New York, New York

We'll be in NYC for Memorial Day weekend. PJ Clarke's, Stout and Jimmy's Corner in Times Square are on my list of "must visit" places.

 

Go to Gray's Papaya on 72nd and Broadway for 2 cheap but very good hot dogs and a drink for $2.50 (it has been a while, but price won't go up that much)

 

Ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Adams:

Well, I shuffled through the city on the 4th of July
I had a firecracker waiting to blow
Breakin' like a rocket who makin' its way
To the cities of Mexico
Lived in an apartment out on Avenue A
I had a tar-hut on the corner of 10th
Had myself a lover who was finer than gold
But I've broken up and busted up since

And love don't play any games with me
Anymore like she did before
The world won't wait, so I better shake
That thing right out there through the door
Hell, I still love you, New York

Found myself a picture that would fit in the folds
Of my wallet and it stayed pretty good
Still amazed I didn't lose it on the roof of the place
When I was drunk and I was thinking of you
Every day the children they were singing their tune
Out on the streets and you could hear from inside
Used to take the subway up to Houston and 3rd
I would wait for you and I'd try to hide

And love won't play any games with me
Anymore if you don't want it to
The world won't wait and I watched you shake
But honey, I don't blame you
Hell, I still love you, New York
Hell, I still love you, New York
New York

I remember Christmas in the blistering cold
In a church on the upper west side
Babe, I stood their singing, I was holding your arm
You were holding my trust like a child
Found a lot of trouble out on Avenue B
But I tried to keep the overhead low
Farewell to the city and the love of my life
At least we left before we had to go

And love won't play any games with you
Anymore if you want 'em to
So we better shake this old thing out the door
I'll always be thinkin' of you
I'll always love you though New York
I'll always love you though New York, New York, New York

 

PJ Clarke's - you'll enjoy it. It's a cool place.
I'd also recommend the Circle Line tour others have mentioned, and I think walking across the Brooklyn bridge is very cool. Takes about 40 min.

 

Kill two birds with one stone. Instead of the Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building, do Sunday Brunch at the Rainbow Room, which is one floor below Top of the Rock. Great view, great meal.

 

In addition to all the great suggestions so far, I'd like to throw out two restaurant recommendations:
- Sarabeth's West
- Popover's

Both are on Amsterdam Ave. in the West 80s... I believe Sarabeth's is near 81st and Popover's is at 89th.
Great food, great atmosphere for both. Sarabeth's is a little more formal than Popover's (Popover's you could hit in jeans or shorts, Sarabeth's is more of a Dockers or better type place)

If you're Jewish, you must experience a Friday night service at <a HREF=http://www.bj.org/> B'nai Jeshurun </a> on West 88th Street between Broadway and West End. It is a service unlike any you have attended before.

 

Good recommendations, but most in Manhattan. Peter Luger's is the best Steakhouse in North America. While in Brooklyn, get cheesecake at Junior's, right downtown. The Brooklyn Museum of Art has one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world. Prospect Park was designed by Olmstead and Vaux, after they did Central Park and learned from their mistakes.

In Queens, the 7 Train is a slice of the world. Every other stop is a different neighborhood: Korean, Chinese, Hispanic, Etc..it ends at Shea.

 

Another hidden gem is in the Bronx in City Island. A ton of seafood choices and the location isn't typical of the Bronx or NYC. You'll just have to cab it.

 

The Sarabeth's you mention is the original. I've only been to the one on Madison in the low Nineties. It was great every time.

Popover's is nice, too. We were there in the 1990s and Eric Clapton was eating a few tables away.

 

7 train does not end at Shea. It ends in downtown Flushing...

 

Don't mind me ... again, just being an "Office"-quoting jackass...

 

take a break from the city and get up and see this place: