Visiting Manhattan in a little over a week.

[Frozen DM]

Some friends and I will be spending our upcoming holiday weekend in New York City and I'm looking for ideas on stuff to either visit and/or do while there. We're driving down on a friday so we should be arriving sometime friday evening, and we plan to leave Monday early afternoon. We'll be staying at a hotel in Times Square so we should be centralized for the most part.

None of us are really too interested in the standard "tourist" sites like the Statue of Liberty, or anything like that, although we do plan on spending part of an afternoon in Central Park.

What I'm looking for are ideas for lesser known places that would be cool to a bunch of geeks visiting the city. We've talked about visiting the Cloisters so a friend of mine can take some photos. I know one other friend wants to visit some museums as well, while we're there.

Any good recommendations on non-chain restaurants to eat at (something under 40$ a person) or clubs to visit?

 

[Jdvn1]

Oh, you're going there next weekend? I'm going there the weekend after the next.

I had started a 'Recommend stuff to me' thread, but it got swallowed by the corrupted database! Starting it up again would be nice.

Someone mentioned the Cloisters and some of the parks and there was a site for cheap prices on theater performances...

Gosh, those links were helpful.

I'm told the Statue of Liberty is really worth it, though. And also that there's a great falafel place in south manhattan... between 5th and 6th or something.

Oh, and there's a gaming store by ... one of the big famous towers (Empire State?). Compleat Stategist?

I was getting food recommendations at www.amateurgourmet.com -- the guy's amazing. I want to go to a place called Otto, which is Mario Batali's pizza place (at which they sell olive oil gelato, which is supposed to be amazing).

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

John's of Bleeker Street http://www.johnsofbleeckerstreet.com/
BEST. PIZZA. EVER.

 

[jaerdaph]

Ditto on John's Pizza as well! But note that it's more of a sit down restaurant where you order a whole pie, so as the sign outside says, no slices!

As Jdvn1 said, I always recommend going to the Cloisters:
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_Of_Art/department.asp?dep=7

Those cheap Broadway tickets can be had at TKTS:
http://www.tdf.org/tkts/

Other cool museums:

Lower East Side Tenament Museum
http://www.tenement.org

NYC Transit Museum
http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/nytm.html

And if you want to do some really atypical nontypical things:

The Museum of Sex:
http://www.museumofsex.org

The Bodies Exhibit at South Street Seaport:
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com

And while you're there check out the South Street Seaport Museum as well:
http://www.southstseaport.org

 

[jaerdaph]

The FLGS by the Empire State Building:

The Compleat Strategist
11 East 33rd Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenue)
New York, NY 10016
212-685-3880
Hours: Monday-Wednesday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday - 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday - Closed

 

[Jdvn1]

The FLGS by the Empire State Building:

The Compleat Strategist
11 East 33rd Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenue)
New York, NY 10016
212-685-3880
Hours: Monday-Wednesday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday - 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday - Closed

Wow, they close early!

My FLGS is called Midnight Comics... guess what time they close.

 

[CarlZog]

If you're in Times Square, check out Midtown Comics at 7th Ave. and 40th ST. Great comic shop!

Carl

 

[Zander]

The FLGS by the Empire State Building:

The Compleat Strategist
11 East 33rd Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenue)
New York, NY 10016

I'll second that and suggest Jim Hanley's Universe comics store which is almost across the street at 4 W 33rd Street, 10001. While you're at one, you might as well do the other.

I'll also second the Cloisters Museum, especially if the weather is nice.

 

[jaerdaph]

Zander's right - Jim Hanley's Universe is a must-see if you are over there:

http://jsuniverse.com

4 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001
(off 5th Ave. - opposite the Empire State Building)
Tel: (212) 268-7088

STORE HOURS:
Mon......9AM - 11PM
Tues.....9AM - 11PM
Wed......8:30AM - 11PM (new comic day)
Thurs...9AM - 11PM
Fri.........9AM - 11PM
Sat........9AM - 11PM
Sun.......10AM - 7PM

CarlZog's suggestion of Midtown Comics is a good one too:
http://www.midtowncomics.com

Addresses & Info
Midtown Comics Times Square
200 W 40th Street (Corner of 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018

Midtown Comics Grand Central
459 Lexington Avenue (Corner of 45th Street)
New York, NY 10017

Store Hours
Monday to Saturday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 Noon - 7:00 PM

U.S. & Territories: 800-411-3341
NYC & Abroad: 212-302-8192

 

[jaerdaph]

Here's some of my favorite places to eat:

Norma's in the Parker Meridien for brunch (easier to get a table on weekdays, weekends next to impossible)

http://www.parkermeridien.com/norma-s.htm

Blue Smoke BBQ
http://www.jazzstandard.com