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Hotel and food recommendations for a solo traveller to NYC

une_heure_pleine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:52:42 -0800

Visiting New York for the first time (from Australia) in a couple of weeks. Will be travelling solo, and am looking for hotel and food recommendations. (I did search, but the answers are a few years old now, or aimed at different budgets)

I'm perfectly happy with my own company most of the time, especially during the day. Even so, I'd like to meet a few people to go for a drink or dinner some nights, as I'll be there for two weeks. In the past when I've travelled solo, I've stayed in dorms. I'm a bit older now (late 20s) and have less tolerance for all-night boozing and general grottiness.

So, any suggestions for either a hostel with private rooms that's friendly but not party-central, or a budget hotel with a sociable common area where I might meet people? Budget is ideally no more than $80 per night but could stretch for the right place. Private bathroom is nice but not necessary.

Alternately, suggestions for other places to go/things to do where I might meet some people to hang out with for a night?

Also, I'm interested in checking out a couple of the better restaurants in town. I'm expecting to have to do this alone unless I randomly meet another foodie. Any ideas for restaurants in $30-for-a-main-course bracket where I'll be treated like a human being despite being there alone? My preference is for high quality, innovative food, rather than just wherever is hot right now.

Help The Empress Splurge!

EmpressCallipygos — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:48:45 -0800

NYC Filter: I'm getting a financial windfall in a couple weeks, and have decided to treat myself: salon, massage, and then taking myself out somewhere. but...I've been broke so long I don't know where to go. Help? I know where to take care of the salon and the massage, but the "going out somewhere" stumps me a bit. Ideally, the place I'm looking for is:

* Upscale without being "velvet rope" -- classy instead of exclusive
* Lively, but not loud -- I want to be able to hear myself think
* Not outrageously priced (I don't mean inexpensive, more like, I want to be able to say that the amount of money I spend was absolutely "worth it")
* Possibly a place where I could get a delightful gentleman approaching me for a chat, but a place that's so awesome in its own right that I won't care if it doesn't happen
* If it's got a fabulous view, perfect.
* Doesn't have to be a restaurant. In fact, just getting a drink would be great.

I just plan on looking and feeling fabulous and living in the high life for a night, and I'm looking for the right setting.

Thanks!

Romantic anniversary dinner in NYC on a grad student budget?

ilana — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:06:56 -0800

Romantic anniversary dinner in NYC on a grad student budget? So in about three weeks my wonderful boyfriend and I will be celebrating our fifth anniversary. Yay! We're looking for a place with great food and preferably romantic atmosphere (though not schmaltzy) in which to celebrate. We both like every type of cuisine we've ever tried (which is a lot of them). We're big fans of seafood, and if you know any place that makes magic out of duck, I'm all ears. Budget is on the small side, about $100ish for the two of us, but if there's somewhere a bit more expensive you think we must go to, just tell us why it's worth the extra! We'll go anywhere (preferably Manhattan) but bonus points if it's on the 1 line, extra bonus if it's UWS. Interesting drinks also a plus.

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I didn't find anything too similar when looking through tags. I know about Chowhound, but it's kind of overwhelming there. Thanks hivemind!

Good food, good company - help me get both!

pinksoftsoap — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:49:22 -0800

HALP! I am trying to plan a birthday party for two friends but am finding a lot of hurdles. Any suggestions that can accommodate ~20 or more adults in Manhattan (preferably), Brooklyn, or Queens for cheap? The party is for two awesome guys who love good, hearty food. Some suggestions pitched so far:

- Dinosaur BBQ - no reservations available until January :(

- Daisy May's BBQ - reservations available but only for a minimum of $35 a head off of their special menu :( I can risk just having everyone show up without a reservation but with these numbers, that might not work out well.

I'm hoping for a place that's $20 or under per person that's not a bar or club-like lounge. Also, I strongly dislike Dallas BBQ. My group has also done Dave & Buster's to death, so no to that as well.

Thank you in advance!

need some kimchi

mammary16 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:49:58 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good, relatively cheap Korean restaurant in Manhattan? ... maybe around Chinatown?

Amazing, impossible-to-get-into NYC restaurants?

meerkatty — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:44:08 -0800

Amazing, impossible-to-get-into NYC restaurants? I have the opportunity to have a great dining experience in NYC through someone who can get me in almost anywhere. I'm looking for great food, great atmosphere, not necessarily trendy (ie. Nobu). It will be my 60 year old parents and me. Last time I had this opportunity, I picked 21 Club and loved it. Suggestions? Thanks!

Two straws. One glass. Lots of tequila.

goingonit — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:55:54 -0800

Do you know of anywhere in New York City where they serve margaritas in huge novelty glasses, like where multiple people drink from the same glass? My girlfriend really wants to find a place like this, and Google hasn't helped (neither has walking around). Any ideas? Thanks!

Romantic (lacto-)vegetarian-friendly places in Manhattan on the UES?

NucleophilicAttack — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:51:36 -0800

I'm trying to book dinner reservations on Valentine's Day in Manhattan, as the really nice places are filling up fast. Suggestions for romantic (lacto-)vegetarian-friendly places on the UES? Budget of ~$100 per person, pre-tip. A restaurant with lots of mixed drink and cocktail options would be preferable. So far I've found this and this question, but I'm looking for places that are not hardcore vegan (milk products open up a great many options!), and a place somewhere uptown and probably a bit fancier.

Thanks!

nice veg restaurant in manhattan?

deafweatherman — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 01:53:01 -0800

Looking for an awesome, romantic, reasonably-priced restaurant in New York City with excellent vegetarian dishes. Does anyone have any reccomendations for a vegetarian (or a place with some great veggie dishes) restaurant in Manhattan where I could bring a date? I say reasonably-priced because I'd like to go somewhere nice, but not pay a ridiculous amount. Extra points if its in/around Gramercy.

Egg curry in NYC?

gentle — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:22:08 -0800

Restaurant in New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn) that serves a great egg curry? By egg curry I mean hard-boiled eggs in a spicy sauce, with rice and perhaps some chickpeas; something like this or this. The only restaurant I know about that offers this is Sirtaj in Chelsea, and it's not really that good.

Good black beans and yellow rice recipe?

sonnet — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 23:03:00 -0800

Good black beans and yellow rice recipe? It's a little hole in the wall at the NW corner of Broadway and Broome but it's heaven to me. For the four years I lived in New York City, Brisas del Caribe was my favorite place for lunch. Period. The black beans and yellow rice is the best I've ever had. That and a Dr. Pepper only set me back five bucks.

Now I live in Austin. And even though I go back to Brisas del Caribe every time I'm in New York, it's not enough. I want to replicate the magic in my very own kitchen. Does anyone know of a beans and rice recipe that comes close to theirs?

Restaurant Smackdown

_sirmissalot_ — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:43:28 -0800

For recent travellers, is the U.S. still a bargain? Specifically, how would you compare the price of eating out in a similarly semi-fancy restaurant in 1) San Francisco, 2) Seattle, 3) London, 4) Paris, 5) New York. Let's peg the baseline cost at about $50/person in San Francisco, excluding wine. I'm trying to anticipate what a visitor would think of restaurant prices in Seattle. Please feel free to take into consideration the typical eating out expectations of a Londonite or Parisian as compared to a metro-foodie American.

(The Seattle/San Francisco comparison is somewhat for my own information, as I'm a recent transplant and interested in the comparative cost of going out in both cities. My basic impression is that you have to pay more for comparable food in Seattle--an unfortunate dearth of bargains around here for mid- to upper-level restaurants. I would guess New York is probably the best place for finding wonderful food in cheap places.)

the name of that one place

airguitar — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 18:35:01 -0800

I was in this restaurant/bar a few weeks ago, but I don't remember the name. It's in New York near Rivington and Suffolk. Any ideas?

Cool lists for my iPod?

alphanerd — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 18:19:12 -0800

I stumbled across piPod today. Are there any other cool listings like this for stuff in the NYC area, or other outstanding uses of iPod's notes feature?