Your New York Primer

Welcome to New York (although we are actually at world headquarters in East Meadow, N.Y., which is still celebrating former resident Bob McKillop's return to the NCAA Tournament as the coach of Davidson).

For those going to the Big East Tournament, here are some suggestions of places you might want to frequent when Notre Dame, or whoever your root for, isn't playing. We're going to break it down into easy segments: Restaurants. Touristy stuff. Nightlife. Quickie food.

Restaurants: If you're looking for a good steak, you can't go wrong in New York. There are plenty of options, but if you're going pricey, we highly recommend Peter Luger's just over the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. Other quality steakhouses include Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, the Steakhouse at Monkey Bar, Sparks Steakhouse and  Frankie and Johnnie's. If you're looking for Italian food, head down to Mulberry Street and Little Italy, go to our favorite restaurant in all of Manhattan, Fratelli Ristorante. We try to make it a must-stop whenever we return to New York. Sadly, it won't be warm enough to eat outside, but give it a shot anyway. New York Magazine recommends Spigolo on the Upper East Side. More suggestions and genre's can be found in New York Magazine's Best of Food -- 2006.

Touristy stuff: Again, in one of the greatest cities in the world, there are many, many options. Close to MSG is Times Square (about a nine block walk uptown) and the Empire State Building. About 30 blocks up is Central Park, Trump Tower and the high-end part of Fifth Avenue. You've got Broadway marquee's, the MTV building and if you're lucky, the Naked Cowboy. Since the Irish don't play Wednesday, take time to see a Broadway matinee. You can find inexpensive tickets here. It's better than anything else you've likely seen. If you have time, go to Ground Zero where the World Trade Center once stood. South Street Seaport is also nice, but somewhat tough to do in the winter.

Nightlife: New York is known as the city that never sleeps. Some nights, we can attest to that. Looking to watch more sports, check out 40/40 Club owned by Jay-Z, ESPN Zone in Times Square and the Back Page on the Upper East Side. In Midtown, Mustang Harry's and Mustang Sally's are close to the Garden and provide a good time.  If you walk in almost any direction from the Garden, you'll find a collection of pubs and bars. For the college-aged kids and early 20's crowd, head down toward NYU and check out Nevada Smith's (Good for fans of the European football as well). It is one of our favorite city spots. Bull McCabe's on St. Mark's Place is another favorite along with Thirsty Scholar. Head up to the 50's for a bunch of bars for the mid-20's to 30's crowd including Sutton Place. For a good Happy Hour, check out Caliente Cab Co. on 33rd and 3rd. Thank us later. Don't forget your array of comedy clubs, starting with Caroline's. If a concert is what you're looking for, Pollstar is the place with the whole list no matter your taste in music.

Quickie food: On almost every block is a pizza shop -- more than likely named some version of Ray's, Original Ray's or Really Original Ray's. For those Chicagoans heading east, make sure to have the thin crust. It'll be the best you've had. We're a big fan of Ben's Kosher Deli and the famous Carnegie Deli up in the Theater District. Sadly, our favorite deli, Second Avenue Deli, has apparently closed.

We realize this is just a small sampling of New York. If you have any other suggestions -- feel free to throw them at the bottom or e-mail me at mrothstein@jg.net for inclusion in a future blog. We'll be at a bunch of those places between spending time at MSG. Even though we're native, we're still looking for new and cool places to go.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

['Duk]

Mike -

If I wanted to eat a cracker with marinara sauce on it, I'll go eat New York pizza. Until then, I'll stick with Chicago deep dish. There's no comparison.

[Michael Rothstein]

Ahh, my Chicago-based reader, you obviously have never experienced the succulence of New York thin crust. If you have, you would never again speak such blasphemy.
It's the New York food bias.

['Duk]

That's it. You are never welcome in Chicago again.

[Cecilia Jamasmie]

Hi Mike,

Orato Editor, Heather Wallace, interviewed the Naked Cowboy recently and, trust me, you don’t want to miss what he told her. For example, he revealed that he was turned down by both Star Search and American Idol and he truly believes that he’ll watch generation after generation pass before his eyes: “Worst case scenario, I’ll live to be 500 years old,” he says.

Read the full article here:

“The Tao of the Naked Cowboy”
http://www.orato.com/node/2061