NEW YORK : TOP 10 EATERIES (BB'S RECOMMENDATIONS)

Ah New York. I could talk about this town all day and the things I have found and the things I want to do. I have a list as long as my arm of restaurants I want to eat at in this town. My main problem is the number of places I want to eat at far outweigh the number of meal opportunities open to me on any given trip.
I am a lover of food. I like street food, I like Michelin Star Cuisine. Travelling now is about food and being able to try out as many different restaurants on any given trip.

So for New York, here are my current Top 10 eateries. Click on each name to be taken to their website.

1) Risotteria (on Bleecker) - I recommend anything with goats cheese or asparagus :)
2) Totto Ramen- I love the spicy ramen with pork. Great value.
3)  Loeb's Boathouse, Central Park - One of the places to eat in NYC.
4) Buddakan - I recommend the pot stickers, the green beans, the broccoli, char siu pork and the
    charred beef
5) Becco - Go for the Sinfonia Di Paste
6) Capizzi - One of the best little pizzerias
7) Katz's Deli - purely to have what she's having.
8) Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar - Midtown location
9) Magnolia Bakery -  6th Ave location, red velvet cupcake.
10) Zabar's - perfect place to pick up stuff for a picnic in the park.

NEW YORK : TOP 10 THINGS TO DO

New York- My all time #1 favourite place on the planet (besides my couch).
So much to do here, people often never allow enough time to take in the ambience of this town and what it has to offer. After 6 trips there are still so many things I want to do. It's hard to narrow down to a Top 10 for me as I think you should see all of this town in it's entirety and if it takes you a lifetime, so be it. My Top 10 encompasses some of the not so common things to do and things that I think are kind of cool. Everyone knows they need to go to see the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Centre and the Empire State Building, you may not even think of going to the Christmas or Spring Spectacular. So see below for some of the things I love to do when in The Big Apple.


1) Go to a show on Broadway - click here for my tips on getting tickets
2) Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
3) Radio City Christmas or Spring Spectacular Spectacular
4) Run, Bike or Walk thru Central Park (get the subway up to Central Park North (110th) and then walk down the west side path to 59th)
5) Have a Red Velvet cupcake at Magnolia Bakery on 6th Avenue.
6) Grab a slice of Cheesecake at Juniors
7) Take High Tea at The Plaza- click here for my review
8) Tour of Yankee Stadium
9) Take a tour with freetoursbyfoot.com, click here for my review
10) Have ice-cream at Chinatown Icecream Factory - I love the Black Sesame and the Zen Butter.

NEW YORK : FREE TOURS BY FOOT - ATTRACTION REVIEW

When you have been to a city a number of times, I find you need to discover things that aren't necessarily on the tourist trail, or offer you a different view of the city you know so well.
A friend told me about freetoursbyfoot.com , a company that offers just that, free tours.
Run by some of the best guides, I have come across, they offer the tours for free, you just pay the guide at the end what you think the tour was worth.
So far, I have done two of their tours:
Brooklyn Graffiti and Street Art Tour
Central Park: Lower Section
Each time, I have paid my guide a $25USD tip. Each tour has been at least 2 hours long and provides a great insight into some of the great things to see in NYC.
Free Tours by Foot offer tours in a number of different cities. You can book on their calendar online and you receive an email confirmation. The day before, your guide contacts you by email and gives you more information as well as contact details.
It is a simple process and best of all- free to reserve your spot.
I now recommend this company to my clients in addition to the New York Pass  and $31, 7 day subway pass.

Bethesda Fountain- the day before there had been 3 inches of snow.

View towards the boathouse

Strawberry Fields- Tribute to John Lennon