Should be heading out to NYC to show the family my roots!!!! Havne't been back since '14 and that was just me and they wifey. We will be bringing the kids this time (two teens and a youngen)...any recs???? I was hesitant to bring them all because I'm not sure if they'd appreciate it, but it's time.
Told my wife that there are some things I'd love to cross off my bucket list (Yankee stadium, take my son to MSG, shoot around at Rucker Park, go see my old house in Queens). Let me know some things the kids would appreciate lol....Yankee stadium, MSG and Rucker are mainly for my son and I since he's never been.
Sounds like a good time with the family. I think they'll most definitely appreciate it. MSG & Rucker sounds dope. I'll give you a bunch of recs(I've saved my NYC recs list here on NT as recs for the city get asked quite often) you'll notice a lot of
recs on my list lmao since I am huge on
. There's a bunch of stuff on there though.
Danis's Pizza- 81-28 Lefferts Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. One of my absolute GOAT'S for pizza in NYC. They use a sweet sauce which is lovely & also offer up Pesto slice. To me, that is an acquired taste but give it a shot.
New Park Pizza- 156-71 Cross Bay Blvd, Howard Beach, NY 11414. Super soft dough & crust with excellent cheese.
Vaccaros Pizza- 88-02 Little Neck Pkwy, Queens, NY 11001. Really good regulars & they also make a specialty potatoe slice. I know it sounds crazy, lol, but it's actually pretty damn good.
Pugsley Pizza- 590 E 191st St, Bronx, NY 10458. Really really good regular cheese slices here. If you go, ask to ring the giant Gong they have, lol, they let all their customers who ask ring it. The inside of this pizza joint is happening! The vibes and decor are really great. While you're here & IF you have the time checkout the Bronx Zoo. It's less than a mile from Pugsley. Ticket was $37 as of August last year(parking is separate). Keep in mind it will take you a good 4-7 hours to complete the Zoo.
Lucia Pizza- 215-15 Northern Blvd, Bayside, NY 11361. The OG location is in downtown Flushing. I would rec you to go there BUT traffic is INSANE, foot traffic is more INSANE & parking absolutely sucks in DT Flushing. It is a happening neighborhood though. It's 1 of 2 NYC's China Towns. Expect crowds and drama, lol. They do have a municipal parking lot. If you do decide to go here let me know & I'll further expand on my recs for this area.
If you have time checkout the Panorama of The City of New York at Queens Museum New York City Building Flushing Meadows Corona Park Queens, NY 11368. They have a huge Panorama of the city which includes our waterways/businesses/most all the buildings in all 5 Boroughs. Parking is free, admission is also free. You just have to go on their website and select a date and time for your reservation. It's a really neat museum.
Go to Jackson Heights 74th Street for delicious Indian/Pakistani/Bengali food. Kabab King is a great OG spot 7301 37th Rd, Queens, NY 11372. They also have really good Momo trucks on this block.
Pizza Sam- 89-06 Northern Blvd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Huge slices here. Father/Son business. Pretty well-known in the neighborhood.
Seppe Pizza Bar- 3 Navy Pier Ct, Staten Island, NY 10304. Delicious bar pizza here. This is in the forgotten Borough of NYC also known as Staten Island or to piss off the locals from there New Jersey, lol. The Olive pizza was excellent.
If you like carrot cake and want the best carrot cake on the East Coast go to Lloyd's Carrot Cake in the Bronx 6087 Broadway, Bronx, NY 10471. Along with Carrot cake they have other phenomenal cake options too. Started in the 70's with a couple from the US Virgin Islands & they passed it onto their kids. They're pretty popular on social media. Go for the cake stay for the views. Directly across the street is Van Cortlandt Park. Nice open clean green space to enjoy.
In Manhattan, for NYC's most famous halal platter go to The Halal Guys on 53rd Street and 6th Avenue. This is the cart that started the halal food cart craze here. Owner is a multimillionaire. It's easy to spot as it's located right next to the Hilton hotel. There are restrooms available there should you need them after waiting in line. Walk in through the side entrance. There's a rival new-ish halal cart closeby called Adele's. I had it and meh it was just ok. If you're around here you might as well go to Times Square and hit up some flagship stores like M&M, Hershey's, Disney, NBC Studios.
Magnolia Bakery is also closeby at 1240 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020. Try their Banana pudding. Go to Bryant Park to take in the views. It's walking distance.
If you can, I highly recommend you do the Empire State Building tour. You can thank me later. Most anything you do in Manhattan keep in mind you'll have to park your car in a garage. Most have deals so it's not so bad.
Scarr's Pizza- One of the very few black owned pizzerias in NYC. They are worth all the hype they get and then some. 35 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002.
Dunwoodie Pizza- 683 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, NY 10704. Excellent plain cheese pizza. Nice ambiance as well.
Fan-Fan Doughnuts- 448 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205. The Guava cheese donut and Mango Lassi donut & double chocolate are AMAZING here!
Hidden Grounds- 400 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Nice lil cute date spot in Brooklyn. Cafe vibes. Try any of their Gulab Jamun donuts here. They are to die for!
Ace's Pizza- 637 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. They have some of the best Detroit style pizza here. All pies, no slices here. Inside ambiance is dope.
Namkeen- 338 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249. Dope Pakistani fast food joint. Try their chicken burger and masala fries.
Levain Bakery- 164 N 4th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Dope bakery in Williamsburg. Try their fresh baked breads & pastries. The cookies are great here.
Best Pizza- 33 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211. One of NYC's top pizza joints. Try the regular as well as the white slice. Super thin & crispy. The owner is an award winning Pizzaiolo.
Patsy's Pizzeria- 2287 1st Ave, New York, NY 10035. The 1st pizzeria in NYC to serve pizza by the slice. This is also their OG location. I rated this place a 9.5 out of 10.
Mamoun's 30 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003. Some of the city's best falafel. They serve it in poofy Middle Eastern bread with falafel and proteins of your choice & sauce. This is a very lit area on the weekend's especially so watch out for rando weirdos & crackheads.
Rice To Riches 37 Spring St, New York, NY 10012. It's one of my GOAT dessert spots. The rice pudding is phenomenal. They have over 50 flavors & over 20 different toppings. 2 scoops worth is more than enough in my opinion. Take in all the hilariously offensive signs they have posted up all over the shop to trigger all the birds & Karen's that come in, lol.
Sweet Occasion's- 103-13 Northern Blvd, Corona, NY 11368. A very tasty & delicious Dominican bakery in Corona, Queens. Try their Oreo cake & their best seller Tres Leches. It's heavenly.
Also if you're in Brooklyn stop in at the Supreme store. Cool vibes and merch inside. THey also have a location in St Mark's and the building is iconic with all the graffiti on it.
Ho Foods- 110 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009. A nice little Taiwanese spot in the city.
Singh's Roti Shop & Bar- 13118 Liberty Ave, Queens, NY 11419. Really good Guyanese & Caribbean food here. They have really affordable prices & their menu is huge. The amount of food you can get from here in under 20 bucks is insane! Bang for your buck winner hands down.
Nearby Singh's is Alfie's Pizzeria- 86-08 117th St, Richmond Hill, NY 11418. Again, another affordable spot. Large cheese pie is $15( Cash only).
If you can, checkout New York Transit Museum- 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. They house a bunch of vintage trains & artifacts here from bygone eras of the MTA.
Milk & Honey Cafe- 1119 Newkirk Ave Brooklyn, NY 11230. Cozy little cafe in Brooklyn, NY with an all halal menu.
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum- 895 Shore Rd, Bronx, NY 10464. The Bartow–Pell Mansion is a historic house museum at 895 Shore Road in the northern section of Pelham Bay Park, within the New York City borough of the Bronx. It's beautiful with gorgeous views. Only $15 admission fee. Takes up to 2-3 hours to complete.
Surreal Creamery- 538 2nd Ave New York, NY 10016. Thai tea with dessert twist. This place is reallllyyyy good!
Clinton Street Baking Company- 4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002. Really famous pancakes here
Little Island- Pier 55 in Hudson River Park at, W 13th St, New York, NY 10014
Chelsea Market- 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011. Chelsea Market is a food hall, shopping mall, office building and Tav production facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan.
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