New York

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On the 6

A March 2007 trip to New York by GKech

NYC seen by an Italian, not a tourist though as I live here now!

  • 6 reviews

Grand Hyatt New YorkBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

This hotel was my home for my first week in New York. It has a huge and amazing hall and this made my expectations for the room higher. It is a clean, very nice, and comfortable hotel but not a luxury one. Internet is not free. I was asked by Vanity Fair Italy to write an article for their column on minibars, but no minibar in the hotel.
Location is terrific though: one step from Grand Central, below the Chrysler building and a few blocks away from Times Square. I don't know about prices as I have not paid for it!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on March 27, 2007

Grand Hyatt New York
Park Avenue at Grand Central Terminal New York, New York 10017
(212) 883-1234

Lyric DinerBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Lyric Diner is a 24 hours diner on 3rd Avenue. For a foreigner from the outside it looks exactly like a '50s diner you see in the movies and you really feel like getting in. Inside it's not as good as you expect, it's an average diner but the eggplant parmigiana was very good! The choice in the menu is very wide and if you are around and don't want to spend a fortune it's fine. No tourists even though they'll love it!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on March 29, 2007

VanelBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The best soul food in the village. This is what they say. And I quite liked the food actually, the chicken was delicious and the sides too. The crowd was a bit too loud and the service is slow. I liked the pictures on the wall. It is worth a try if you live in the area. Reservations are recommended if you are more than 2 people, as there is not that much space.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on March 29, 2007

Vanel
95 First Ave. New York, New York 10003
(212) 533-3511

Coffee ShopBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Coffee shop is always packed and for dinner you cannot book a table, so it is a bit of a nightmare if you are a big party like we were. The wait was worth for the super cool prive' table (very Sex and the City) and the Fried Calamari. The service is just OK, no more than that, they all seem bored and think they are models and not waiters (they all look stunning). The cheeseburger is not the best in town, but you can definitely eat it, the herbs fries are yummy. My foreign friends loved it for the atmosphere and thought the food was great too, so I can kind of recommend it!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on May 31, 2007

Coffee Shop
29 Union Square West New York, New York 10003
+1 212 243 7969

PiolaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "La Piola"

First of all, I'm Italian. We had a couple of other Italian friends in town who live in London and last night we all looked at each other saying: "We really miss our food."
So we chose La Piola since they also have restaurants in Italy and we read good reviews.
Well, the place is nicely decorated with Murano lamps, the menu looks very Italian (and not American-Italian) and the staff is friendly. We tried pizza, Diavola (Pepperoni) and Pisa (smoked ham) and they were reasonably good: the cheese on top was real mozzarella, they were not too greasy and were well-cooked. I've had the gnocchi with four cheeses: they definitely were homemade, soft and tasty, the sauce though was too creamy and not really cheesy. In Italy, in this kind of dish, you would be able to distinguish the taste of all cheeses. We also tried the homemade desserts and the tiramisu was disappointingly tastless while the apple pie with gelato was yummy. It's worth trying the pizza, I might go back for that or I'll try another sauce with the gnocchi.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on July 10, 2007

Piola
48 E. 12th St. New York, New York 10003
(212) 777-7781

Webster HallBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

I live right in front of the Webster Hall, and for a music fan like me it's really a plus. Since I arrived here some of my favourite bands have played at Webster Hall. I just get down the stairs, cross the streets, and get in. The Venue is an historic place that has apparently going on for years and years as a club. If you want to dance some amazing '80s tunes Saturday is your night, while Thursday is girls night out... I've never been there though to dance. I've only seen it as a live venue. The prices are reasonable, the acoustic of the hall is great, and the decoration is just amazing. There is a VIP area upstairs that is quite a bummer not to have access to as the sight from there must be absolutely fantastic.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by GKech on March 27, 2007

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street New York, New York 10003
(212) 353-1600

About the Writer

GKech
GKech
new york, New York

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