http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31266 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31266 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28328 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28328 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28077 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28077 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27811 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27811 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25406 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25406 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24802 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24802 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23221
The bakery section is particularly good and you can also watch them make enormous ciabatta sandwiches (1m x 2m) that they then cut up, or roll out croissants to bake on the premises.

If you also go upstairs there is a wonderful cafe/restaurant in a self-service canteen style which is a great place to have breakfast (try the Birchermeusli), lunch (the fried fish is yummy) or tea (coffee and cakes...mmmm). The food is all prepared in front of you, and often cooked for you, but the price is very reasonable, and if you are lucky you can get a seat with a great view across the rooftops to the Saleve.

And then you can do shopping on three more floors filled with everything from beauty products and clothes to electrical items.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23221 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22416 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22416 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22172 It served excellent breakfasts with a full choice of ingredients, endless mugs of coffee or tea. The service was good and everything cooked exactly how you wanted it - served with a smile and a 'have a nice day.' All for around $5. Great choice.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22172 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22169
This store is incredibly clean and jam packed full of delicious looking, perfectly placed different types of food, from corner to corner and from ground to ceiling.

I visited it at around 10pm, and it was still glistening as if hadn't been touched all day, but even then, it still had a fair few customers.

Having spent the last seven months in NYC, it's great to know there is somewhere you can pick up some home comforts such as Green & Blacks as well as an assortment of fresh olives and sushi.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22169 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22161 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22161 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22155
We stayed in the Times Square New Hostel so were a hop, skip and a jump from the 7th Avenue Delis – Katz, Carnegie and The Stage. Whilst the other two get a loud fanfare in travel guides for their juicy pastrami and stick-to-your-ribs cheesecake, I thought the Stage outshone them all for the quintessential New York experience – everything there was loud, brash, and super-sized.

The menu reads like a roll-call of deli classics – with Matzos Ball soup, triple-decker Pastrami and corned-beef sandwiches and platters of smoked fish piled so high you won’t be able to eat for days.

Of course most people come to The Stage for its star-wattage – in the heart of the theatre district, you’ll probably be served by Broadway’s next big star, and most of the items on the menu are listed as celebrity specials, so you can eat like Adam Sandler or Aretha Franklin.

Aside from the name-dropping, The Stage’s staples are truly mouthwatering– the hot Beef Brisket, the Cheese Blintzes (calorific pancakes packed with cheese and sour cream) and Knishes (a special Yiddish snack made from sticky potato and dough) took us several blocks to walk off afterwards!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22155 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22154 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22154 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22144 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22144 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22143 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22143 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22137
It stocks a massive array of fresh fruit and veg, delicious sandwiches and patisserie - great for a picnic in Central Park, as well as a range of delicacies suitably for anything from a light snack to a dinner party.

Also on sale, an irresistible range of flavoured coffees to stock up on before heading home.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22137 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22133 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22133 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22129 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22129 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22128
Busy, bustling, basic and brilliant. Katz's has been serving New Yorkers since 1888 and the quality of the pastrami on rye has to be eaten to be believed. You also have the choice of sweet, sour, or sweet and sour pickled gherkins to accompany your sandwich.

Be warned, for $14.95 you get an enormous sandwich so my tip is that it'll be more economical to share a one rather than your party all buying one each which you may have trouble finishing.

The premises is also licensed and you can wash down your food with a Samuel Adams beer.

Katz's is open until 3am on a Friday and Saturday night so you can even go there after you've been out and need some late night sustenance.

Worth avoiding on a Sunday morning when the queue can go out the door. It's also only a five minute walk from the nearest subway station.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22128