GINGER ADAMS OTIS

NEW YORKENCOUNTER

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New York EncounterPublished by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 983Australia Head Offi ce, Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Vic 3011 %03 8379 8000 fax 03 8379 8111 talk2us@lonelyplanet.com.auUSA 150 Linden St, Oakland, CA 94607 %510 250 6400 toll free 800 275 8555 fax 510 893 8572 info@lonelyplanet.comUK 2nd f l, 186 City Rd London EC1V 2NT %020 7106 2100 fax 020 7106 2101 go@lonelyplanet.co.ukThis title was commissioned in Lonely Planet’s Oakland offi ce and produced by: Commissioning Editor Jennye Garibaldi Coordinating Editor Nigel Chin Cartographer Brendan Streager Coordinating Layout Designers Yvonne Bischofberger, Nicholas Colicchia Assisting Editor Stephanie Pearson Manag-ing Editor Liz Heynes Managing Cartographer Alison Lyall Managing Layout Designer Celia Wood Cover Researcher Naomi Parker, lonelyplanetimages.com Internal Image Researcher Sabrina Dalbesio, lonelyplanetimages.com Thanks to Mark Griffi ths, Trent Holden, Lisa Knights, Gina TsarouhasISBN 978 1 74179 709 1Printed by Hang Tai Printing Company, Hong KongPrinted in ChinaAcknowledgements New York City Subway Map © 2010 Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Used with permission. New York City Bus Map © 2010 Metropoli-tan Transportation Authority. Used with permission.

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GINGER ADAMS OTIS As a working reporter in New York City, Ginger is inti-mately acquainted with all the nooks and crannies of the fi ve boroughs, and often winds up riding the subway or walking the streets alongside visitors who are using her books. Thanks to the vagaries of being a print and radio reporter, Ginger gets to experience the city anew each day, getting pushed into off -the-beaten-track locales and coming into contact with new groups of people through her assignments. When she’s not busy working for Lonely Planet, Ginger likes to travel in Latin America, where she has also done extensive reporting.

GINGER’S T HANKS Working for Lonely Planet in NYC is a dream gig. My sincere thanks to all the LP editors who contributed to New York Encounter, and a special thanks to the always encouraging Jennye Garibaldi. To the cartographers in Australia, thanks for sortingme out and forgiving me my terrible POI sins.

THE PHO TOGRAPHER Dan Herrick has been based in New York City for the past six years after having lived and studied in Latin America and Europe. He enjoys documenting the city’s changes and its frenetic way of life. On occasion he is able to pull himself away from it all to travel abroad, or more often to travel to one of the many diff erent worlds that exist within the city’s boundaries.

THE AUTHOR

NEW YORK >3

Cover photograph Radio City Music Hall at night, New York City, Brent Winebrenner/LPI. Internal photographs p81, p177, p207, p218 Ginger Adams Otis; p238 Bloomberg via Getty Images; p136 LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH/Alamy; p26 Design Pics Inc. - RM Content/Alamy; p13 Panoramic Images/Getty Images. All other photographs by Lonely Planet Images and Dan Herrick, except p33, p133 Michelle Bennett; p8 Bruce Bi; p50, p165 Richard Cummins; p4, p6 Mark Daffey; p34 Gavin Gough; p240 Kim Grant; p17 Richard I’Anson; p18 Ionas Kaltenbach; p186, p246 Jean-Pierre Lescourret; p250 Rachel Lewis; p28 Diana Mayfield; p153, p194 Allan Montaine; p11, p29, p229, p232, p237, p245, p251 Angus Oborn; p181 Brent Winebrenner; p12, p15, p21, p27, p30, p45, p155, p167, p185, p215 Corey Wise.

All images are copyright of the photographers unless otherwise indicated. Many of the images in this guide are available for licensing from Lonely Planet Images: www.lonelyplanetimages.com.

Our readers Many thanks to the travelers who wrote to us with helpful hints, useful advice and interesting anecdotes: Leonieke Broekman, Fran Hayes, Johanna Rhodes.

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Central Park (p174) – sun worshippers, not livestock, congregate on Sheep Meadow

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CONTENTSTHE AUTHOR 03THIS IS NEW YORK CITY 07HIGHLIGHTS 08A YEAR IN

NEW YORK CITY 27ITINERARIES 33NEIGHBORHOODS 38>LOWER MANHATTAN 42>CHINATOWN

& LITTLE ITALY 52>LOWER EAST SIDE 62>SOHO, NOHO & NOLITA 76>EAST VILLAGE 90>GREENWICH & WEST

VILLAGE 104>MEATPACKING DISTRICT 116>CHELSEA 126>UNION SQUARE,

FLATIRON DISTRICT & GRAMERCY PARK 140

>MIDTOWN EAST 150>MIDTOWN WEST 162>CENTRAL PARK 174>UPPER EAST SIDE 182>UPPER WEST SIDE 192>HARLEM 202>BROOKLYN 214SNAPSHOTS 226>ACCOMMODATIONS 228>SPORTS & ACTIVITIES 230>ARCHITECTURE 231>BARGAIN & SOUVENIR

SEEKING 232>BARS 233

>CLUBBING & NIGHTLIFE 234>COMEDY & CABARET 235>FASHION & COUTURE 236>FOOD SHOPPING 237>FOOD 238>GAY & LESBIAN

NEW YORK 240>LITERARY NEW YORK

CITY 241>LIVE MUSIC 242>MUSEUMS & GALLERIES 243>NYC FOR KIDS 244>NYC FOR LOVERS 245>PARKS & GREEN SPACES 246>SPAS 247>THEATER 248>VISTAS & VIEWPOINTS 249>FREE NYC 250BACKGROUND 251DIRECTORY 258INDEX 271

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THIS IS NEW YORK CITY It’s a mad, mad world in Manhattan, where taxis, pedicabs, commuters, pedestrians – even horse-drawn carriages – careen around looking for space. The city is heady, frustrating, shock-ing, almost overwhelming in its intensity and, ultimately, incredibly exhilarating.And yet it’s not all chaos and grit. Inside New York’s pocket-sized parks, like Riverside ( p195 ) and Tompkins Sq ( p95 ), bluesy buskers blow their horns, delighted toddlers run through sprinklers, chess players frown in fi erce concentration, and dogs nip and bark inside their runs.

The bigger green spaces, such as Central Park ( p174 ) and Prospect Park ( p219 ), whisk you away from the grimy streets and set you down along-side fl owing rivers, dark, primal ponds and gently tangoing couples, who gather on Saturday nights in summer to fl irt with their feet in the shadows of birch trees.

Romance and ruin weave together in New York City, a group of fi ve boroughs off ering endless contrasts and captivating diversity. Anchored by back-to-back buildings and more than nine million people, the city is a series of interlocking enclaves, each with its own fl avor and appeal. Brook-lyn is the domain of writers, artists, young couples and families seeking to live in creative peace without the yoke of Manhattan’s sky-high rents. Vibrant Queens is a maelstrom of ethnicities and nationalities that live together – for the most part – in quiet harmony. This sprawling borough, studded with housing projects, alternative museums and galleries, and countless neat, single-family homes, contains some of the tastiest Indian, Korean, Greek and Albanian food anywhere. The boogie-down Bronx is still New York City’s least appreciated borough, but even Manhattanites know there’s no better place than Arthur Ave for an authentic Italian dinner – not even Staten Island, full of third-generation Napolitanos, can compare.

In the middle of it all is glorious Manhattan, that scintillating sliver of land where anything – absolutely anything – can happen.

Top left Different races, same song – New York subway (p261) Top right Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan (p42) as night moves in and lights flicker on Bottom Mural in the pulsing heart of Harlem: 125th St (p202)

THIS IS N

EW Y

ORK

CITY

NEW YORK >7

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> ITINERARIES

Fresh food heaven, Chelsea Market (p133)

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>ITIN

ERARIES

NEW YORK >35

ITINERARIES Public transportation is your best friend in New York City. Sure, the subway system is a bit old, smells funny and sometimes goes a bit fi tfully. But, overall, it zips up and down Manhattan with dependable regularity. For the scenic route, take the above-ground buses that trundle along Manhattan’s famous avenues.

You’ll need a MetroCard ( p261 ) to get around, and you can buy them at newsstands or from vending machines inside subway stations.

Taxis are a good option if you’re trekking to the far edges of the city, but during rush hour (anywhere from 7am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm), traffi c is brutal. Fast-moving pedicabs will also compete for your business; there’s nothing wrong with these rickshaws, but keep in mind that few of the operators are insured.

ONE DA Y Head to Lower Manhattan and walk around Battery Park ( p44 ), Ground Zero ( p45 ) and the South Street Seaport ( p46 ). If you’re really dying to see the Statue of Liberty, skip the lengthy lines on the offi cial visit and grab the Staten Island Ferry ( p46 ) for the drive-by view instead. Head to Chinatown for lunch, and spend the afternoon exploring Soho, Noho and Nolita. Dine amid the neon of Times Sq, and then try to catch a show. If you’re out of the theater before 11pm, rush to the Empire State Building ( p152 ) to catch the last elevator (at 11:15pm) to the observation deck.

TWO DA YS Spend a leisurely morning on the Upper West Side, with a breakfast bagel at Barney Greengrass ( p197 ), a stop to pick up some snacks at Za-bar’s ( p197 ), and then a stroll around the mom-and-pop shops clustered near 79th St and Broadway. Make your way to the American Museum of Natural History ( p194 ), but before you go in, step into Central Park ( p174 ) and picnic on your snacks. Hit the museum for the afternoon, and then meander south, ending your day with dinner in either Chelsea or the Meatpacking District. Spend your next morning exploring Lower Manhattan, and aim to have lunch in Greenwich Village. Walk through

Top Immerse yourself in a classic New York read (p241) Bottom The Guggenheim (p186) – Interior view of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum New York © The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

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ITINERA

RIES>

NEW YORK >36

Washington Sq Park ( p105 ) and head into the East Village to shop, sightsee and have some drinks in the late afternoon. Head south across Houston St to have dinner on the Lower East Side.

THREE DA YS With three days in the city, you can pace yourself a bit. Start off with a museum crawl down the Upper East Side. Hit El Museo del Barrio (p205) high up on Fifth Ave (and do peek across the street at Central Park’s Con-servatory Garden and Harlem Meer while you are there). If your stamina holds, stroll south for a tour of the Guggenheim (p186), the Neue Galerie (p185) and the Frick Collection (p184). Lunch at the Metropolitan Mu-seum of Art (p185) and spend the afternoon embracing the behemoth collection inside. Day two calls for some action: a brisk morning walk around Central Park’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir (p176), fol-lowed by a tour of Rockefeller Center (p154), lunch in Little Korea (p172) and an afternoon gallery hopping in Chelsea (p126). Pick a show for the night and lose yourself in Times Sq’s neon glow. For your last day, head to Lower Manhattan and wander the narrow streets, take a ferry ride to Staten Island for the requisite adoration of Lady Liberty, then fritter away your remaining hours exploring Chinatown, Soho, Noho and Nolita, and partying in the Lower East Side and East Village.

RAINY DA Y The Guggenheim ( p186 ) is perfect for any inclement weather because the out-of-this-world atmosphere creates its own little reality bubble any-way. Spend the day enjoying the museum, then check out the Schom-burg Center ( p206 ) in Harlem. It’s not far from the Cathedral of St John

FORWARD PL ANNING Three weeks before you go Pick a Broadway show and book tickets, and pick a backup as well in case you need to try your luck at the TKTS booth (www.tdf.org/tkts).Two weeks before you go Visit www.opentable.com and make a reservation for Babbo ( p110 ) or another restaurant you’d like to try.Three days before you go Start checking out what will be going on while you’re in town at www.freeinnyc.net and www.clubfreetime.com.The day before you go Start testing your online refl exes and see if you can snag a seat at Momofuku ( p98 ). Check out what sample sales will be on while you’re in town.

ITINERARIES > THREE DAYS

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>ITIN

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NEW YORK >37

the Divine ( p205 ), where you can admire the still-unfi nished spires before topping off the day with some soul food at Amy Ruth’s or Sylvia’s ( p210 ).

NYC ON A SHOESTRING The greatest things in life are free, as the saying goes, and that’s true in New York, where it costs you nothing to enter Central Park or check out the city’s iconic architecture. Catch the splendors of Grand Central Terminal ( p152 ) and admire the jutting lines of Le Corbusier’s UN building ( p155 ) without spending a dime. Head to Midtown and lunch at the Hallo Berlin food cart at Fifth Ave and 54th St. Bargain hunters do well in Chinatown, and while it’ll cost you a mint to eat in Little Italy, strolling there is free. Head uptown to Morningside Heights to check out the Cathedral of St John the Divine ( p205 ), then dine with the students at Community Food and Juice ( p210 ).

OPEN ALL DAY Many museums are closed on Monday, making that the perfect day to really explore Central Park ( p174 ). Start at the northern tip and head south, through the Ramble and the Mall, taking a peek at the Central Park Wildlife Center and Strawberry Fields. If you emerge on the park’s west side, take the subway to Chelsea. Not all the galleries will be open – but the stores will be. Do a little window-shopping and inhale the fresh-cookie smell of the Chelsea Market ( p133 ).

Explore the Lower East Side, stopping for some gourmet bar food at Schiller’s Liquor Bar ( p72 ). Then hit the bargain shops along Orchard St before heading north into the East Village. End the night with a pub crawl along Second Ave.

ITINERARIES > NYC ON A SHOESTRING

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