
21.  Speedy Romeo - (LES) - Gotta have all the pizza options!
22.  Ivan Ramen - (LES) - If you are in the mood for Ramen on a cold day. 
23.  Fat radish - (LES) - For British food!
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From the ferry to Governor's Island.
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The subway is always an interesting experience.

​Bars
  1. As Is (Hell’s Kitchen) -  This is personally my favorite beer bar in NYC.
  2. Dead Rabbit (Financial District) – Rated a top cocktail bar in the world for the last couple of years. You’ll want to go to the bar on the second floor because that is where the extensive cocktail list is. You can go to the 1st and 3rd floor while you wait.
  3. Fraunces Tavern (Financial District) – A super cool historic bar. George Washington had his retirement party here.
  4. Mr. Purple or Public Hotel (LES) Both have rooftop bars that have amazing views of the city. Both will have a line at night so you may want to stop by in the afternoon to avoid them
  5. Atta Boy (LES) -  A great speak easy that is also rated very high as a top rated cocktail place. They don’t have a menu so you just tell them what you want and they’ll make you something.
  6. One Mile House - (LES) - A craft beer bar that if you have enough you can get your own mug on the wall!.
  7. Blind Tiger (Greenwich Village) - A consistently highly ranked craft beer bar. 
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The Flat Iron Building is cool to see!
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Be on the look out for celebrities, like Seth Meyers!

​Coffee
1.  Third Rail Coffee - (Greenwich Village) - It's a small little coffee shop near NYU and the Comedy Cellar. I've also sen Aziz Ansari there. I see him basically everywhere..
2.   Hi-Collar - (Greenwich Village) - Small place that serves Japanese coffee by day and sake by night!
3.  Birch Coffee - (Multiple Locations) -  They are scattered all over and provide a lot of non-dairy options (even hemp milk) and a good variety of coffee.
4.  Stumptown Roasters @ Ace Hotel - (Midtown) - This place can get busy but the line moves pretty quickly. ​
My Personal Tips
  • I think the subway is easy to get around the city.
  • Go to the Comedy Cellar but make sure it's a week night.
  • I like Joe's when I grab a slice.
  • As Is is my favorite beer bar but Blind Tiger is also good.
  • Mr. Purple has a good rooftop bar but so does the Metropolitan Museum which overlooks Central Park.
  • The people that will try and gather a crowd when your in a park is never worth it!
  • I like hanging at Washington Square Park the most.

 New York City Thoughts:
Getting Around: 9/10 - The city is relatively small so you can walk around and there is a subway. There are also cabs, ubers, and bikes to get around for longer trips. Traffic can be awful and subways can be super packed but you may also catch a subway so!

Things to do:  10/10 - Whether you want to go to a top ranked cocktail bar, a comedy show, a sporting event, a concert in the park, or an art museum,  you can do whatever you want here.

Food: 10/10 -  Although the whole city is expensive, you can find cheaper options if you want to by just grabbing a slice or if you want to get all fancy and spend thousands you can do that also.

Overall: 10/10 - This rating is a little unfair because I love New York. I first went when I was 15 (so like 2005) and was captivated by the lights and energy of the city. I loved watching people selling knock off handbags, it was so interesting to me! They had a system of when they heard cops were coming they'd wrap up their stuff, throw it over their shoulder and were on their way. I respected the hustle! I've then gone back in 2011, 2014, 2015 (lived in Brooklyn for 8 weeks), 2016, 2017, and 2018. It helps that two of my best friends live here. 

​New York has everything you could want. There are famous landmarks, historical places, great food and drinks, public transportation to easily get around, historic museums, cultural events, free events, and more. The city isn't perfect, it can be hot during the summer and cold during the winter, overly crowded and expensive, but hey, I've yet to see the perfect city. If you want a quiet day you can go into Central Park and you'll forget you are in one of the biggest cities in the world. If you're bored on a Tuesday you can go to the Comedy Cellar and might run into Paul Rudd, Adam Driver, and Jonah Hill as they watch Judd Apatow do stand up like I've done. You may be visiting your friend at the coffee shop he works at and see a Seth Meyers sketch be filmed. There are speakeasies, rooftop bars, and some of the best cocktail or craft beer bars in the world (check out As Is). From my experience, there really is no other place like it!
As I said at the top, this is no definitive list but should give you a good start! ​To see what I did last time I was there read this!
**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you and allows me to keep the lights on around here. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ​​​
]]><![CDATA[A Lot Of Craft Beer | Travel Tales]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://fiwiththetravelguy.com/new-york-city/new-york-city-new-york-travel-tales
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See my city ranking, non-obvious recommendations, and favorite craft beer bar! ​
Monday, May 29th, 2017
Weather: High 60/Low 54 cloud and rainy
Distance: 27,065 steps, 12.4 miles
 
I had a late flight and took my usual shuttle to subway route into the city so I didn't get to my friend Brandon's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn until about 12:30 am. When I woke up that morning, I met up with my friend Joel at Oaxaca in Bed-Stuy. When I travel I'll test out the the Mexican food knowing it wont be as good as home and these enchiladas were okay. Joel works at the New York Times and before he started his shift he took me on a tour of the office which was cool!
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After I left the Times (that's what all the cool people call it), I met up with Brandon at his bar, As Is, in Hell's Kitchen. If you are into craft beer you need to stop by! It is consistently in the top beer bar lists for NYC and USA Today ranked them Number 6 for 2019! When I showed up he had a cannoli birthday cake from Fortunato Brothers, which has some really good treats!

​In the craft beer crowd it is common to trade beer or give gifts of beer, and he had been given a double IPA from Monkish Brewing Co in California. It meant nothing to me but I'm a supportive friend so I had some! I am typically a stout or wheat kind of guy, but this was a good IPA! Since we already starting drinking I ordered some beers from the bar. 
​After a few midday beers we set off to wander around the city. Near the bar is the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum so we stopped by to check out some Naval ships. All the drinking and looking at ships really worked up our appetites, so we made our way to Emilio Ballato for dinner and snagged some Davey’s Ice Cream after.

​Most people who live in New York try and avoid Time Square. It is cool to see but that place can be a mad house! It was on our way back to his bar, so we had to walk through it. This time it was worth it because somehow Brandon met some dude that had access to some app, that he gave to Brandon that allowed him to change the color on two of the antennas, so we messed around with that for a bit. We finally made it back to As Is and I finished out the day of drinking beer with a To Ol Velvets, which is a blue tart saison with blueberries from Denmark.
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Tuesday, May 30th, 2017
Weather: High 60/Low 54 cloud and sprinkling rain
Distance: 16,436 steps, 8.2 miles
We had an easy morning and then grabbed lunch at Esmeralda and continued getting those steps in by walking through McCarren park in Brooklyn to meet up with his girlfriend. I third wheeled it as we took her dog, Rocko, on a walk. We stopped by  Van Leeuwen for ice cream so both Rocko and I were happy!

Later that afternoon we met up with another friend of mine,  John, at Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I got my usual, a  Cuban sandwich with Mexican style grilled corn. John lived nearby so we went back to his apartment to hang out and meet up with his girlfriend. After we left, Brandon, his girlfriend, and I went to Spuyern Duyvil  for some drinks.
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Biggie mural near Habana Outpost
Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
Weather: High 73/Low 58 partly cloudy
Distance: 18,000 steps, 8.9 miles
 
Brandon and I started the day with a run down to the water -  had to earn the treats I knew I'd get later! We met his girlfriend for brunch at Enid’s, which is by McCarren Park. Brunch led to sitting and enjoying the sun at the park for about an hour, which then led to getting that treat I earned at Du’s donut. They have unique combinations of taste and a cool view of the city!

We then headed to the West Village in Manhattan and stopped by Court Street Grocers, to pick up a sandwich for my flight which I definitely recommend! Nearby is a pizza place called Joe’s which I have to stop by at least once per trip, so I snagged two slices of cheese. The last stop was the Blind Tiger (another great craft beer bar) with John, Brandon, his girlfriend, my friend Paul, and his now wife before heading out. ​

 New York City Thoughts​

Getting Around: 9/10
The city is relatively small so you can walk around and there is a subway. There are also cabs, ubers, and bikes to get around for longer trips. Traffic can be awful and subways can be super packed but you may also catch a subway show!

Things to do:  10/10
Whether you want to go to a top ranked cocktail bar, a comedy show, a sporting event, a concert in the park, or an art museum,  you can do whatever you want here.

Food: 10/10 
Although the whole city is expensive, you can find cheaper options if you want to by just grabbing a slice or if you want to get all fancy and spend thousands you can do that also.

Overall: 10/10
This rating is a little unfair because I love New York. I first went when I was 15 (so like 2005) and was captivated by the lights and energy of the city. I loved watching people selling knock off handbags, it was so interesting to me! They had a system of when they heard cops were coming they'd wrap up their stuff, throw it over their shoulder and were on their way. I respected the hustle! I've then gone back in 2011, 2014, 2015 (lived in Brooklyn for 8 weeks), 2016, 2017, and 2018. It helps that two of my best friends live here. 

​New York has everything you could want. There are famous landmarks, historical places, great food and drinks, public transportation to easily get around, historic museums, cultural events, free events, and more. The city isn't perfect, it can be hot during the summer and cold during the winter, overly crowded and expensive, but hey, I've yet to see the perfect city. If you want a quiet day you can go into Central Park and you'll forget you are in one of the biggest cities in the world. If you're bored on a Tuesday you can go to the Comedy Cellar and might run into Paul Rudd, Adam Driver, and Jonah Hill as they watch Judd Apatow do stand up like I've done. You may be visiting your friend at the coffee shop he works at and see a Seth Meyers sketch be filmed. There are speakeasies, rooftop bars, and some of the best cocktail or craft beer bars in the world (check out As Is). From my experience, there really is no other place like it! If you want to see where it ranks against other places I've gone that is here

​My Non-Obvious New York Recommendations:
  • I think the subway is easy to get around the city.
  • Go to the Comedy Cellar but make sure it's a week night.
  • I like Joe's when I grab a slice.
  • As Is is my favorite beer bar but Blind Tiger is also good.
  • Mr. Purple has a good rooftop bar but so does the Metropolitan Museum which overlooks Central Park.
  • The people that will try and gather a crowd when your in a park is never worth it!
  • I like hanging at Washington Square Park the most.

I created a whole post about all the things to do in NYC and you can check that out here.

What To Bring

If you wanted to know what I bring on my backpacking trips you can find that here.

If you are interested in getting travel insurance I recommend TravelInsurance.com. They are considered one of best in the industry, you can easily compare coverages and get the right one for you.


​What To Do

Here some more pictures from other trips to NYC.
**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you and allows me to keep the lights on around here. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ​​​​
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