Manhattan

After writing my Chicago blog, I realized it was probably too long.  As New York City is enormous, I have decided to split it into different posts.  The previous post covered the Queens and Brooklyn Boroughs.  This post covers Manhattan.

What I did:
​​Central Park-
Central Park is a famous, enormous park in the middle of Manhattan.  It is a nice area to go for a walk, ride a bike, relax, read a book, or have a picnic.

High Line-
​The High Line is a renovated section of an old train line.  It has been turned into a park/garden that goes down the southwest side of Manhattan.  As with Central Park, it is also a great place to walk, relax, read a book, or have a picnic.  It is not set up well for bikers, but it offers some great views.

Times Square-
​Times Square is a New York City icon.  The bright lights attract tourists from all over the world.  It is worth walking through once, but there are other areas in New York that I prefer to spend my time at.

Empire State Building-
While not the tallest building in the world or even in the United States, at 102 stories tall, the Empire State Building is on the list of tallest buildings in the world.  It provides some great views of the city of New York.  I went after dark so I could see the city lit up, and I had almost no wait in line.

Where I ate and drank:
Shake Shack-
​Shake Shack is an iconic New York fast food company. While they take much more care with the sourcing and quality of their food, they are still not the healthiest option. However, it is worth a try when in New York.

Russ & Daughters Cafe-
Russ & Daughters Cafe serves some very high quality food. However, their prices are also a little high.

Rise Brewing Company-
Rise Brewing Company is just a hole in the wall coffee spot that has no indoor area and just a bench outside. However, it is the best cup of coffee I have had in Manhattan and one of the best cups of coffee I have had anywhere.

Please Don't Tell-
Located inside of Crif Dogs hot dog shop (who claim to serve "NYC's #1 Weiner) is a telephone booth. After dialing the correct number, the back of the phone booth opens up into a high quality cocktail bar. It is definitely worth checking out.

Death & Company-
Death & Company is an outstanding, high quality cocktail bar. The drinks aren't cheap, but they are worth it.

Employees Only-
Similar in quality and price to PDT and Death & Co, Employees Only is another high quality cocktail bar. They have also opened a location in Miami, Florida.

10 Below Ice Cream-
10 Below Ice Cream serves their ice cream rolled "Thai style" by placing the mixture on a cold plate and freezing it in front of your eyes. The novelty of it was cool, but in terms of flavor there are better options in Manhattan.

Ample Hills Creamery-
While 10 Below won the novelty ice cream battle, Ample Hills won the taste test. They serve excellent ice cream and offered great service and recommendations while I was there.

​B Flat-
B Flat is a nice, minimally marked jazz bar. They have high quality drinks and food, but also have high prices. The music and setting were very nice.

Coffee Project New York-
Coffe Project is a nice coffee shop in New York City. The coffee was good, but not the best I had while in Manhattan. The staff was very nice, and the cafe was small and cozy.

William Barnacle Tavern-
William Barnacle Tavern is an interesting place. They opened prior to prohibition, and Al Capone is known to have frequented the location. Currently they serve two specialties: absinthe and crepes. They are also connected to the American Gangster Museum. With their history and their lack of television they have a unique ambiance that facilitates conversation.

The Back Room-
The Back Room is another one of the only places currently open in New York that was in operation during prohibition. The speakeasy still serves their drinks in teacups. The vintage ambiance has been maintained, and the drinks are high quality.

McSorley's Old Ale House-
If you want good food and drink at great prices, McSorley's is a good place to start. The staff was amazing, and the location has been open since 1854. Famous historic figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and E. E. Cummings have visited the Ale House. The cash only bar offers two drink options (ale or porter), and serves them in pairs. The historic bar and its sawdust floors are worth a visit when in Manhattan.

The Cannibal-
For a place named The Cannibal, it was not a surprise that I was able to eat lamb heart tartare while watching No Country for Old Men. They also feature a large selection of craft beers that can be purchased to take home or to drink on site.

The Dead Rabbit-
Located in Lower (south) Manhattan in the Wall Street area, The Dead Rabbit has received numerous awards from many organizations. They were voted as the "World's Best Bar" of 2016 by Drinks International after receiving the title of "Best Bar in North America" in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The bar is outfitted with sawdust floors and features excellent cocktails that are relatively low priced.

Marta-
Marta is a high quality pizza place and Italian restaurant. It is not extremely cheap, but the quality is very good.

Oddfellows Ice Cream-
Oddfellows is an inventive ice cream place with locations throughout the New York City area. They offer unique, rotating flavors of ice cream.

NY Pizza Suprema-
Across the street from Madison Square Garden, NY Pizza Suprema is a nice place to try New York style pizza. It is not particularly heathy, but it is tasty and inexpensive.

Where I stayed and how I got around:
To see more details on where I stayed and how I got around, visit my post on Queens and Brooklyn.

My favorite thing:
New York offers many different options.  They have a nice amount of places to get quality food, drink, and entertainment.

My least favorite thing:
New York is massive, to the point that it feels too big to me.  Also, it is a relatively expensive city.

For next time:
​Next time in Manhattan I would like to try out some more places to get food and drink, and I would like to go to the "Top of the Rock."  I would also like to spend more time in Lower Manhattan and visit the Statue of Liberty.