four days in nyc, working introvert edition
June 10, 2022 9:27 AM Subscribe
Hello! I’m interning at a company and visiting one of their offices in NYC from June 27-June 30. I’m leaving NYC in the evening on the 30th, so I have a few evenings to explore the city. I’d love to see some of the sights, but I’m also an introvert and can be easily overwhelmed by a lot of social interaction/external stimulus. I’m staying in a hotel in the Lower East Side, close to Soho and Little Italy, and would prefer things that are in that area though a short train ride away would also be ok. More details on things I like to do inside!
- I like to check out a cool book store and thrift store in any place I travel to, so suggestions on those are particularly welcome!
- I love trying out new restaurants. I’m an ovo-lacto-vegetarian so anything that satisfies those constraints would be excellent. I’m getting a meal stipend of $75/day so money is not a huge concern.
- I really enjoy botanical gardens / parks / natural landscapes. I also love sculpture parks and art museums (and museums in general).
- I’d also enjoy going to places that can tell me a little about NYC culture and history.
- I’d like to try some fancy cocktails. I’m sober curious so if there’s a bar that makes really good mocktails I’d also love to try those out!
TIA for the suggestions!
- I like to check out a cool book store and thrift store in any place I travel to, so suggestions on those are particularly welcome!
- I love trying out new restaurants. I’m an ovo-lacto-vegetarian so anything that satisfies those constraints would be excellent. I’m getting a meal stipend of $75/day so money is not a huge concern.
- I really enjoy botanical gardens / parks / natural landscapes. I also love sculpture parks and art museums (and museums in general).
- I’d also enjoy going to places that can tell me a little about NYC culture and history.
- I’d like to try some fancy cocktails. I’m sober curious so if there’s a bar that makes really good mocktails I’d also love to try those out!
TIA for the suggestions!
Bluestockings bookstore is fantastic and you should go there.
There's a TON of great food in NYC - I was vegan when I lived there, and you can easily get vegetarian food all over the place. I haven't been there recently enough to make a specific recommendation, but consider what kinds of food you'd like to try out that you don't normally get to eat and see what's around you that has a decent yelp rating.
posted by bile and syntax at 9:43 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
There's a TON of great food in NYC - I was vegan when I lived there, and you can easily get vegetarian food all over the place. I haven't been there recently enough to make a specific recommendation, but consider what kinds of food you'd like to try out that you don't normally get to eat and see what's around you that has a decent yelp rating.
posted by bile and syntax at 9:43 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Central Park is obvious, but can fill days. Exploring Roosevelt Island and walking the Brooklyn bridge are fun, few hour solo activities for introverts. Flushing Meadows Park isn't really notable, but I really like iit, and the museums nearby aren't bad and might not be in the tour book top 10.
On prevue, seconding the Tenement Museum.
posted by eotvos at 9:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
On prevue, seconding the Tenement Museum.
posted by eotvos at 9:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Cafe Himalaya is one of my very favorite places to eat, and is very veg-friendly. Bonus: your stipend will go very far here!
posted by cakelite at 9:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cakelite at 9:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Again, obvious, but MoMA and The Met are two of the best museums in the world. Short subway ride from the LES but both will easily fill a half-day as a casual visit, or several weeks if you really want to soak it all in.
posted by parm at 10:15 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by parm at 10:15 AM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: * pulls up chair and sits down *
This is based on my living in NYC for my entire post-college adult life, with 15 of those years spent living in EXACTLY where you are staying; I also have similar interests and tastes and temperament.
For food - seriously just walk down a street and and look. You probably can't go far wrong.
For bookstores: Strand. This is the Big Mac Daddy of used bookstores in NYC and is a local legend. It is also very near where you are staying, close enough that you may even want to consider walking there (it is at 12th and Broadway). And as a bonus - two blocks north is Union Square Park, which is a bit on the crowded side but is a park known for being host to various Significant Events through the years, like political rallies and such. (Although most of the time it's a "lots of people hanging out and chilling" park.)
As for the next bits, I will also offer transit advice:
- I really enjoy botanical gardens / parks / natural landscapes. I also love sculpture parks and art museums (and museums in general).
- I’d also enjoy going to places that can tell me a little about NYC culture and history.
Okay. The Tenement Museum is near you; you are also near the Bialystoker Synagogue, a historic synagogue in the Lower East Side which hosts tours. You're also near the new Museum of Chinese in America. All of those are walking distance. But for a real deep dive into NYC history, there are two good options, neither of which would be too crowded:
1. The New York Historical Society. This is one of TWO city-wide history museums. It's more of a collection-of-artifacts type of museum, but its collection is vast. It's also closer and easier for you to get to - if you're on the Lower East Side, it's about a 25 minute subway ride, pretty much direct all the way (get on a train, stay put, and get off after about eight stops or so). It's across the street from Central Park as well.
2. The Museum of the City of New York is also a shortish subway ride, although on a different line and with a bit of walking once you get off. It's also got a big collection, but they also do a lot more of the "interpretive curating" kind of stuff; I'm trying to figure out how best to explain it, and the best way I can is that the NY Historical Society would include a Tiffany lamp in an exhibit about the history of the Tiffany lamp factory and include a bunch of other lamps so you could see the artistry, while the MCNY would include a Tiffany lamp in an exhibit about "How Mass Marketing Lamps Created An Attainable Middle Class For New Immigrants" or something. Both fascinating angles. MCNY is also across the street from Central Park, on the OTHER side.
For botanical gardens - the BIG one is up in the Bronx, but there is a smaller and closer one in Brooklyn that you would be able to get to pretty easily and would find quite nice. From the Lower East Side, you could catch the B train at Broadway/Lafayette and be at one of the entry gates in a half hour, and that gate no more than a block from the subway.
And for sculpture gardens, there's one in Astoria, Queens I'm going to steer you to because the transit you can use to get there would be a Thing To Do in itself. The NYC Ferry was created to give people living along the coasts an alternative to having to hoof it to subways, but it's also a fantastic "I'm just poking around and sightseeing" option because outside of the commuting time rush hours, it's rarely crowded, and it's a lovely ride. You'd have to go down towards Wall Street to the main pier, but that would be a short subway ride on the 4 train and then a short walk to the NYC Ferry hub at Pier 11. There is an "Astoria route" on the Ferry, with a couple stops along the waterfront on the east side of Manhattan and the west side of Brooklyn and Queens. The fifth stop is only a 3 minute walk from the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens. Incidentally, the sculpture park is itself only one minute's walk from the Noguchi Museum.
Finally, there's a place you can get all of that - history, culture, and outdoors, AND a ferry - in one fell swoop: Governors Island. Governors Island started out as the site of two defensive forts dating back to the Revolutionary War days; then it became an army base proper, then got turned into a Coast Guard base. It was decommissioned in the late 90s, and sat there for a while until the mid-aughts; then NYC and the Parks Department struck a deal whereby the National Parks service controls part of it, and NYC controls the rest of it.
So you have a whole BIG mix of stuff there. To the north is where most of the historic stuff is - both of the historic forts, with Fort Jay and Fort William within a short walk of each other, and national park rangers overseeing both sites and giving the history lessons; and you also have some of the old buildings that were used as residences by the army officers when it was a working army base. But - many of those buildings have been re-purposed into pop-up museums and shops. There are also spots on the grounds that have been repurposed into things like sculpture gardens, kids' playgrounds, and organic teaching farms.
And to the south, a lot of the existing buildings were razed and the land redeveloped extensively. The big draw there are "the hills", four man-made hills all set at slightly different heights and each offering a different view of the island and the harbor itself. One hill is the site of a bunch of slides, another has a site-specific sculpture permanently at its peak. There's also a big patch of land in the middle of the island called "Hammock Grove," where they've planted a bunch of trees and then chucked a ton of hammocks in among them; the trees are young still, but the idea is that they will eventually grow tall enough to be a proper shady grove where you can laze on a hammock in peace. (You can laze on a hammock there now, it's just not as shady.)
There are bustling parts of Governors Island, but you can avoid them easily enough; they have food trucks out there as well. And the best bit is that cars aren't allowed, save for a shuttlebus they just now added that can bring people around the perimeter on a loop. But I have been there myself and it's very walkable (even on a bad knee). Governors Island has its own ferry, departing out of a building that is literally next door to the Staten Island Ferry down near Wall Street. I really think you'd appreciate Governors Island a lot.
Let me know if this has just overwhelmed you with information and you had any further questions about any of this.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:32 AM on June 10, 2022 [10 favorites]
This is based on my living in NYC for my entire post-college adult life, with 15 of those years spent living in EXACTLY where you are staying; I also have similar interests and tastes and temperament.
For food - seriously just walk down a street and and look. You probably can't go far wrong.
For bookstores: Strand. This is the Big Mac Daddy of used bookstores in NYC and is a local legend. It is also very near where you are staying, close enough that you may even want to consider walking there (it is at 12th and Broadway). And as a bonus - two blocks north is Union Square Park, which is a bit on the crowded side but is a park known for being host to various Significant Events through the years, like political rallies and such. (Although most of the time it's a "lots of people hanging out and chilling" park.)
As for the next bits, I will also offer transit advice:
- I really enjoy botanical gardens / parks / natural landscapes. I also love sculpture parks and art museums (and museums in general).
- I’d also enjoy going to places that can tell me a little about NYC culture and history.
Okay. The Tenement Museum is near you; you are also near the Bialystoker Synagogue, a historic synagogue in the Lower East Side which hosts tours. You're also near the new Museum of Chinese in America. All of those are walking distance. But for a real deep dive into NYC history, there are two good options, neither of which would be too crowded:
1. The New York Historical Society. This is one of TWO city-wide history museums. It's more of a collection-of-artifacts type of museum, but its collection is vast. It's also closer and easier for you to get to - if you're on the Lower East Side, it's about a 25 minute subway ride, pretty much direct all the way (get on a train, stay put, and get off after about eight stops or so). It's across the street from Central Park as well.
2. The Museum of the City of New York is also a shortish subway ride, although on a different line and with a bit of walking once you get off. It's also got a big collection, but they also do a lot more of the "interpretive curating" kind of stuff; I'm trying to figure out how best to explain it, and the best way I can is that the NY Historical Society would include a Tiffany lamp in an exhibit about the history of the Tiffany lamp factory and include a bunch of other lamps so you could see the artistry, while the MCNY would include a Tiffany lamp in an exhibit about "How Mass Marketing Lamps Created An Attainable Middle Class For New Immigrants" or something. Both fascinating angles. MCNY is also across the street from Central Park, on the OTHER side.
For botanical gardens - the BIG one is up in the Bronx, but there is a smaller and closer one in Brooklyn that you would be able to get to pretty easily and would find quite nice. From the Lower East Side, you could catch the B train at Broadway/Lafayette and be at one of the entry gates in a half hour, and that gate no more than a block from the subway.
And for sculpture gardens, there's one in Astoria, Queens I'm going to steer you to because the transit you can use to get there would be a Thing To Do in itself. The NYC Ferry was created to give people living along the coasts an alternative to having to hoof it to subways, but it's also a fantastic "I'm just poking around and sightseeing" option because outside of the commuting time rush hours, it's rarely crowded, and it's a lovely ride. You'd have to go down towards Wall Street to the main pier, but that would be a short subway ride on the 4 train and then a short walk to the NYC Ferry hub at Pier 11. There is an "Astoria route" on the Ferry, with a couple stops along the waterfront on the east side of Manhattan and the west side of Brooklyn and Queens. The fifth stop is only a 3 minute walk from the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens. Incidentally, the sculpture park is itself only one minute's walk from the Noguchi Museum.
Finally, there's a place you can get all of that - history, culture, and outdoors, AND a ferry - in one fell swoop: Governors Island. Governors Island started out as the site of two defensive forts dating back to the Revolutionary War days; then it became an army base proper, then got turned into a Coast Guard base. It was decommissioned in the late 90s, and sat there for a while until the mid-aughts; then NYC and the Parks Department struck a deal whereby the National Parks service controls part of it, and NYC controls the rest of it.
So you have a whole BIG mix of stuff there. To the north is where most of the historic stuff is - both of the historic forts, with Fort Jay and Fort William within a short walk of each other, and national park rangers overseeing both sites and giving the history lessons; and you also have some of the old buildings that were used as residences by the army officers when it was a working army base. But - many of those buildings have been re-purposed into pop-up museums and shops. There are also spots on the grounds that have been repurposed into things like sculpture gardens, kids' playgrounds, and organic teaching farms.
And to the south, a lot of the existing buildings were razed and the land redeveloped extensively. The big draw there are "the hills", four man-made hills all set at slightly different heights and each offering a different view of the island and the harbor itself. One hill is the site of a bunch of slides, another has a site-specific sculpture permanently at its peak. There's also a big patch of land in the middle of the island called "Hammock Grove," where they've planted a bunch of trees and then chucked a ton of hammocks in among them; the trees are young still, but the idea is that they will eventually grow tall enough to be a proper shady grove where you can laze on a hammock in peace. (You can laze on a hammock there now, it's just not as shady.)
There are bustling parts of Governors Island, but you can avoid them easily enough; they have food trucks out there as well. And the best bit is that cars aren't allowed, save for a shuttlebus they just now added that can bring people around the perimeter on a loop. But I have been there myself and it's very walkable (even on a bad knee). Governors Island has its own ferry, departing out of a building that is literally next door to the Staten Island Ferry down near Wall Street. I really think you'd appreciate Governors Island a lot.
Let me know if this has just overwhelmed you with information and you had any further questions about any of this.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:32 AM on June 10, 2022 [10 favorites]
Welcome to the neighborhood! I echo all of praemunire’s recs above, AND Empress’s excellent suggestion of Governor’s Island; a summer evening in the island’s hammock grove with a book is peak NYC, in my opinion.
A book and an excellent cocktail in a quiet bar is my second favorite way to NYC, and there are two good options for this that I want to add to the thread - The Dancer on Clinton Street and Subject on Suffolk and Houston. Both are quiet and lovely, especially on a weeknight.
posted by minervous at 11:45 AM on June 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
A book and an excellent cocktail in a quiet bar is my second favorite way to NYC, and there are two good options for this that I want to add to the thread - The Dancer on Clinton Street and Subject on Suffolk and Houston. Both are quiet and lovely, especially on a weeknight.
posted by minervous at 11:45 AM on June 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
My bookstore double header whenever I was in that area was Housing Works on Crosby st, then McNally Jackson Books on Spring. Then go read, sip a to-go coffee, and people watch at the Elizabeth Street Garden.
posted by windbox at 11:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by windbox at 11:49 AM on June 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
Aeon Bookstore is my absolute favorite in that area, although Bluestockings is also good. The Highline is one of the nicer parks, a little north of you, and I also like Washington Square park, although it tends to be a little more bustling. The cactus store at 5 Essex St is really cute and fun. Mmuseumm is a really fun museum in a freight elevator nearby, I have no idea what's there (or even if they're open) right now but it's probably great. I also love the Dream House, but that's not for everyone (it features very heavy incense and drone music).
posted by wesleyac at 12:34 PM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by wesleyac at 12:34 PM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Never been to NYC, but am enamored of the High Line park. It's not so far from the lower east side of Manhattan Island.
posted by the Real Dan at 12:41 PM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by the Real Dan at 12:41 PM on June 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, and Mercer St Books is another bookstore I love in the area. It has a much wider assortment of stuff, but most of it is interesting (even if not to me), and the vibes are good.
posted by wesleyac at 12:47 PM on June 10, 2022
posted by wesleyac at 12:47 PM on June 10, 2022
For vegan food, Buddah Bodai is great. If you like ice cream, the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and Taiyaki NYC are both excellent.
Sorry for the triple post — I lived in this area for a while, and am slowly remembering stuff :)
posted by wesleyac at 12:55 PM on June 10, 2022
Sorry for the triple post — I lived in this area for a while, and am slowly remembering stuff :)
posted by wesleyac at 12:55 PM on June 10, 2022
Your visit coincides with the NYC Pride march on Sunday June 26th, if that's of interest. It's in/around the Chelsea and West Village area. It's a LOT of external stimulus, so maybe not your thing, but as an introvert myself I didn't mind it. It's like the world's most joyful tickertape parade.
(Edit to say, whoops; sorry, I misread your visit's dates!)
posted by hovey at 2:11 PM on June 10, 2022
(Edit to say, whoops; sorry, I misread your visit's dates!)
posted by hovey at 2:11 PM on June 10, 2022
I forgot to mention that if you like art books, Mast Books at Ave. A and 5th (?) St. is small but has interesting stock.
I wouldn't recommend trying to walk to Union Square/the Strand from the LES unless you're a comfortable city walker and it's not too hot. Depending on where you are, it's a half hour or more--doable, but maybe a bit of a challenge if you're someone who usually drives everywhere. But Union Square is a major transit hub and only a short trip in that mode.
*mumbles* The Strand is way overrated but if you go there you can also go around the corner to Alabaster Books on 4th Ave.
posted by praemunire at 2:27 PM on June 10, 2022
I wouldn't recommend trying to walk to Union Square/the Strand from the LES unless you're a comfortable city walker and it's not too hot. Depending on where you are, it's a half hour or more--doable, but maybe a bit of a challenge if you're someone who usually drives everywhere. But Union Square is a major transit hub and only a short trip in that mode.
*mumbles* The Strand is way overrated but if you go there you can also go around the corner to Alabaster Books on 4th Ave.
posted by praemunire at 2:27 PM on June 10, 2022
Printed Matter is a great artist’s book store to add to the list.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 2:50 PM on June 10, 2022
posted by Lawn Beaver at 2:50 PM on June 10, 2022
McNally Jackson on Prince Street is a Nolita/LES bookstore worth visiting, and might be close to your place. It has a little café, too.
posted by lisa g at 2:50 PM on June 10, 2022
posted by lisa g at 2:50 PM on June 10, 2022
Also, if you're up in the more northerly half of the EV (say, coming back from Union Square), Archie's Press is a cute little letterpress store.
posted by praemunire at 3:01 PM on June 10, 2022
posted by praemunire at 3:01 PM on June 10, 2022
Cha-An is a lovely little Japanese tea shop / dessert place that is a calm oasis in an otherwise pretty busy corner of the East Village. They also have some meal options, but I haven’t had the chance to try them.
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:49 PM on June 10, 2022
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:49 PM on June 10, 2022
Seconding the Housing Works on Crosby - their used book store and one of their thrift stores are next door to each other and are close to McNally Jackson, which, as others have mentioned, is a nice bookstore.
For food near your hotel, there's a great all-vegan deli in Little Italy called Galioto's. They have prepared foods and sandwiches to go. And seconding Buddha Bodai for veg Chinese. There's also a Taim relatively near your hotel, which is NYC's best falafel chain (and one of the better falafel places period). Also seconding Fat Choi and Dirt Candy. Though, if you want fancy vegetarian food, I often prefer ABCV, which is up near Union Square, to Dirt Candy. Superiority Burger (a great and very creative vegetarian counter service place) is open and closed at weird intervals these days (it's running a couple days a week under the name Salad Days at the moment) but if it's open it's fantastic and a nice walk from where you're staying (maybe 20 minutes through fun neighborhoods). Finally, I want to second the Cafe Himalaya rec, it's been a while since I've been but it's such a great place and the homemade hot sauce paired with their momos is just the best, and their salads are delicious too.
if you're a candy person, you should definitely go to Economy Candy. And, if you're a fake meat fan, check out Lily's Vegan Pantry if you'll be able to bring perishables home with you on your last day. They have an amazing selection of mock meats.
I think Green Wood Cemetery would be up your alley but it's potentially challenging to fit in after work since it's in Brooklyn (it'd be about 20 minutes on the train from the Broadway-Lafayette subway stop) and closes at 7pm. It has gorgeous trees, a colony of wild monk parakeets and lots of NYC history. For dinner afterward, you can walk (or take the train a couple stops) up to Park Slope, which has lots of cute restaurants and bars, or you can walk down to Sunset Park, which also has tons of great options. Sunset Park is also home to the Sunset Park, which offers an amazing view of Manhattan and the harbor.
Others have covered museums well, but you'll also be close to ICP and the New Museum and not too far from the Whitney. You might also find the Ukrainian Museum interesting, which is in the East Village. They usually have a mix of functional art/cultural artifacts and a rotating exhibit or two of fine art. Plus, if Streecha is open, you can get church lady made pierogi across the street from the museum.
posted by snaw at 6:28 PM on June 10, 2022
For food near your hotel, there's a great all-vegan deli in Little Italy called Galioto's. They have prepared foods and sandwiches to go. And seconding Buddha Bodai for veg Chinese. There's also a Taim relatively near your hotel, which is NYC's best falafel chain (and one of the better falafel places period). Also seconding Fat Choi and Dirt Candy. Though, if you want fancy vegetarian food, I often prefer ABCV, which is up near Union Square, to Dirt Candy. Superiority Burger (a great and very creative vegetarian counter service place) is open and closed at weird intervals these days (it's running a couple days a week under the name Salad Days at the moment) but if it's open it's fantastic and a nice walk from where you're staying (maybe 20 minutes through fun neighborhoods). Finally, I want to second the Cafe Himalaya rec, it's been a while since I've been but it's such a great place and the homemade hot sauce paired with their momos is just the best, and their salads are delicious too.
if you're a candy person, you should definitely go to Economy Candy. And, if you're a fake meat fan, check out Lily's Vegan Pantry if you'll be able to bring perishables home with you on your last day. They have an amazing selection of mock meats.
I think Green Wood Cemetery would be up your alley but it's potentially challenging to fit in after work since it's in Brooklyn (it'd be about 20 minutes on the train from the Broadway-Lafayette subway stop) and closes at 7pm. It has gorgeous trees, a colony of wild monk parakeets and lots of NYC history. For dinner afterward, you can walk (or take the train a couple stops) up to Park Slope, which has lots of cute restaurants and bars, or you can walk down to Sunset Park, which also has tons of great options. Sunset Park is also home to the Sunset Park, which offers an amazing view of Manhattan and the harbor.
Others have covered museums well, but you'll also be close to ICP and the New Museum and not too far from the Whitney. You might also find the Ukrainian Museum interesting, which is in the East Village. They usually have a mix of functional art/cultural artifacts and a rotating exhibit or two of fine art. Plus, if Streecha is open, you can get church lady made pierogi across the street from the museum.
posted by snaw at 6:28 PM on June 10, 2022
The Little Island is fairly new and looks really nice, if you haven't been.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2022
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
(2) You'll probably want Dirt Candy for a fancier meal. Fat Choy is very enjoyable for a more casual lunch.
(3) The Tenement Museum is unique and close by.
(4) There's more fancy cocktail places on the LES than you can shake a stick at, honestly.
posted by praemunire at 9:43 AM on June 10, 2022 [4 favorites]