What is everyone's favorite bar/watering hole and restaurant in the city?
The correct answer is always Action Burger of course! ;)
I'm not a regular of any bars in the city but I quite like Valhalla in Hell's Kitchen. It's got big picnic style tables and a large beer selection in addition to good wings. I have lots of fond memories of meet ups from the old forum there. The only thing that sucks that their beers are pricey, their happy hour list of beers on tap are underwhelming, and it can get quite loud in there noise level wise.
In my neighborhood, there's a lot of bars/cafes that cater to more affluent people/yuppies but I'm partial to Bar 180. Their happy hour beers are solid, they have really good specials all week, and it's quite close. If I had to pick a bar that's far for me but reasonable by prices, Drop Off Service is pretty solid. I don't dine out a lot so I don't really have a favorite restaurant per say. I usually just get Chinese or pizza but if I'm out downtown it's relative to my budget and where I'm at.
Heya ERA! I'll be back in town for a work trip end of August.. I've been several times for both shopping-mania, and sightseeing funsies. This time i'll be located in LES, and im looking for some local tips for hype restaurants, bars, and speak easy's. Any day time activities would be amazing (I've never walked High Line so thats on my list, nor have i been to Barcade so thats on there as well!)
Dont be afraid to offer hipster or pretentious places - I'm in East london every weekend so that is my jam!
If you want to live out the regular places that we hit up, Rockarolla, Action Burger, The Commodore (fried chicken and biscuits), and Union Pool that order should suffice. You can also stop by Barcade on the way to Union Pool since it's all in the same vicinity. I feel like we've listed a ton of places if you go back a few pages. If you're in the city on a Thursday, go to Chelsea after 6pm and go art gallery hopping as you munch on free snacks and wine. There's meetup.com group called Thursday Night Gallery or something like that.
As for speak easies, I've only been to Angel's Share which was solid. Please Don't Tell, Apotheke, and The Ship are solid ones as well. There's a ton of solid restaurants in the LES/Chinatown vicinity so you'll be fine. If you have a ton of money to blow, Peter Luger is arguably the best steakhouse in the city. Fette Sau is another solid option. I would also hit up 2 Bit's Retro Arcade. I heard good things about Peetee's Pie Company and Casa Adela (Puerto Rican food). Cafe Katja and Spicy Village are solid Chinatown haunts.
Funny enough, I'm doing a 5K with coworkers next week at central park with part of the reason being going to Central Park for the first time in who knows how long. In general I'm just trying to get an appreciation for this city and expand my "social horizons" as they say. It just sucks with my work hours being so crap. (Waking up at 4am tue thru Saturday and getting out at 4 in the afternoon aren't exactly great hours)
Ouch! That sounds awful man! You must be crazy tired by the time you come out of work. That's good that you're finally going up to Central Park but I can imagine that on your days off, the last thing you want to do is come into the city to blow money. You should try to come out to a meet up to broaden your horizons. Although being out in Jersey means that you can't stay out too late.
Leaving New York to Find the American Dream in Philadelphia
Philadelphian here, and wanted some New Yorkers takes on this article. I found it pretty interesting. I have noticed a TON of New York plates in Philly lately, vastly more than usual, but I always chalked it up to living near Temple University and getting a lot of out of state students or something.
Anyway I'm a little torn. I think it's great the city is viewed well, but sad the secret is out and now my cost of living will go up.
I want to go visit Philly but I missed the boat on applying to work Keystone Comic Con as Crew. Maybe in November for PAX Unplugged because I plan to apply to work it. That said, I heard it's a very friendly city for artists because studios are way more affordable. A lot of women I've gone out with who either went to Temple University or lived outside the city told me how great it is so I've been intrigued.
I might take a day trip out there before the summer ends on a whim to go the art museum. I haven't really considered living in any other states but out of all the cities I've been to so far, I liked Chicago a lot even though they get way harsher winters and their tap water is not good. I don't care about 95% of sports so the Eagles being the most recent sports team champs does nothing for me. I've only witnessed Philly through a few documentaries and of course movies but it seems quite charming and a lot easier to navigate than Boston.
It was an interesting article but it sounds like the rest of the Pennsylvania is what upstate NY is to NYC: red. As a native New Yorker, I live in a neighborhood that's increasingly gentrifying by the month which causes mom and pop businesses to close and are replaced by bars and cafes. This caters to people who will want to move to the area. A lot of storefronts along Broadway are closed.
Like the Vietnamese lady in the article, the cost of living is easily one reason to consider moving to Philly. But personally, I don't know of any friends or acquaintances who moved to Philly recently so I can't say. If people can't afford Brooklyn, they move to Queens and if they can't afford Queens, they'll move either to Riverdale in The Bronx, Hoboken, Jersey City, Edgewater, or Newark and commute. I think if there's some really good job opportunities out there, I would consider it. One of my old professors taught full time as a tenured professor at Hunter College but he and his family lived in Philly so he commuted to the city which is insane. I think he no longer teaches there and I lost contact with him.
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