Great trendy/modern Mexican food w/ awesome cocktails – there are a few locations throughout the city. The ones I like the most are in Meatpacking District (W14^th & Hudson), E51^st & 3^rd, and E27^th and Park, in that order.

Mermaid Inn

2 locations, but I much prefer the one on W87th & Amsterdam This is an amazing seafood place, and is not super expensive. They have crab boils on Tuesday nights (if you’ve never been to a crab boil, you must go!! Don’t wear white). On Sundays they have something called Lobsterpalooza where you get a giant Maine lobster & corn & baby potatoes for $26 (which is UNHEARD OF in NYC)…it’s so good! Make sure you make a reservation.

Doughnut Plant

2 locations: W23^rd & 7^th Ave and Essex & Grand Not a dinner place, but worth a stop if you’re in the neighborhood. They make gourmet doughnuts on site & have some bizarre/amazing flavors all the time.

Veselka

E9^th St & 2^nd Ave Ukrainian late-night eatery. It’s open…all night maybe? I’ve been here as late as 4am & it’s been fairly crowded. They have AMAZING pierogies (dumplings with meat/cabbage/potatoes/etc, depending on what you like). It’s basically the best late-night food ever.

Russian Vodka Room

W52^nd & 8^th Ave Don’t let the name fool you – while the place is known for it’s home-infused vodkas (definitely worth a try), the food is also really good & not very expensive. This place is good for sharing – get a bunch of dishes & split amongst yourselves. I highly recommend Pelmeni (dumplings), red caviar/blintzes, pierogies (pirozhki), mushrooms/potatoes, herring & potatoes, and crabcakes

Yerba Buena

2 locations in NYC, I prefer the one on E2nd & Ave A This place is a little pricy (but not outrageous), and has amazing fusion Latin/Peruvian food and really good cocktails (try the one that has mango & hot peppers…sounds weird, but is really good). The food is Really Good, especially the Paella.

Haru Sushi

W43^rd & 7^th Ave Great sushi that isn’t very overpriced. This was my standard go-to any time I took coworkers out to lunch/dinner.

Mint

E50th & Lexington Really good Indian fusion place. Upscale/slightly pricey (but not ridiculous) – has a cool ambiance & a bit of a twist on normal Indian food. Right near the Kimberly Hotel & Whiskey Blue (See drinking section below), so good for pre/post drinks.

Intermezzo

W21^st & 8^th Ave ONLY come here for the bottomless brunch on weekends. You get unlimited mimosas/bloody marys for 2 hrs & some food. Quality of the food is normal (not outstanding), but this place is So fun. DJ playing, drag show, lots of champagne…really fun day-drinking spot.

Places to casually drink

Kimberly Hotel Rooftop

E50^th and Lexington Awesome bar w/ great view & great music. After-work consulting/chic crowd. Drinks are a bit pricey, but this isn’t a place to get drunk, this is a place to hang out for an hour or two.

The Tippler

W15^th & 9^th Ave This place is kinda hard to spot, it’s a speakeasy & not marked. It’s about halfway between 9^th & 10^th Ave, on the side of Chelsea Market. Cocktails are AMAZING. Not a place to spend the whole night, but good for one or two drinks.

Little Branch

7^th Ave South & Leroy St One of my favorite cocktail bars in NYC. It’s a speakeasy, & is not labeled. Look for a red door (or if you go late enough, a line outside of a random unmarked building on the corner of the triangular street). All of the mixologists are very serious – drinks are fabulous. While they do have a pre-set drinks menu you can order from, I prefer to let the mixologists do their thing. Just tell them what kind of liquor you like & if you like sweet/sour/etc & they’ll make you something awesome. If you don’t like the drink, they take it back & make you a new one. Also, ask for the free nuts – they’re really good. All of the staff are dressed in very old classy outfits, and there’s always jazz playing .

Whiskey Blue

E50^th & Lexington Bar at the bottom of the W hotel. It’s around the corner from The Kimberly & makes a good pit-stop bar. It’s an after-work crowd (note: all work nearby is in the form of consulting firms/banks). This is a good place to hang out after work, or as a pit stop before your final destination of the night on a weekend. There is a high probability you will leave here extremely intoxicated because the drinks are 95% alcohol, with a splash of whatever mixer you asked for.

Rum House

W47^th & 7th This place is a cocktail/jazz/speakeasy bar & is super cool. It’s in the middle of Times Square, which is usually a no-go zone for any self-respecting New Yorker, but it’s hidden on a side street, and I’ve never seen it really crowded. It’s on the ground floor of the Edison Hotel. The cocktails are out of this world (the bartenders are all award-winning & take like 10 mins to make each drink b/c they’re made so carefully). It’s cool to watch them make drinks & there’s also live jazz set that’s played at night. As far as I know, this is one of the only jazz places in NYC that doesn’t charge cover/make you buy a minimum number of drinks.

Bryant Park Bar

E42^nd & 5^th Ave Nice after-work place to go. I don’t think it’s officially called the Bryant Park Bar, but it’s the bar that’s outdoors on the Eastern-most side of Bryant Park. Drinks are not fantastic by any means, but it’s nice to be outdoors after work.

Frying Pan

W26^th and….water This place isn’t open very late (I think around midnight), but it is one of the coolest places in NYC during the summer. It’s basically a transformed boat off of Pier 66 & an awesome place to just chill out & have some beers with your friends. The food’s also pretty decent. Good place to go during the day if it’s hot out, & good place to go at night. If you’re going for happy hour, make sure to get there before 6 or you’ll be waiting in line for an hour.

Places to party

Generally, the best places to party with normal people (not Bridge & Tunnel crowd) are in the meatpacking district (MPD). Places don’t have a cover, but get there early (around 11), or expect to wait in a huge line. The places below (minus Gaslight) are dress to impress. East village is also really fun for partying, but it’s a totally different crowd (lots of NYU students), and the bars are jam packed.

Gansevoort Hotel Rooftop

W13^th & 9^th Ave My favorite lounge in the entire city. Amazing music, usually a classy crowd, great views, plenty of space to sit. Try not to go here on a Fri/Sat night because it gets crowded & semi-trashy. Best night here is Thursday, followed by Wednesday.

Gaslight

W14^th & 9^th Not a typical MPD bar - more of an after-hours place to finish off the night. Good Latin music & plenty of dancing. Come any day of the week, but if you come on a Fri/Sat, come very late (like 2am+) or there’s a line to get in.

230 Fifth

E27th & 5^th Ave Rooftop bar, great music, HUGE space. Good place for a Fri/Sat, but make sure to get there around 11, or slightly before. It’ll be empty for like 20 min & then all of a sudden it’s gonna be packed. If you get there later, there’s a long line to get in.

Empire Hotel Rooftop

W63rd & Broadway Made famous by Gossip Girl. Basically the same as 230 Fifth, just slightly smaller. Same rule applies for time of entry.

Places to shop

Outlets

If you’re looking for good deals, take a bus or rent a car & go up to Woodbury Commons (upstate NY) or The Crossings (Pennsylvania). Both are outlet malls about 2 hrs outside of the city & have ridiculous sales all the time. Check the store listings for both of the outlets b/c they differ. Woodbury has more high-end/designer stores.

Soho

Mix of upscale/boutique stores & lower end shops where you get trendy but cheap stuff. One of the biggest shopping areas in NYC.

Things to do

Promenade in Brooklyn Heights

Go here in the mid-late evening for amazing sunset views of basically all of lower Manhattan. If you go down the ramp from the top of the promenade to the lower level (Brooklyn Bridge Park), there are 1) more amazing views & 2) Two NYC staples - Luke’s Lobster (amazing lobster rolls) and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (amazing ice cream). Afterwards, you can go to dinner in Brooklyn Heights – If you walk down Montague Street, there are a ton of cute cafes. There’s a good Polish place called Teresa’s & also the famous Grimaldi’s Pizza on Front street (but it’s always pretty packed).

Walk the Highline

One of the coolest places in NYC – this used to be old railroad tracks, but now transformed into a raised urban park. Chelsea market is nearby, where you can grab some really good food & gelato & then go chill on the Highline.

Comedy Show at Gotham Comedy Club

Love this place – they have something on Tues nights called Comedy Juice & there are always famous comics that stop by (I’ve seen DL Hughley, Seinfeld, and that guy from 30 Rock with the trucker hat whose name I can’t remember now). No cover charge if you get on the guest list in advance (just register online), but they make you buy 2 drinks. Not a bad deal for 2hrs of solid standup.

Sheep Meadow in Central Park

If it’s nice out on the weekend, go sunbathe in Sheep Meadow. It turns into a giant party – everyone has beach balls, booze, music, etc. Note – drinking outdoors in NYC is illegal, so you have to be discreet about it. My friends & I usually bring along Venti Starbucks plastic cups & fill them up with alcohol aka “iced tea”. I’ve never actually seen cops around the area, but better be safe than sorry. While you’re in C Park, you might as well walk around & explore. There are so many hidden cool areas, even after living a 10 min walk away for 5 years, I still discover something new every time I go. There are also really amazing views from the Reservoir towards the northern side of the park.

Staten Island Ferry

Go to South Street Seaport & take the ferry to/from Staten Island to get great views of lower Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty (note: do not actually spend any time in Staten Island, you will come out orange, greasy, and saying “cawfee” instead of coffee).

Museum Mile

If you’re into art, there’s always something good on. Between MOMA, the Met, Guggenheim, Whitney, etc. If you walk south along Museum Mile (UES, starts around 70s & central park east), it’s a nice walk, you can duck into the park (around 65^th street there’s an entrance that always has some live jazz music), and move one Avenue over to Madison to see the rich & famous part of NYC. Also, Laduree & Maison Chocolate are there. J