New York Journals

Two Days in The Big Apple

A March 2005 trip to New York by themusicaltraveller

Quote: When you're only in New York for two days and on business, it's almost impossible to see enough. My friends from Connecticut came to visit me on my trip, and we got to see quite a bit.
Quote:
This hotel may be a costly one, but I got a room from Priceline for a budget rate. Park Central is a pretty nice place to stay. I'm not sure I'd pay $250 a night for it, but I was happy. The lobby was very sleek, with black furniture that looked very art-deco style. The service for check-in was friendly and helpful. The rooms were a nice size. Mine had a king-size bed with two soft, comfy chairs, a desk and chair, and lots of space. I was especially surprised at how large the bathroom was. It had no really special amenities--just all your most basic ones for the bathroom, a coffee maker, heat, and a TV. I didn't spend too much time here, though. The city was waiting for me. T...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Park Central New York
870 7th Ave.
New York, New York 10019
(212) 247-8000

Peanut Butter and Company

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Peanut Butter and Co."

Quote:
Unfortunately, I didn't pick up any business cards or a menu to take home with me, but this is a place that you need to go to. My older brother took me to this little hole-in-the-wall near NYU. The inside is very plain, but when you looked at the menu, you feel right at home. Peanut Butter and Co. produces its own brand of peanut butter, which you can buy in a lot of different places. Flavors like dark chocolate, white chocolate, spicy, and a few others, along with regular, smooth, and chunky are available. Not everything on the menu has peanut butter, they also have a side menu with other kinds of sandwiches and apparently a darn good grilled cheese sandwich. The peanut butter san...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Peanut Butter and Company
240 Sullivan Street
New York, New York 10012
(212) 677-3995

Doughnut Plant

Restaurant | "The Doughnut Plant"

Quote:
Another place I have to talk about, even though I have no idea how we even found it. It's another place where you'll just have to look up. This tiny hole-in-the-wall is down near the Financial District in Manhattan. It was on the Food Network on "The Best of.." My brother and I found the most wonderful donuts you can find on the planet. We got three donuts and split each of them. Don't be surprised, however--they're not like Krispy Kremes or Dunkin Donuts. These are gourmet donuts. We tried the toasted walnut donut, the organic orange zest donut, and the Bavarian chocolate donut with rasberry filling. Each one was huge and fresh. This little place is way out of the way, in a secti...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street
New York, New York 10002
(212) 505-3700

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Bubba Gump Shrimp"

Quote:
I've been to this chain of restaurants before, but now there's one right in the heart of Times Square. This restaurant is based on my favorite movie of all time "Forrest Gump". The restaurant has Southern American cuisine, which is very good but not as good as it tastes in the South, of course. Throughout the restaurant they have costumes, set pieces and props from the movie. It also has all sorts of neat little things like signs and random junk from the deep South. The service was really good on this visit. The waiter was one of those struggling actors who was really fun to talk to. The food was pretty good. I had a shrimp po' boy, which I've had much better in New Orleans, but it was still go...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
1501 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
(212) 391-7100

Carmine's Theater District

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Carmine's"

Quote:
If you have a large group in New York, then this is the place to go. This is perhaps one of the best Italian restaurants in New York. It is extremely popular, though, so make sure you make reservations before going. The restaurant is huge and always packed. The menus are largely printed on the walls. Everything is served family-style there. A dish will cost between $20 and $30 dollars but will easily feed four to six people. You get appetizers first with your run-of-the-mill stuffed mushrooms, calamari, salads (you must get the Caeser--it's excellent), and soups. For dinner, you order a pasta dish or two, a few meat dishes (the chicken piccata is one of my favorites), and some vegetable dishes...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Carmine's Theater District
200 West 44th Street
New York, New York 10036
(212) 221-3800

Quote:
There's nothing like a little family-run restaurant. When you're walking down Mulberry Street in Little Italy, it can be a little overwhelming deciding where to have dinner. Hosts are out on the street telling you to come to their restaurant for dinner, and all of them seem nice. We chose Amici because it had reasonable prices. The host’s name was Fabrizio (very Italian). There were pictures all over the walls of family and people eating at the restaurant. It was a small but nice room. The food was pretty good. I felt that the portions were a little smaller than I expected, but it still tasted good. I had the chicken marsala, which tasted very fresh, and the sauce was good. The pasta on the s...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 17, 2005

Amici Italian Restaurant
165 Mulberry Street
New York, New York
(212) 334-3869