New York, New York

My wife was living on the Upper West side when I met her, so I'm fond of some of the restaurants up there, nearly all of these are on Amsterdam Ave. in the 70s or 80s.

For any meal-- Popover Cafe: http://www.popovercafe.com/htmls/popoverFrames.htm
For dinner or Sunday brunch -- Sarabeth's: http://www.sarabeths.com/restaurants/
another good one, located on Columbus in the 70s -- Isabella's: http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/isabellas/index.php


For dessert:
Cafe Mozart: http://cafemozart.com/MenuDetails.aspx?Menu=Desserts
Crumbs: http://www.crumbsbakeshop.com/locationsmanhattanwest.php

 

Also on the upper west side of Manhattan (in the 70s/80s), along the Hudson, Riverside Park is a nice place to sit and people watch and/or boat watch.

 

That's a weekend to go away. St. Patrick's Day is bad, but that day is 10 times worse.

 

Brooklyn Cyclones game, if they're in season when you visit. Coney Island, great atmosphere, no drunken Yankee fans.

I live near EStreetJoe's suggestions and can vouch for them. Would also add "Fred's" -- 83rd and Amsterdam. Fred is the departed dog of one of the owners. More than 100 pictures of UWS neighbors and their dogs cover the walls. Food is very reasonably priced (lots of comfort food like Mac and Cheese), and I helped pick the wine list. ;D Tell the owner you're a sports writer and he'll treat you right.

And, of course, Blondies, if you need a sports fix. 35 high-def TVs, wait and bar staff all beautiful blondes, supposedly best wings in the city ... but best reason to visit is to check out the ceiling. One of the owners will likely be there -- Jill and Patty (ex Playboy bunny, still looks like it at age 50) -- and they can tell you the story. It's one of the reasons I stay in NY. (79th, between Broadway and Amsterdam).

 

Blondies East ... 92nd and 2nd. I'm a small investor; after seeing what Jill and Patty did for the community following 9/11, I gladly gave them my meager savings to help open the second bar. Still no return, but I do own about the equivalent of a barstool. Rarely ever go there, but during college football and basketball season they pull in huge crowds through contracts with several big Div. 1 alumni clubs.
(This Blondies is also across the street from the famous Elaine's, which draws a very different crowd. Slip on over, see if she deigns to give you a seat, and if so you're likely to be at a table near anyone from Don Mattingly to Hillary Clinton.)


A warning about Blondies West: I vaguely remember Sandy mentioning here way back when that he frequented the place. I have no idea who he is but have visions of me sitting next to him and asking him to pass the peanuts.

 

Agree Ragu - Blondie's is great place to burn a few hours and watch a ball game
I had a few police friends who were at 20th precint and they introduced me to Blondies.

In same area - Natural History Museum - had not been there in a while but after seeing " A Night At Museum" with my nephews I decided to take them to see the real one. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. they have updated a lot of the exhibits, See movie first then go.