- Coffee: i dont drink coffee much so i wouldnt really know but there's a cool cafe in Chinatown called Silk Road Cafe; you can get both coffee and boba/ other teas there AND theres an entire sort of "hidden" tabletop/card store in the very back where you can both buy cards and play! (There's a second floor and basement in the back too!)
- Parks:
- Columbus Park in Chinatown - it's really wonderful; there's a lot of culture there, there's really nice flowers and trees blooming there rn - there's a historical statue here of Sun yat-sen there, old folks and even kids aliks come there to play chess on the stone chess tables there, last time I was there, there was someone singing beautiful music into a microphone. This park is also near Silk Road as well as other fun entertainment places like a store exclusively full of crane games and capsule machines, a "family fun arcade" with dancing games, and more!
- Forest Park (in Forest Hills, Queens) is virtually quite literally a forest. One entrance is really close to a parkway, but otherwise, when you go deeper in, you can enjoy a lot of nature (well, at least a lot for NYC.) There are even various small trails off the main path in the "park" (Many people frequent the main path as a bicycle route!) Part of the park leads deep into a more clear (non wooded area) with an antique merry go round, benches, and a playing field for baseball, soccer, or other sports (or was it a patch of grass? I know there's a place to go biking around there.) I used to go on the merry go round all the time as a kid (I know they "replaced" it at some point but I think it's still around a century old!) -- I don't know if it's still in operation though. There is another section of the park where they actually have STABLES where they keep HORSES. There are horse riders there too. (My brother does volunteer work as someone who teaches small children to ride the horses as part of a program. He gets to take care of the horses too.) There's also a playground within the park, close to the horse stables and an entrance, that's pretty big. When I was a kid the playground used to have WOODEN play sets, but at some point they replaced em with lame plastic ones. They have a tire swing (and normal swings) though, as well as a circle of small stumps of different heights that i used to skip around on as a kid. They also have these weird two giant wooden chipmunk statues that are STILL THERE lol -- when I was a kid me and my sister would sit on top of them and pretend they were our steeds.
There's even an abandoned railroad hidden in the park! Me and my siblings used to climb over the wall and explore it lol
this park is in Forest Hills, which actually has a nice and idyllic vibe. There's a lot of flowers and nature around here. One entrance to Forest Park is actually close to Metropolitan Avenue, which is a (relatively) small avenue with nice, quaint shops along it (many have been there for a long time - Like Eddie's Sweet shop - which I think has been around over 100 or almost 100 years -, a vintage icecream parlor that hasn't changed a bit since it's establishment! From the decorations/flooring/tiling/wallpaper to the furniture, bar seats, and menu, nothing has changed. It's like stepping straight into the early 90's (or late 80's?) They even have a counter area lined with candy displays across from the actual counter behind which they make icea cream in plain sight where you can see them scooping and preparing it.
nearby Eddies Sweet Shop is actually a tiny and old movie theater that's still in operation! you could watch a movie there too! On
Metropolitan Avenue there is also a quaint indie cafe called Ellie's Place that's small and serves tea, boba, coffee, and some bread/pastries! It's run and manned entirely by the owner, Ellie (sometimes with the help of her kids.) (I've known Ellie since before the pandemic when her place used to be called Sunrise Market -- she's really sweet.)
Continue further down the avenue and past it, and you'll pass some big buildings like Home Depot, Trader Joes, Staples, Micheals, etc... keep walking further for a while, and there is actually a cemetery over there. So you can get coffee, visit an amazing park, AND visit a cemetery all in the same neighborhood! (Oh yeah, there are also a TON of restaurants/cafes with a heavy "bar" presence on Metropolitan Avenue too! I see lots of signs about "happy hour"... honestly I wouldn't know about this realm since I don't drink and am underage LMAO - there's even a novelty place there called... what was it called?... anyways, the gimmick is that you can drink AND paint there, so you can go there with your friends and try your hand at painting while drunk. (Oh, now I remember - the place is called "Painting with a Twist"!) maybe it will be fun!
Also there's a gas station on this avenue so if you're driving over to NYC or renting a car, that'll probably be helpful!
Sorry for the long post - hope I could help, and enjoy ur time in NYC! :D
Apr 11, 2024
Related Recs
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Manhattan (Mostly LES + some extras)
- Dim Sum GoGo
- my gf‘s friend‘s new bar Sake Bar Asoko
- Forget Me Not for a chill dimes square fries and a martini asshole meal
- live music at Heaven Can Wait, Arlene’s, Mercury Lounge, Berlin Under A, Bowery Ballroom
- drunk karaoke at Winnie’s
- Roxy Cinema for a movie night
- Bk Bridge park at night for a view and ice cream if you’re a tourist or just nostalgic
- The Whitney museum and a walk by the water / more gallery hopping
- Lovers of Today bar for a date or late night move
- Orchard Express Tailor for your tailoring needs
- The Met & Central Park is a trek but worth doing on a nice late spring day
Brooklyn (I live in crow heights)
- Bk museum and Botanic Garden day (i did a whole post on this)
- Super Power or Bearded Lady (sister tiki bars) to get wasted
- live music at Baby’s All Right, Gold Sounds, Alphaville, Trans-Pecos
- a chic dinner & incredible food at Olea, Aita, Saraghina Cafe, Colonia Verde, LaRina, Sisters, Bunna Cafe
- Turtles All The Way Down or Do or Dive for dive bars
- Fan Fan Doughnuts
- Greenberg Bagels or Lula Bagels
- Island Pops ice cream
- Nana Ramen, Ichiran Ramen
- bars for dates: The Narrows, Doris, Hartley‘s, Bar Laika, Bar Velo, Pokito, Lunatico
- Fort Greene Park on a nice day
- Drive to Highland Park for nature & to feel like you are not in the city
- Red Hook day (wineries, breweries, + Steve’s Key Lime Pie)
- Rockaway beach
- dirty chai ($$$$) from Cotton Bean or Marcy & Myrtle
that’s all for now
Sep 16, 2024
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i've transcribed our conversation for your reading pleasure.
parks:
- Rockefeller park
- Central Park, but not if you don't like crowds and are looking for a peaceful walk (you can also rent a bike nearby and ride it through the park)
- not necessarily a park, but the Highline. used to be a railway, is now a place for gardening and walking. beautiful views, lovely walk.
- Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, river views, great for picnic
- Battery Park, very zen place to be, suggest you go at dusk to see the sun set over the city skyline. you can also see the statue of liberty from there
brunch:
- Gee Whiz Diner, dope pancakes, bomb eggs benedict
- Sarabeth's, stunning pancakes
- Pick A Bagel, you can get any kind of bagel to go/to stay, absolutely delicious
lunch/dinner:
- Shake Shack, great burgers, best attraction is the fries, can't go wrong with fast food
- Gee Whiz Diner, again, incredible grilled cheeses
- Golden Unicorn, stunning Chinese cuisine, godly dumplings
- Lombardi's, historic pizza place
- Benihana, Japanese food, you get the chef cooking in front of you experience
activities:
- Museum of Natural History, if you are a fan of archeology/paleontology/or just science in general
- South Street Seaport, occasionally there are seafood stands, but otherwise its a nice walk and a historic location
- Pier 25, great minigolf, can also play volleyball here
- If you like sports, Chelsea Piers, its also right by the Highline so you can kill two birds with one stone
- if you have money and want to do some shopping, check out Williamsburg
- take the ferry to Ellis Island, it stops at Liberty Island so you can still see the statute of liberty up close but you don't have to get off if you don't want to deal with the crowds. Plus Ellis Island is also pretty cool, you can search up if your relatives came through Ellis Island
Apr 16, 2024
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Manyyyy good recs have been made already, but here are a few that I feel strongly about:
Coffee:
-SEY Coffee is the best in the city by far. Incredible pour overs and espresso. I used to go there every day when I lived in Bushwick.
-For a true old school cup, Porto Rico is great. The one on Bleecker has been there since 1958 and is great. No place to sit inside however.
Pool:
-Amsterdam Billards is the stand-by billiard hall! a little pricey but I like it
Dayspa:
- (Cheap) Wall Street Bath & Spa
- (Not-Cheap) Bathhouse in Williamsburg
Parks + Cemeteries (besides the glorious Central Park):
-Madison Square Park is great for a classic NY-feel. Go to S&P Lunch for sandwiches and eat in the park on a nicer day.
-In Brooklyn both McCarren Park and McGolrick Park are great - Ray's and Twins Lounge are nearby for drinks as well.
-Green-wood Cemetery is sprawling and scenic.
-Avoid Maria Hernandez Park at all costs.
Apr 11, 2024
Top Recs from @sofii
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its so hard to even lock in in the first place but its great when u actually get in the zone bc you get so much done... just make sure to keep water and food near you and stretch 😭
ok this is also a way to say hi im still alive (went radio silent for who knows how long) (because this semester is KILLING ME) (THATS WHY I WISH I COULD JUST LOCK IN RN HELPP)
Dec 1, 2024
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the two major irritators of a migraine in my experience are light and noise. my recommendation is that after taking advil (or tylenol etc), put your phone away, go to a room where you think it will be the most quiet, preferably where you can lie down, like your bedroom (i know it can be hard; i myself live in a loud and dysfunctional household so i also have to put in earplugs but earplugs are also another thing that may help!) turn off all the lights, close the window shades (you may want to wear an eye mask) and just lie down there like that for a long time. It's ok if you don't end up calling asleep; the main goal is to keep you away from stimulators like light and noise for long enough that the migraine hopefully feels a little better. This may not make it go away completely but it does at least help. Afterwards though, try not to make an immediate jump back to looking at screens, walking around, talking, lostening to things, etc, because it might be so jarring that your migraine immediately relapses. I hope this helps and I hope you feel better soon!! Sending best wishes; I know your pain and ur not alone 😭
Jan 31, 2024
My great grandfather (the father of my mom's late stepfather) is Clancy Hayes. He was a relatively famous banjo player and jazz musician in the mid 90s; idk if anyone's heard of him here though! His music even was broadcasted on the radio and you can find some videos of him on YouTube.
... Also, my great great grandfather on my mom's side I think supposedly invented the machine that made Corn Flakes, (but sold the invention as well as rights to invention to make money for his family; I don't think he has any interest in the rights or being famous, which is fair --I mean it's a corn flake machine for gods sake, also in this world money can feed you far better than fame can!!!!) Unfortunately no one other than my family will know the person who invented the corn flakes machine was my great great grandfather 🤣
Apr 11, 2024