A Mexican/Asian/American restaurant with the absolutely best view of southern Manhattan, especially after dark. Worth the effort getting to it in Brooklyn. Chances are you'll need a reservation and make sure you eat on the roof terrace!

almarestaurant.com/
187 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
+1 718.643.5400
Google map: bit.ly/w5qIxd

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Love going to the movies, but hate the gross concession stand? The new Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn serves dinner and a movie at the same time. There are even specials in different theaters related to whatever movie's being shown. General admission is $11 and food and drinks (yes, they serve alcohol, too!) are extra. Arrive about a half-hour early, so you can find a seat and table and order your meal.

www.nitehawkcinema.com
136 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, United States
+1 (718) 384 3980
Google map: bit.ly/ow9NVU

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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Here's another sweet treat on the Upper West Side. 16 Handles is a frozen yogurt chain that gives the power to the people. Customers get free reign over 16 different flavors of yogurt and myriad toppings to make their own unique dessert combos. You might go a little crazy there, so be ready to eat. The Upper West Side location is at 325 Amsterdam Avenue between 75th and 76th Streets. All locations in the city are open late -- until 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on weekends.

www.16handles.com
325 Amsterdam Avenue (Between 75th & 76th Street) New York, NY 10023
+1 646 861 1281
Google map: bit.ly/nhyXer

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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Momofuku is one of the "it" Japanese restaurants in NYC, but it also has a sweeter, more accessible offshoot called Momofuku Milk Bar. There are locations around the city, and they specialize in interesting yogurt, pies, and cookies. Two famed desserts are the crack pie, which has an addictive cookie crumb crust, and the compost cookie containing chocolate and butterscotch chips, potato chips, and pretzels. You can also order hot pork buns or pastrami croissants.

www.momofuku.com/restaurants/milk-bar/
The newest Momofuku Milk Bar is:
561 Columbus Avenue, 10024
Google map: bit.ly/r9u7zV

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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I don't make it to Brooklyn that often, but I always find something good when I do. One recent discovery: the best sandwich of my life at Smith Canteen. Seriously. The best sandwich. Of my life. It's comprised of buttermilk-brined turkey, sage mayonnaise, bacon, and veggies on an "everything" croissant. (Familiar with the salty, peppery splendor of an "everything" bagel? This is a flakier, buttery take.) I'll probably never buy any other food item at Smith Canteen now that I'm committed to the turkey sandwich, but everything on the menu looks amazing. Smith Canteen is at 343 Smith Street and is open from 7-7 every day. Take the F train to Smith Street and bring your appetite.

smithcanteen.com/
343 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY, United States
+1 718 422 0444
Google map: bit.ly/q7QCdN

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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In a city as well-trodden as New York, it's always fun to do something off the beaten path. Hudson Clearwater is a hidden gem of a restaurant at 447 Hudson Street on the corner of Morton Street in the West Village. On the outside, it appears to be an insurance/tax office. But open the unmarked green door and walk straight ahead. You'll know you're in the right place if you find yourself in a garden greeted by attractive waitstaff. And if you don't find that, exit and look for another green door. I hear the traditional fare's so good, that it's worth the hunt.

hudsonclearwater.com/
447 Hudson Street, NYC, 10014
+12129893255
Google map: bit.ly/nrrWBV

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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Twelve-year-olds aren't the only ones who giggle when ordering a plate of balls at a restaurant. We can all do it at Meatball Shop, a restaurant devoted to... Meatballs! Diners get a dry erase menu and marker and can pick and choose from an array of meatballs and sauces. I suggest ordering a handful of different meatball sliders -- my favorite are beef with spicy meat sauce. (I'm boring I know.) You can also order sides and desserts with your balls. There are two Meatball Shop locations -- one on the Lower East Side at 84 Stanton Street and another new location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 170 Bedford Avenue. Be prepared for a wait. It's worth it.

www.themeatballshop.com
84 Stanton Street 10002-1420
+1212 982-8895
Google map: bit.ly/oRaGpb

170 Bedford Avenue
Google map: bit.ly/oKqH5L

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I've got a summer sweet tooth, so I'm heading to Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn soon for an ice cream sundae served up 1950s style at alas, 2011 prices. Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain at 513 Henry Street is an old-school soda fountain with a counter, jukebox, and unpretentious sundaes, floats, local pickles and jams, and yes, even some real food. My mouth's destination: the Sundae of Broken Dreams, a vanilla and caramel sundae full of salty, crunchy pretzel pieces. Ah, the simpler times! Check hopstop.com for directions to a retro dessert. Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain is open most days from 10-10.

brooklynfarmacy.blogspot.com/
513 Henry Street, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
+1 718 522 6260
Google map: bit.ly/j7CVev

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Happy Pride Month! The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, often parked around Union Square, serves sweet concoctions with names like the Bea Arthur and The Salty Pimp. This month the founders will open a brick-and-mortar store on East 7th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. They'll also serve brownies and non-ice cream treats from other local vendors. Until the store opens, you can get your scoop on at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck.

Check twitter for locations: twitter.com/#!/BIGGAYICECREAM

www.biggayicecreamtruck.com/about/

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Summertime and finding gelato is easy. But picking a flavor or two from many delicious options isn't. A new gelato shop called Amorino at 60 University Place (between 10th and 11th) serves gelato in a chrysanthemum shape. It's not only aesthetically pleasing -- it allows you to sample up to 22 flavors in one cone. The individual petals keep flavors from mixing. Amorino just opened, so be ready for lines. It's open every day from 11 to midnight.

60 University Pl, (between 10th St & 11th St)
Manhattan, NY 10003
+1(212) 253-5599
Google map: bit.ly/mGR6MQ

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Warm weekends in NYC call for two things: 1) comfortable shoes and 2) gelato. Or sorbet. Or ice cream. Or ices. NYC has a lot to choose from. But my favorite source is Cones NYC. This West Village sweet spot serves handmade Argentinean ice cream and sorbet. On a hot day, the line is out the door. You can still ask for a few samples, from the traditional raspberry sorbet to corn-flavored ice cream. (Try it in a cup with a scoop of dulce de leche on top - divine!) I'm a purist, so my favorite flavor is ... well, just about all of them. Cones is a great spot for night owls - it opens at 1 pm every day and closes at 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends. FYI: It's cash only.

272 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014
+1 (212) 414-1795
Google map: bit.ly/luKKpI

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New York, like most cities, is best seen on foot.  Too often, when you're fixed on seeing a specific attraction, you get there the quickest way possible and don't always notice everything else on the way. Take time out to explore a few neighbourhoods, with no specific aim other than to get a real feel of New York. Check out lower Manhattan, starting with SoHo, and stop for a drink in O'Nieal's Grand Street (the bar filmed as Scout in Sex and the City). Then wander further down Mulberry Street into Little Italy and scoff a bowl of pasta in an authentic local restaurant, before sampling the chaos and colour of Chinatown. Or head to the Village to queue with New Yorkers for a cupcake at the Magnolia Bakery, before wandering down the tree-lined streets of mega-bucks brownstones for a glimpse of how the other half lives.

www.onieals.com/
174 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013
+1 (212) 941-9119

www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php
401 Bleecker Street, New York 10014
+1(212) 462-2572
Google map: bit.ly/hLrnCu

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Forget breakfast in your hotel in Manhattan. Get to see how native New Yorkers start the day by checking out the nearest diner and ordering a stack of pancakes. Make sure you know what you want before you get towards the front of a busy queue or you’ll get it in the neck NYC style from the short order cook. Plan your day while taking advantage of the free coffee refills, and just watch the world go by. All human life is here, and If you can bag a window seat then you’ve doubled your view.

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No need to extol to Guardian readers the virtues of hummus, but this small New York chain might turn it into your favourite food.

The sheer variety of cheap, nourishing and delicious meals that they make out of the gloopy stuff is incredible. Plus, the restaurants tend to be in trendy places so you won't be short of fun things to do after dinner.

www.hummusplace.com
109 St Mark's Place, East Village, NY 10009
+1 212 529 9198
Google map: bit.ly/ehccXh

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Take the (free) Staten Island ferry and go to a baseball game. The Staten Island Yankees ballpark is an easy walk from the ferry terminal. For $16 you get over two hours' sport and fun - we laughed for the whole event (3rd base seating is recommended). The sight of men trying to get into frozen t-shirts between innings will stay with us.

Other top tips for NYC:
Travel from JFK - for parties of three or more take a yellow cab ($55ish to your hotel door).
Breakfast - Grand Central Station
Lunch/Dinner - Whole Foods market, excellent value and choice (avoid busy 6pm - 7pm period) 10 Columbus Circle, basement of Time Warner Center. Very convenient for Central Park.

www.wholefoodmarket.com
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019 USA
+1 212 823 9600
Google map: bit.ly/eZCfGP

www.siferry.com/
Google maps: bit.ly/cug1he

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Walk across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, stay on the left path off the bridge, turn left and left again then right to get to Grimaldi's pizza place under the bridge. If you get there about 11.30, there'll be a queue, but only a shortish one. Queue, eat great pizza, pay in cash, walk to waterfront, eat ice-cream - fab way to spend a morning. Yes it's touristy but if you are a tourist in New York why not eh?

www.grimaldis.com
19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
+1 718 858 4300
Google map: bit.ly/f58Few

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Cute, family friendly retro diner with amazing sponge cakes, oozing fruit pies, yummy cupcakes and cookies. There is an extensive savoury menu, with a 'home style cooking' flavour. Get the pancakes - thick and spongy with fruit baked in the middle. Delicious!

www.kitchenetterestaurant.com/home.html
156 Chambers Street, NYC 10007
+1 (212) 267-6740
Google map: bit.ly/9vLVfR

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Bright yellow waffle truck that wanders around Brooklyn bringing joy to people's lives.
My personal favourite is a Liege waffle with speculoos cookie spread.

www.wafelsanddinges.com/location.html
+18664297329

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Great pizzeria in the Greenwich Village area of Manhatten. A pizzeria since 1924 but still as popular as ever judging from the queues that can form here. Simple but superb.
Additionally there are some good pubs in this area, such as the Red Lion down the road at 151 Bleeker street.

278 Bleeker Street
(Between 6th & 7th Avenues)
Greenwich Village
New York, NY 10014

www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/about.html

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Small family owned sweetshop on Lower East Side packed with every sweet you could imagine - and as the name suggests it's not that expensive.

Sells chocolate, candies, nuts, dried fruits including halvah as well as sugar free candy.
Still there since 1937.

108 Rivington Street (around corner of Ludlow street & Rivington Street)
New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
Open Sun-Fri 9-6, Sat 10-5

A few minutes around corner from Katz Deli.
www.economycandy.com/

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