New York City suggestions?

May 12, 2006 7:52 PM

New York City: My husband and I will be travelling to NYC next weekend. The weather is supposed to be rainy. Suggested activities for this kind of weather?

We have a CityPass and are planning on going to MOMA and the Guggenheim. What other indoor activities would be a good bet?

Also, we are looking for a place that serves good Irish coffee. Any suggestions?

posted by alexmikayla to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

I won't point out the million other museums you could visit. The Chelsea Market, home of the Food Network is a great place to wander through and grab lunch. Same for Grand Central. The Staten Island Ferry is always a nice free way to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty without waiting (outdoors) and paying for the Liberty Island Ferry.
posted by kimdog at 8:01 PM on May 12, 2006

I did the Statue of Liberty thing in the rain/snow, and didn't mind too much. You get to visit Ellis Island as well, and the museum there (about immigration) is entirely indoors and kept me busy for a few hours.
posted by easternblot at 8:22 PM on May 12, 2006

If you like art, head down to Houston street, and go up and down every street south of it. Tons of little galleries, some of them have cool stuff.
posted by b1tr0t at 9:31 PM on May 12, 2006

Whitney is awesome and for something special that people never visit go to the Cooper-Hewitt. Also I know you want a good Irish coffee but as a native new yorker I suggest you ask for a vanilla egg cream. They are only native new york and tourists don't even know they exist.
posted by zia at 9:33 PM on May 12, 2006

A few suggestions:

1) Take a step back in time and have lunch or dinner or a snack at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. (Attire is very casual). Then go upstairs and take a look at the main floor of the terminal, especially the ceiling. It has been beautifully restored in recent years.

2)It's not my kind of scene, but a coworker loves the Campbell Apartment. According to the gossip pages, George Clooney was hanging out there last weekend. Really. :)

3)Go up to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle (take the 1 train and get off at 59th street). Have coffee and a pastry or lunch at Bouchon Bakery. It was popular as all hell when I walked by about a week ago. Check out the other shops. I love Whole Foods downstairs.

4)If you are book lovers, you could spend forever in The Strand (12th St. & Broadway). It's a NYC institution. Take one of a zillion trains that go to Union Square and walk about a block or two south on Broadway. You've got to love a bookstore (and a city) where the type of book stolen most often stolen is philosophy. I read that a while back somewhere.

5)When you're done at The Strand, the flagship store for Kiehl's is only a couple of blocks away. Check it out. It's quite a scene. Twenty somethings in white lab coats will deal with your grooming needs as if you are the most important person on earth! It's a hoot. Their shampoo isn't bad either. Be sure to get a boatload of free samples!

Enjoy. New York City is the promised land. I kid you not. :>
posted by bim at 9:37 PM on May 12, 2006

Yes, The Kiehl's store! I am so obsessed.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:08 PM on May 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

Along those lines, you could visit the upscale department stores- Barneys (61st and Madison), Saks (49th and 5th) and Bergdorf Goodmans (56th? and 5th), for starters. Go and goggle at clothes that cost more than your mortgage payment- and the people standing next to you who are buying them.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:12 PM on May 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

If you're willing to venture outside of Manhattan, you could do the Brooklyn Museum, Coney Island (a scene, rain or not - go to a freak show) and then go to a Russian nightclub in Brighton Beach. Or a Queens day, take the 7 and get out almost anywhere. You will be in the most diverse, multicultural place on the planet!
posted by xetere at 6:18 AM on May 13, 2006

Go to the Frick (Fifth Ave and 70th)—it's probably the most beloved museum in the city, and if you go there you'll see why. Beautiful setting, enough paintings to be interesting but not enough to overwhelm, and an astonishing level of quality. The little Memling portrait alone kept me coming back time after time after my first visit; I'd never heard of Memling before. And I once spent half an hour or so transfixed in front of St. Francis.
posted by languagehat at 7:05 AM on May 13, 2006

If you're in town on a Wednesday, there's rollerskating at the Roxy!

There are B'way plays also, of course.
posted by TG_Plackenfatz at 8:27 AM on May 13, 2006

Second the Frick and the Strand... I could spend hours at either. The Museum of Television and Radio is fun too, if you don't feel silly watching TV when there are so many other cool things to do and see in NY.

I wouldn't miss an opportunity to visit Katz's Deli... Sammy's Romanian Steakhouse is a fun place too.
posted by kdern at 2:04 PM on May 13, 2006

Last time I was in Barney's I saw Chris Rock and Gary Shandling debating the nature of comic delivery in the Men's Department. Can't beat the serendipity of that (that's NYC for ya).
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:33 PM on May 13, 2006

Third the Frick. The Fragonard Room is my favourite.

Cafe Espanol in Greenwich Village has great paella and their sangria had fruit that was perfectly drunk. The atmosphere there is casual and fun, and the waiters very charming.

If you'd prefer finer dining, Payard has one of the more affordable tasting menus in NYC and their desserts are YUM-MY.
posted by phoenixc at 9:12 AM on May 14, 2006