37 Comments
User's avatar
Erica Davis's avatar

The Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side is one of the more interesting off-the-beaten-path museums in New York.

Expand full comment
Erica Davis's avatar

And if you have even a passing interest in the Muppets and other pop culture phenomena, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens is fascinating.

Expand full comment
Sarah Reetz's avatar

Yes! And also Merchants House

Expand full comment
Hugh Little's avatar

Canadian here. I wouldn't set foot in that godforsaken country. All I can say is to make sure your papers are in tip top order. They're detaining Canadian travellers for basically nothing. Make sure that your phone and social media is "clean". Visit at your peril.

Expand full comment
Matthew Horovitz's avatar

Walk my neighborhood, the West Village. Get a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s. Eat some roast duck in Chinatown. Go to a Knicks game. Sussed.

Expand full comment
Paula Munger's avatar

You can compare the Paris Buvette to the NYC Buvette. 😂

Definitely go to Librae bakery.

Expand full comment
Alissa Greene `'s avatar

Yay! NYC, like Paris, is best experienced when you just wander and let the rhythm of the city take you. There’s always something mad and curious going on. I’m biased but West Village/Greenwich Village/East Village/LES and North SoHo and NOLITA are the best for exploring random little shops and restaurants. West Village is the prettiest. Washington Square Park is its own wild ecosystem - if the weather is good get out there and soak up all the madness and music. DUMBo and Brooklyn Heights have some holy crap views but the former is a zoo at the weekend so be warned.

There’s a charming and utterly NYC bonkers little bookstore in the East Village called Pillow Cat Books - it specializes in books about animals - the owner is French and wrote a book about literary NYC with her dad who was a famous French-American illustrator who did a bunch of New Yorker covers. The bookstore is mad and she’s a delight. That could work on a few levels? Also a great Asian bakery/sweet store next door.

NYC is going through a real bakery renaissance right now, maybe a comparison on the baked good front? Librae? Hani’s? Win Son?

If you’re down on the LES Russ and Daughters is an old appetizing store and does the best smoked fish and bagels. I’d personally shoot for that over Katz’s but that’s just me. If you’re uptown it’s Barney Greengrass. Would second the earlier commenter - if you see a bunch of 20 year olds lining up for bagels or pizza, you can probably avoid that. Buvette also charming but every tourist and brunch hound knows it and the line is insane. Happy to share food recs if helpful.

And don’t be afraid. The news is weird but New Yorkers are the best and the city is a weird, wonderful, anything goes, all are welcome thrill.

Also Sara Lieberman is back here now and is a true enthusiast/expert in both Paris and NYC. Maybe hit her up!

Expand full comment
Celeste Reingans-Lee's avatar

Alissa you nailed the NYC list IMO! Greenwich village is really so beautiful for a stroll.

As a 20+ year Brooklyn resident...I also love Fort Greene for an architectural/history walk: the brownstone mansions are staggeringly grand and there are plenty of good coffee shops and restaurants to pop into.

The Brooklyn Museum is superb and right now has the shimmering "Solid Gold" exhibit on view. It is vast, covering fashion, art, culture, lore and history. Highly recommend!

Will there be a NYC Patreon meet up, @OliverGee? I hope I can make it!! I follow your podcast and recs closely every time I visit Paris!

Expand full comment
Alissa Greene `'s avatar

Oh and go watch the basketball players at the West 4th St courts (actually at W3rd and 6th next to the subway station) - and take a walk along the river. You can cycle all the way down the west side with Statue of Liberty in the background.

Expand full comment
Alissa Greene `'s avatar

Lastly! If you’re going to the HighLine (look out for all the art) you can stop by the Hotel Chelsea for a drink or a bite. It’s recently restored and is an old NYC legend.

Expand full comment
Janet Hulstrand's avatar

A few architectural gems you won't want to miss, and they are all centrally located and close to each other in midtown. 1) The reading room of the NY Public Library (42nd St). 2) The ceiling in the lobby of Grand Central Station (also 42nd St). 3) Across Lexington Avenue from Grand Central is the beautiful Chrysler Building (my favorite in NY). Check out the elevator doors! Amazingly beautiful!!! 4) A few blocks north of there, at Park Avenue and 51st St is the beautiful St. Bart's (St. Bartholomew's) Church. In my opinion far more interesting and beautiful than St. Patrick's Cathedral (no offense, St. Pat's, but honestly you're just kind of another gothic cathedral. And we have lots of those here in France :-) Also be sure to take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge. Not to be missed!

Expand full comment
Jeanie Meyer's avatar

Enjoy a cocktail at the Plaza Hotel! Tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a limited time docent. Walk down Canal street. Like Paris, walk, walk, and walk some more! See OUR Lady Liberty and Ellis Island in the harbor and take a cruise on the Hudson River. Stand in the middle of Times Square and just "take it in!" Giant murals of the cast from THE CHOSEN, photographed by Annie Leibovitz are on the Square now!!! Go see a matinee on Broadway. Ask New Yorker's for their restaurant advice-after all, they LIVE there!!! Let a black cab taxi driver show you around! Take the NYC Grey Line night tour. Walk some more!!!! (Lived in New Jersey for 7 years and LOVED NYC!!! If time allows, go to Long Island and have some wine. Ride the subway!

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

The Cloisters

Expand full comment
GH's avatar

https://www.neuegalerie.org/

small museum/Klimt/ Have lunch or a coffee downstairs in Cafe Sabarsky

Broadway play….. pick up tkts booth at 47th st after 3:00pm

Highline

Walk the meat packing district into the west village

Walk Soho into Noho into Chinatown & Little Italy

Central Park

Take the Staten Island Ferry and pass by the Statue of Liberty. Get on, get off, get back on again back to NY. Free!

Take a bus tour of uptown and downtown for quick overview.

Pizza - get a slice….if in village go to Mama’s Too or L’Industrie Pizzeria

Eataly on 23rd & 5th ave…. Easy place to have lunch or dinner alone.

Bookstore…Rizzoli or Shakespeare & Co

French consulate library 79th & 5th

Morgan Library

42nd st NYC public library ….beautiful bld.

Then walk thru Bryant Park.

So much more, but, other posts have given some really good options.

Expand full comment
John F.'s avatar

Walk the High Line and the sundry side adventures. Visit the tenement museum and/or take one of their walking tours of the lower east side, one of the must-see museums in the country in my opinion. Go to Katz’s deli. The statue of Liberty feels like an obvious Paris connection.

Also, definitely make sure your travel papers are in order and check for travel alerts before you go. Europeans used to not get a second glance when visiting, that is no longer the case.

Expand full comment
Jeff Wilbur's avatar

You should definitely compare the High Line park with the one in Paris. When I'm in New York I try to book a walking tour with Nosh Walks by Myra Alperson. She walks you around neighborhoods sampling the amazing diversity of street food while also telling you about the background of the neighborhood. I see that her tours are by request now so that might mean it will be easier to coordinate schedules. nosh walks@aol.com or text 212-222-2243. Tell her I sent you. I think she will still let you go on a tour.

Expand full comment
Kathy Gleason's avatar

Empire State Bldg, Museum of Modern Art, Natural History Museum, Central Park, see a Broadway show, Top of the Rock, ya gotta see The High Line (so cool), Statue of Liberty, Times Square (steer clear of the costumed characters), Natural History Museum, Coney Island, St. Patrick’s Cathedral,Staten Island Ferry, Chelsea Mkt, NY Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, The Oculus, Museum of Sex NYC, Radio City. That’s a good list to get you started. Wish I was still living there, I’d show you around.

Expand full comment
Cathleen Mangan's avatar

Welcome! So many great ideas, I think you need a few weeks...But thinking about your idea for an 'event', not enough time , I think. But two thoughts- Elaine Sciolino is coming from Paris in April. She has events set up at NY Society Library, Paris American Club, Albertine, and I suspect there was a bit of planning involved. I am a Board member on Paris American Club and I would have been so happy to invite you to our last event in March; next one is in April. But if you would like to use this trip to plan for events next time, let me know. I would be very happy to meet you at Monte's on MacDougal Street in the West Village with the president of the Paris American Club. I am on the Upper East Side, but happy to join you! Whatever you do, NYC is full of energy, full of fun and a great place to visit! I wish you a great visit and I hope to make it to Paris when you have your Christmas party-

Expand full comment
Sean Scarisbrick's avatar

So..... I'll be in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY this weekend, which are a few hours north of the city. If you feel like winter hiking in the mountains, I've got enough equipment for two.

You'd just need to catch a train north a bit. I've a car and would cover accommodation. It'd be an overnighter.

Unlikely you can squeeze it in, I suppose, but if you're interested, DM me!

Cheers,

Sean

Expand full comment
Sherry Polcyn's avatar

I use to live in NYC & still visit often. I will be there this coming weekend. Will you be doing an Earful event or book signing? Would love to show you around NYC!

Expand full comment