Supposed to be Baton Rouge, but now it's New York City (NYC Dopers, for you)

In My Humble Opinion
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I had a trip planned to Baton Rouge for this weekend, but it ain’t happening. One of my driving companions’ mother is in the hospital, so no road trip. However, as I am one to always drag an expensive victory from the jaws of a cheap defeat, I’m heading to Manhattan Thursday - Tuesday instead.

This will be my 4th trip to the city, and I’m pretty familiar with it, but I’d like recommendations for anything at all to do. I’m wide open for pretty much everything. Museums, cultural attractions, strange stores, good restaurants – with an eye toward the inexpensive. The budget is a limited this time, because for once I don’t have anyone to split the hotel cost with. Speaking of, anyone have a spare couch for sleeping for a few days? ( :wink: – kidding, mostly. I wouldn’t dream of asking a complete stranger the right to sleep in his/her house).

Also, does anyone want to throw together an impromptu fest while I’m around? I know there are lots of us in the city, and it’d be nice to meet some of the Dopers outside of the South.

Thanks in advance for anything!

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:frowning: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH !!! :frowning:

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Sorry, but why would one want to vacation in Baton Rouge?

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I really think you’re getting a better deal. (Check my location. :))

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I know, I’m sorry. I will eventually see the Garden Spot of the South, I promise. My friend whose mother is i

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I know, I’m sorry. I will eventually see the Garden Spot of the South, I promise.

My friend whose mother is in the hospital is now going to fly to Baton Rouge and back for his debate meet, and I’m not going to pay for a plane ticket to Baton Rouge. I was poking around on Expedia and I found a fairly low-cost hotel + flight package to NY, so that’s where I’m heading.

So, are there any New Yorkers who read MPSIMS, or are you all too hardened for mundane things? :wink:

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This thread is better suited for IMHO.

I’ll move it for you.

Cajun Man
for the SDMB

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K, no responses. Maybe I should be more specific about the sort of things I’d like to see. I’m in the city right now (thank god for wireless internet and a laptop), and I’ve done all the standard tourist things on previous trips, like the ESB, the Statue of Liberty, &c, and this time I’m going to do some less well-known things – the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, the Tenement Museum, and things like that.

What I’m looking for from y’all is ideas like this:
[ul][li]Small, overlooked but really good ethnic restaurants. I’m familiar with all sorts of places in Chinatown and Little India, but what about stranger cuisines, like Ethiopian, or Armenian, or any other lesser-known ethnic cuisine? Or maybe less-common Asian cuisine that can be had down in Chinatown? For reference, I’m on E 51st, between 2nd and 3rd, but I can get pretty much anywhere – yay MTA. [/li][li]Lesser known stuff out in the outer boroughs. I know Coney Island and the Bronx Zoo, of course, but what else am I missing out in deepest Brooklyn and elsewhere? Things like the Transit Museum, which I never would’ve visited if not for someone else’s recommendation.[/li][li]Anything else you can think of.[/ul][/li]
Thank you again for anything.

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Off the top of my head:

There are a few decent Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, but nothing like you get in Houston or LA. I’d check the Zagat’s for names (they all have “Pho” in them and I get them mixed up).

If you’ve never tried Ethiopian, I’d recommend that, if the idea of eating Indian(ish) food with spongey bread instead of utensils doesn’t bother you. Try Meskerem at 468 East 49th (between 9th and 10th). Closer to Chinatown is Ghenet, 284 Mulberry south of Houston, another good Ethio choice. I haven’t eaten there in a while, but there’s a decent Senegalese place in midtown called Africa (on West 53rd between 8th and 9th). I always like to take out-of-towners to the Eastern European places in the East Village, like Veselka or Kiev, unless a trip to Brighton Beach is in order.

If you really feel like an adventure, try Jackson Heights in Queens. Great South Indian food and probably a million other things. You could do a whole Queens things and go see the enormous city panorama at the Queens Museum and just generally enjoy the loveliness of the 7 train. Too bad the Mets aren’t playing yet, you could throw that in, too. Except it would be a rainout.

Robert Sietsema writes about cheap ethnic food for the Village Voice. For an idea of what’s out there, check out his columns on the 100 best deals in Latin and Asian eats in the 5 boroughs.

Possibly the best pizza in the city is Grimaldi’s, under the Brooklyn Bridge at 19 Old Fulton Street. You can walk across the bridge (maybe not so nice this weekend, but it might be fun) and then ask for directions. Bring cash. You know, my roots are in Brooklyn, but I can’t really think of anything in the parts of the borough near Manhattan that are going to be great to do on a rainy day. BAM often has interesting movies. Sorry I’m drawing a blank.

Maybe my favorite restaurant in the city is Shopsin’s in the village. Google the name (and the New Yorker article by Calvin Trillin) to see if this is your kind of place. Turn off your cellphone or Kenny will throw your ass out.

For non-food stuff, I love the Circle Line trip around the whole island, which takes about 3 hours; but again, maybe not such a great weekend for that. If it was supposed to be a beautiful weekend I’d say devote several hours to just walking around Central Park, which is endlessly facscinating, even without the orange shower curtains.

This is kind of obscure, and may get you into a part of the city you haven’t visited: theMorris-Jumel mansion is the oldest house in Manhattan, a beautiful old Colonial structure stuck in the middle of Harlem. The surrounding historic district is pretty interesting, and you need not fear walking around that part of Harlem in the middle of the day. There’s also a smattering of African and Latin restaurants in the area.

Hope this helps.

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General advice: don’t try to do to much in one trip. You’ll just be worn out and frustrated. Chinatown is great if you aren’t the type of person bothered by crowds. But if you do Chinatown, pair it up with Little Italy or Soho and Tribeca, not Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. It’s all about logistics.

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Another “Lisa” from Baton Rouge who registered in early 2003. brain explodes

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Great. How am I supposed to get this out of my shirt?

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Thank you, Ichbin Dubist! That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for.

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Report back, I’d love to hear what you ended up doing. And the weather ain’t so bad.