On this page

• Major Attractions
• Restaurants
  • Lower East Side/Kips Bay
  • Downtown Manhattan
  • Downtown Brooklyn
• Shopping
  • SoHo
  • Fifth Avenue
  • Madison Avenue
  • Bargain Stores
• Other Activities
  • Billiards
  • Bowling
  • Ice Skating
  • Movie Theaters
  • Sightseeing

Attractions in NYC

Here is a list of attractions that we highly recommend:

Major attractions

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (UPPER EAST SIDE -82nd Street and 5th Avenue)
  • A world-renowned museum, on 5th Avenue, the Metropolitan Museum houses some of the most famous works of art in the world. Prices are upon the visitors
• MoMa - Museum of Modern Art (MIDTOWN-53rd Street Between 5th and 6th)
  • The Museum showcases some of the most modern and iconic works of art in the world. Recently renovated MoMa, is a Museum that you will not want to miss.
• Central Park
  • Central Park is one of the parts of New York. Take a walk around the Great Reservoir, visit a duck pond, and see some of the many famous sculptures in the park.
• Chinatown (DOWNTOWN)
  • This famous area has some of the best places for Chinese cuisine in New York City. Chinatown extends from Canal Street to Bayard Street. For great dim sum try the Golden Unicorn, 18 East Broadway, New York, NY.
• Top of the Rock
  • Top of the Rock is a 3-tiered observation deck on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of Rockefeller Centre (the upper decks 260 m above the street level you get an unobstructed, 360 degree view of New York City). Enter on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue.
• American Museum of Natural History – 79th Street and Central Park West
  • Houses a life-sized model of a blue whale that in itself is worth a trip to NYC.
• Chelsea Galleries – east-west 8th to 11th Avenues; north-south 30th to 18th Streets
  • Not to be overlooked if you are at all interested in contemporary art. The Chelsea neighborhood has become very artsy in recent years, and the art housed in its galleries is often more impressive than that in Manhattan’s most venerable museums.
• Grand Central Station – 42nd and Park Avenue
  • Stunning interior with tall ceilings. There are many small shops and many good restaurants downstairs in the Food Court.
• Guggenheim Museum
  • The circular Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building is as much of a draw as the museum's collection of modern art.
• NYPL Bryant Park (42nd Street)

Restaurants

Lower East Side/Kips Bay

• Ali Baba - $$$ (Turkish Restaurant, 34th and 3rd, )
• Angelica’s Kitchen – 300 E. 12th St. (between 1st & 2nd Avenues.)

  Subway: 6 Train to Astor Place

  Angelica’s Kitchen has long been a hotspot for vegetarians and vegans, but the delicious and original food is devoured even by the most carnivorous New Yorkers.
• Ess-A-Bagel– 359 1st Avenue, New York, NY (corner of 21st Street and 1st Avenue)
  • Subway: 6 Train to 23rd Street

  Best bagels in New York. And that’s saying a lot, considering bagels were born and bred here. Have a warm plain bagel for a snack, or ask for one with any of Ess-A-Bagel’s delicious spreads (try baked salmon salad) for a filling and cheap lunch.

• Max Brenner - $$ (Lots of chocolate at this restaurant, located at Union Sq.)
• Shake Shack- $ (Madison avenue and 23rd Street, long lines, try the shakes and burgers!)
• Artichoke Pizza- $ (14th and 1st)

Downtown Manhattan

• Wonton Garden– 56 Mott Street, New York, NY
  • Subway: 6 Train to Canal Street

  The décor of this tiny Chinatown restaurant is nondescript, but its food is not. Wonton Garden serves a variety of Chinese staples, specializing in delicious, filling, and very cheap noodle soups (most are around five dollars). This place is a favorite among UNIS-UNers because it’s open past midnight and it’s one of the few Chinese places in Manhattan where Chinese people don’t mind eating.

• Nha Trang– 87 Baxter Street, New York, NY
  • Subway: 6 Train to Canal Street

  Without a doubt the best Vietnamese food in the city. Everybody knows it, too, so it’s always crowded—you’ll have to wait for a table if you go at dinnertime. Nha Trang has it all: efficient service, Vietnamese beer, and crispy squid. Crispy squid? Take our word for it—crispy squid alone is worth the wait for a table. You won’t find it on the menu (at least we couldn’t), but it’s a specialty, and for good reason. It’s best to order a few dishes to share at Nha Trang. Ask the waiters what they recommend, because the menu is largely in Vietnamese. The best part about this place? It’s cheap.

• 7A– Corner of 7th Street and Avenue A, New York, NY
  • subway: 6 train to Astor Place

  7A serves basic American diner food—burgers, sandwiches, salads—amidst blue lights and house music. This small place not only boasts good food and a fun atmosphere, but also one of the liveliest neighborhoods in New York—the East Village. Best of all: it’s open 24 hours. After dinner at 7A, browse the thrift shops, tattoo parlors, and jewelry stands along colorful St. Marks Place.

• Medina – 89 Bayard Street, New York, NY
  • Subway: 6 Train to Union Square

  Medina has the best soups in New York City, and there are always at least six to choose from. That, coupled with its proximity to Union Square and cheap prices makes this cafeteria-style restaurant unbeatable.

• Katz’s Delicatessen – 205 East Houston St., New York, NY
  • Subway: F or V Train to 2nd AvenueOne of the most famous Jewish Delis in all of New York, Katz’s is renowned for its Pastrami and other Jewish specialties. Also try the egg cream, a surprisingly good mix of chocolate milk and seltzer.
• Le Singe Vert – 160 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY

• Subway: 1 Train to 18th Street

• A very good French Bistro, with food, at relatively decent price (about $30 per person). On weekends, it tends to be very packed due to its location.

• Cones – 272 Bleecker Street, New York, NY
  • Subway: A, B, C, D, F, 0 Trains to West 4th Street. Great Ice Cream store with over 30 flavors. Highly recommended for the Ice Cream fan.

Downtown Brooklyn

• Grimaldi’s– 19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY (right under the Brooklyn Bridge)
  • Subway: 6 Train to Brooklyn Bridge or A/C Trains to High Street
  Don’t let the fact that Grimaldi’s isn’t in Manhattan faze you—this little Italian place has the best pizza in NYC according to many UNIS-UNers. One of the best ways to spend an evening in New York is to walk across the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge at sunset and then have pizza at Grimaldi’s. After dinner, walk down to the waterfront for a truly breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline and the best ice cream in NYC at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (on the Fulton Ferry Landing). Be prepared for a line—Grimaldi’s is very popular among locals.

Shopping

SoHo

An acronym for the area of Manhattan South of Houston Street, SoHo is very trendy. Look on Broadway for chain-stores like H&M, Zara, J. Crew and The Gap, or wander down Greene Street or West Broadway for smaller boutiques and sidewalk jewelry and art stands.

East Village
The East Village is one of the most vibrant areas in NYC, and extends south from around 8th Street to Houston Street, and east from 5th Avenue to Avenue C. The best of East Village shopping is to be found in its eclectic mix of small boutiques and vintage thrift shops, frequented religiously by downtown New Yorkers.

Greenwich Village
Very similar to the East Village, but more upscale. Check out Bleecker Street

Meatpacking District
One of the most trendy and upscale areas of the city, with high-end avant garde stores and excellent restaurants. On Saturday nights, the area tends to be very crowded with nightlife.
9th Avenue and further west, south of 14th Street. Midtown
The most touristy of Manhattan’s shopping districts, Midtown is busy and expensive. This area is home to some of NYC’s most famous department stores: Macy’s (151 West 34th Street; between 6th and 7th Avenues) and Bloomingdale’s (1000 Third Avenue; between 59th and 60th Streets).

Fifth Avenue

Two words: very expensive. Below Central Park (57th Street) Fifth Avenue is one of the ritziest shopping strips in Manhattan, featuring stores such as Cartier, Prada, Henri Bendel, Gucci, Tiffany’s and Bulgari. While Fifth Avenue makes for great window-shopping (student budgets can’t quite accommodate its prices), its sidewalks are almost always overwhelming crowded.

Madison Avenue

Just as expensive as Fifth Avenue, but with a far more diverse collection of designers. This stretch of stores goes from 61st, with Barney’s New York (one of the top department stores in the city) and all the way up 77th street with Michael Kors. Unlike Fifth Avenue, however, Madison Avenue is generally less crowded.

Bargain Stores

Daffy’s: 5th Avenue and 18th Street, 57th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, Broadway and Grand Street, NYC
If you’re willing to scan hundreds of racks, Daffy’s is the place to shop. As long as you have patience, you’re bound to find designer clothes for almost nothing.

Century 21: 22 Cortlandt Street (between Church and Broadway), New York, NY
Century 21 is the equivalent of Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s—only cheaper. It has everything from household appliances to athletic wear at severely discounted prices. The Manhattan store is located across the street from Ground Zero.

FOREVER 21: Union Square South (14th Street between 4th avenue and University Place) New York, NY
Forever 21 is a store where you can buy nice-looking clothes for almost nothing. There are many locations for Forever 21 but this store is the most convenient.

Other Activities

Billiards

• Amsterdam Billiards Union Square: 11th Street and 4th Avenue
• SoHo Billiards 56 East Houston Street

Bowling

• Bowlmor Lanes 110 University Place

Ice Skating

• Chelsea Piers 23rd Street and the Hudson River

Movie Theaters

• AMC Loews Kips Bay 36th Street and 2nd Avenue
• AMC Empire 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue

Sightseeing

• CircleLine Cruises
  • Liberty Cruise - 75 minutes
    Hop onboard for a quick and inspirational harbor cruise. See and hear about the majestic Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the historic immigration center, and the World Financial Center. Stare up at the awesome skyscrapers that make our fabulous skyline come alive.
• NY Waterway boat tours
  • Ninety minutes of gazing at New York City skylines from a ferry or catamaran. There is full commentary available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The boat tour leaves from Pier 78 at West 38th and 12th avenue.
    Times: Mondays-Fridays 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 am, 12 pm and 2:00 pm
    Cost: $26
• Gray Line NY Sightseeing
  • For a bus tour, head down to the Gray Line Visitors Center at 777 8th avenue in Times Square. You can choose from a variety of tours at different prices, including hop-on/hop-off bus tours which run both day and night.