These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things NYC through the eyes of the BAA Staff Greetings, BAA Parents! New York City is an exciting place and everyone who lives here has a different idea of the best things to do and see. Since we know many of you will have a lot of time on your own here in NYC, we asked our staff to share their favorite places and activities so you can enjoy an “insiders” experience. At the bottom of this document, you will also find information about getting around NYC- the subway is your friend! Please feel free to contact any of us with questions! JOEY FALDUTI'S NEW YORK ([email protected] ) • Governor's Island. (http://www.govisland.com ) • The Cloisters. (www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters ) • The High Line. (www.thehighline.org/ ) • The Tenement Museum. (http://www.tenement.org/ ) • Favorite restaurant for brunch: Peels on Bowery and 2nd St. (East Village) 325 Bowery, www.peelsnyc.com • Favorite restaurant for dessert: Rocco's Pasticceria (My favorite is the French Lulu!) 243 Bleecker St. (West Village) http://pasticceriarocco.com • Favorite place to grab a snack: Usually if it's something quick I drop into Starbucks since they're everywhere. And I LOVE Pax, I just wish there were more of them. • Favorite place to get something random I need: Duane Reade. Walgreens. CVS. • Favorite place to grab a coffee: Skip the coffee and check out Argo Tea (www.argotea.com ) • Favorite place to shop: SoHo!! Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, NJ (http://www.westfield.com/gardenstateplaza ) • Favorite neighborhood to walk around: The West Village • Favorite park: Try hopping on the PATH train (located at 33rd St. & 6th Ave) to Hoboken (last stop, about a 15 minute ride) and take a walk in the park along the Hudson. The view of the city is spectacular. There are also fantastic places to eat while you take in the view. The PATH is $2.25 each way and you can pay with a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, or buy a separate fare card at the station. • Favorite food: Food trucks!! The best Halal cart is Sammy's, which is usually parked on 6th Ave a little above W. 4th St. I recommend the Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice with white sauce. Be careful of the red sauce- it's made of fire. Keep an eye out for Wafels & Dinges (www.wafelsanddinges.com ), which has several trucks around the city. The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck was a big hit, but they now have two stores (www.biggayicecream.com ) and the truck will not be out this summer. Check out www.newyorkstreetfood.com for the latest in NY street food. ANDI HOPKINS' NEW YORK ([email protected] • Favorite restaurant for brunch: Boat House Cafe in Central Park • Favorite restaurant for dessert: Serendipity's • Favorite Broadway show: Motown • Favorite place to shop: Garden State Outlet, Elizabeth NJ (there is a bus from Port Authority) • Favorite neighborhood to walk around: Park Slope, Brooklyn • Favorite park: Hi Line • Favorite Sushi: Kodama (Midtown) • Favorite Theatre Restaurant/Bar Hang: Glass House Tavern (Midtown) ASHLEIGH JUNIO'S NEW YORK ([email protected] ) • Favorite restaurant for brunch:Tea and Sympathy (http://teaandsympathynewyork.com/ )- I'm half Brit so I have a big soft spot for this English owned and operated restaurant in the West Village. Try the welsh rarebit, the scones with clotted cream, or the Full Monty breakfast! • Favorite restaurant for a swanky dinner: Quality Meats (http://www.qualitymeatsnyc.com )- If you want to treat yourself to a killer steak, this is the spot for you. They have fabulous small plates in addition to the more traditional steak house fare, and they have a GORGEOUS wine list! • Favorite cheap eats: Royal Bangladesh (http://www.yelp.com/biz/royal- bangladesh-indian-restaurant-newyork#query:indian%20row )- This Indian Restaurant has crazy decor (which I think is part of its charm), food that's tasty and CHEAP, and a garden out back that's fun in the summer. • Favorite restaurant for dessert: Rice to Riches (https://www.ricetoriches.com/ )- This place serves rice pudding and only rice pudding- about 30 different gourmet varieties, all of them RIDICULOUSLY yummy. Try the "Man Made Marscapone" or the "Cinnamon Sling". • Favorite place to grab a snack: Dogmatic (http://www.dogmatic.com/ )- Delicious gourmet "hot dogs" served in baguettes with your choice of special sauces! NOM NOM! • Favorite place to get a sexy grown up drink: Bathtub Gin (http://bathtubginnyc.com/) This is an intimate, "speakeasy" bar that is actually hidden inside a coffee shop! Get an “Aviation” cocktail, they’re my favorite! • Favorite place to get a laid back grown up drink: Birreria (http://www.eataly.com/birreria )- This is the rooftop bar has a FANTASTIC view of the NYC skyline and they have some mighty tasty beers, wines, and small plates. • Favorite clothes shop: Century 21 (http://www.c21stores.com/ )- This discount designer department store is an NYC favorite amongst those of us who like pretty clothes but who don't want to kill our bank accounts in pursuit thereof. • Favorite book store: The Strand (http://www.strandbooks.com/ )- Also an NYC staple and a great place to find a cool mix of new, used, and rare books. • Favorite park: Fort Tryon Park (http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttryonpark )- Fort Tryon is perched on the cliffs of upper Manhattan, so you get an amazing view of the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River, and the Palisades. There are lots of little gardens, lawns, rambling paths, and stone bridges. The park is also home to the Cloisters, a medieval art museum built in the style of a monastery (they have one of the famous Unicorn Tapestries if you're into that sort of thing...which I definitely AM!). • Favorite workout: Broadway Dance Center (http://www.broadwaydancecenter.com/)-One of NYCs top dance studios, this is a great place to take class whether you're a professional or you've never taken a class in your life! They offer about 50 "Drop In" classes per day in all different styles and levels. Each class is $18 and you pay as you go so there's no obligation to take more than one. If you don't happen to travel with your tap shoes (what? that's weird...), try a jazz, hip hop, or Zumba class where you can wear any old work out clothes and your sneakers. No fancy gear required! MICHELLE LEHRMAN'S NEW YORK ([email protected] ) • Favorite “Day Off” Plan: Days off in New York are my favorite. I'm a morning person, so I'd get up on the earlier side and go take a class at SoulCycle, which is my favorite! There are multiple locations in NYC and my favorite is in TriBeCa, which is very easy to get to from midtown. After that, I love to have brunch with friends, especially if it's nice enough to sit outside! I'd probably spend some time at home after going to Trader Joe's and Zabar's for groceries, and then go out for a nice dinner. If it's nice out, I love to walk until I absolutely have to get on the subway. Oh, and if I could squeeze it in, I would definitely go see an improv show at Upright Citizen's Brigade in Chelsea (http://www.ucbtheatre.com/ )! • Favorite restaurant for brunch: Good Enough to Eat on 83rd Street. You're going to have to wait in line but it's worth it for the strawberry butter! (http://goodenoughtoeat.com/). • Favorite restaurant for dinner: Gene's on W. 11th Street. This place is old New York - it's been there since 1919. The food is consistently excellent and there is a very reasonable pre-fix menu. The scallops are heaven! (http://www.genesnyc.com/ ) Favorite restaurant for dessert: OK, I need to do this in categories. • Favorite Ice Cream Sundae: Sugar & Plumm on the Upper West Side. Get ANYTHING with salted caramel! (http://www.sugarandplumm.com/ ) • Favorite Cookies: Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side. Please bring me a chocolate chip cookie. Ashleigh probably wants one too. (http://www.levainbakery.com/ ) • Favorite Cupcakes: Molly's Cupcakes in the West Village. The cake batter cupcake is A-MAH-ZING! (http://www.mollyscupcakes.com/) If you're not sure what you're in the mood for and you want a bunch of options, Cafe Lalo is the place to go. You may recognize it from the movie You've Got Mail ! (http://cafelalo.com/cafe/ ) • Favorite place to grab a snack: Juice Generation. The I <3 Watermelon smoothie is myfavorite! (http://www.juicegeneration.com/ ) • Favorite Broadway show: Once. It broke my heart and I loved every second. It's so beautiful! • Favorite park: The Tribeca section of the Hudson River Park. It's beautiful! You can go enjoy the park after your class at the SoulCycle in Tribeca :) (http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/explore-thepark/ neighborhoods/tribeca ) • Favorite neighborhood to walk around: I love getting lost in the West Village. There are tons of shops to browse and plenty of restaurant options. • Favorite workout: SOULCYCLE!!!! I'm 200% addicted. It's a cardio party and a religious experience. Some might even call it a cult ;) All of the instructors are amazing, but I'll tell you my favorites if you ask! You can take your first class for $20 (normally $34) - just call the studio and set up an account!. My favorite studio is in TriBeCa, but I also go to the studios on W.