A guide by hispanophile
The sign outside boasted the best pancakes in America, and even I have to admit they were right. Nestled underneath the overpass opposite Grand Central Station, the cafe is a rare find. We spent our last morning in New York here, the staff were incredibly charming and accommodating, and the breakfast was incredible.
90 East 42nd Street New York; 212 286 9600
Market Cafe is a small, unassuming place that's a tad like an institutional canteen but serves gourmet food at great prices. You can easily walk out of this unlikely placed restaurant - that sits just east of the more salubrious areas - spending less than $20 on a first and main course. Try the scallops, which were enormous and delectable on a bed of pureed potatoes and rocket with a burnt butter sauce. They're a steal at around $8.
Market Cafe, 496 Ninth Ave between between 37th and 38th. 212-564- 7350 nearest station 34st-Penn station
The Municipal Art Society (MAS) is a non-profit organization which aims to make NYC more livable. It focuses on many aspects of NY life including planning and zoning but also runs exhibitions, programmes and tours on architecture, public art and the cultural development of NYC. The MAS has its own galleries with rolling exhibits on NY-based themes, many of which are unique to the organization. These run for 6-8 weeks at a time and info can be found on their website: www.mas.org The tours are especially great for tourists though, particularly if you've been to NYC before and have seen all the usual sights already. They take you to little-known districts where expert guides show you around and offer fascinating information on places you might not think of going otherwise, like Harlem, the Bronx, and various areas of Brooklyn and Queens. The Grand Central Station tour is the most popular and runs every Wednesday at 12.30 from inside the terminal. The schedule changes all the time so you'll need to check their website to see what's going on when you visit, but you can just show up at the street corner and join the tour without booking. Prices are very reasonable; make sure to get there early. Tours leave promptly and are often hard to track down once they're under way.
The Municipal Art Society of New York 457 Madison Ave (btw/ 50th & 51st) NY 10022 T: 212-935-3960 W: www.mas.org Subway: B, V, F, D to Rockefeller Center 6 to 51st & Lexington
The tiny Tenement Museum in New York's Lower East Side is often overlooked by tourists in favour of the more 'glitzy' and well known museums such as the Natural History Museum or the Met. But in my opinion this beats them all hands down.
97 Orchard Street is a wonderful slice of NY history and it really helps you see past Macys and Banana Republic to the real New York - the urban working class immigrant families who built the city to the one we know today. The building itself was home to scores of families through the ages - each of whom lived in tiny cramped apartments. And it's these apartments you can visit, restored to how they would have looked in different eras.
The restorers have been really clever, and researched specific families to get an authentic version of their life, and there are real belongings and photos within the apartments. You can walk through the 1870s, 1890s, the 1930s and so on. And you really feel that you get to know the specific families, and can imagine how difficult it was to build a family and survive in such a tiny space.
It's absolutely magical, and worth every cent of the $17 it costs for the guided tour. In my opinion, this is a must-see venue in NYC, and it might take your mind off trying to find the ultimate cheap designer jeans. Suddenly shopping seems terribly unimportant in the face of such real poverty.
Once visited, this museum will leave an indelible mark on you, and you'll be recommending it to all your friends.
97 Orchard Street, Lower East Side, NYC. www.tenement.org/
The viewing platform at the Rockefeller Center is less crowded that that at the Empire State and as a bonus you get to have the Empire State as part of your view. Go at dusk. Also you do not have to peer through wire mesh for the view.
Great oysters and clams, open late and fabulous service - ask for Sam Ehrlich, the manager. If you are going to Brooklyn then it is worth spending a bit of time in Fifth Avenue as it is a great place to just wander along. It has a LOT of good restaurants and cool little shops of all kinds.
The nearest subway station is Union Street, on the R/M line; walk one
block uphill along Union St. to Fifth Avenue, turn right and walk three
and a half blocks along Fifth Avenue. Blue Ribbon is closer to First St.
Here's a link to a good site:
brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/11523897/brooklyn_ny/blue_ribbon_b
rooklyn.html
If you want to do something totally free and absolutely amazing, take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. You walk on a special walkway above the traffic, which is speeding by underneath you, you have brilliant views of New York and it's all for free.
At night, with a terrific view of the Manhattan skyline.
Brunch 11am on a Sunday. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, swing round to your left and head to the waterfront. Perched on the water with a still stunning (Post 9/11) view of the Financial District. Great American food (especially fish) and great service.
1 Water Street Brooklyn (Go to the Town Hall stop on Manhattan and walk across)
The Cherry Lawn, the Rose House, Daffodil Hill, the Bonsai Collection, and the Japanese Garden are just some of the highlights of this element of Brooklyn's Culture Park across Flatbush Avenue from the massive Prospect Park (designer Olmstead, annoyed by the Metropolitan Museum in his Central Park, wanted Prospect Park uncompromised by huge buildings). The Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Public Library are adjoining. This is a fantastic visit, incredible in the spring. Admission is $5, students $3, kids under 16 get in free.
1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn - B or Q train to Prospect Park station. (The B train does not run on weekends.) 2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway
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