'Cause everyone's my friend in New York City

July 2, 2009 4:16 PM

NYC-Filter: The ladyfriend and I will be in New York City from July 11 through the 13th (Friday through Monday). We have no plans, so far, for stuff to do, except going to a show on Saturday night. What should we do? Anything totally awesome happening that weekend?

We're definitely going to be hitting MOMA and the Strand at some point, but we are open to suggestions for other stuff-- touristy and not. Recommendations for delicious food are good. We're not on a tight budget, but we don't have tons of money either, so nothing way pricey-- little neighborhood bistros and stuff are great.

I would, at some point, like to get a really good bagel with lox, since you can't exactly get that at high altitude. I also could definitely go for some good dim sum.

Suggestions for specific neighborhoods to wander around in are great too.

We love weird shit. Weird art galleries, restaurants with comic misspellings but delicious food, etc.

The ladyfriend is 20, so no 21 and over venues, please.

posted by NoraReed to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

The Natural History Museum is currently having an exhibit called Extreme Mammals, it looks great.
posted by you're a kitty! at 4:41 PM on July 2

One thing you could do (that most locals haven't done yet) is to visit both the new High Line Park and also Governors Island. Both sort of fall into the "oasis within the city" category and both offer unique view of the city.
posted by blaneyphoto at 4:42 PM on July 2

I was just in NYC a few weeks ago and bypassed the big museums for the Tenement Museum. It was a last-minute suggestion, I knew nothing about it, and it kicked ass. I've been raving about it to pretty much anyone I know who's heading to NYC anytime soon. The tours are pretty small though so if it's something you're interested in, it's probably a good idea to buy tickets earlier in the day.
posted by awegz at 5:00 PM on July 2 [3 favorites has favorites]

Definitely do the High Line. I was just there this past weekend and it was great.
posted by midatlanticwanderer at 5:02 PM on July 2

Go to Pommes Frites! Get the smoked eggplant mayo! It's right near St. Mark's Place, so you can wander around there a bit.
posted by Greg Nog at 5:39 PM on July 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'm also a big fan of Little Poland, in the East Village.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:44 PM on July 2

Keep an eye on Flavorpill and MUG, both of which spotlight interesting things going on in the city each week.
posted by mark7570 at 6:02 PM on July 2

Yup, high line should be good. And it is close to the galleries in Chelsea which sound right up your alley (many free).

Bonus point if you find something at Chelsea Piers that you want to do/eat (can range from reasonable to oh-my-gawd expensive).
posted by cestmoi15 at 6:04 PM on July 2

There is a KILLER show on the Willamsburg Waterfront that Sunday. FREE! Mission of Burma, Ponytail and Fucked Up. If you're into that kind of thing, anyway.

Take a wander around Chinatown! The new High Line park just opened, hit that up.
posted by GilloD at 6:33 PM on July 2

And if you're into weird restaurants, try XO Kitchen in Chinatown. Much of the menu is still in Chinese, it's pretty cheap (6 of us ate our fill for 55$ with tip) and while it's not SUPER authentic, it's cute and honest.
posted by GilloD at 6:35 PM on July 2

Is the show you're going to Saturday the free They Might Be Giants show in Prospect Park?

If not, there's a free They Might Be Giants show in Prospect Park. 4:00 PM
posted by twinight at 7:05 PM on July 2

Oh man those look awesome!! The Tenement Museum looks great-- we're Soc students, so that's right up our interest-alley! :D

Man, Metafilter is awesome.
posted by NoraReed at 7:35 PM on July 2

The Tenement Museum is indeed awesome, and I nth the suggestion to go there. We also enjoyed the Afghanistan exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
posted by gudrun at 11:02 PM on July 2

There are lots of awesome food places right by The Tenement Museum:
My favorite place period is il laboratorio del gelato and it's literally right next to the museum.
Get amazing Bagels/Bialys at Kossar's Bialys, but not on Friday night or Saturday.
The Doughnut Plant is tasty also.
And go grab a pickle or two from The Pickle Guys and/or Guss Pickles

Also, I really enjoyed the NY Transit Museum - it's a little out of the way, but if you're in Brooklyn to go get pizza (such as Lucali's), it's rather cheap and impressive to see 100 years of subway cars all together.

And hopefully you noticed that you need to get a ticket for a specific tour for the Tenement Museum before you go.
posted by radicarian at 12:46 AM on July 3

The High Line is great. Also fun is taking the Staten Island ferry (free! reasonably priced beer!) across the harbor and back.
posted by dame at 7:09 AM on July 3

You could stop by the Central Park Zoo. It has two Snow Leopards, which are incredibly beautiful animals, and a Red Panda which is adorable.
posted by losvedir at 8:46 AM on July 3

For the most unique place to eat on the weekends head to Red Hook for the soccer fields. Lots of S. American vendors. Or the flea market in Brooklyn will have lots of character and great food. The They Might Be Giants show will be very kid centric, btw.
posted by Unred at 8:48 AM on July 3

On the 12th, there's a big bicycle race on Governor's Island - it's a five-minute long (free) ferry ride from lower Manhattan. It's a pro/am race on a spectator-friendly circuit that should be lots of fun to watch.

Info: http://www.customcyclewear.com/2009gigp.htm

Anyway, that's what I'd do if i weren't out of town on the 12th.

I'll echo the High Line, too.

Wander around the West Village, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, East Village. A generally good time.
posted by entropone at 11:24 AM on July 3