Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts

NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887

August 28, 2019




NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: 
My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887


WHY DINE AT PETER LUGER

1. For the steak, of course.


Dry aged USDA Prime Beef
This is called "steak for 3" according to the menu.


2. More than the steak, the restaurant is part of New York history.

Peter Luger is one of the oldest steakhouse in New York and still thriving. In fact, it's still so famous that it's difficult to get a table if you walk in without reservation. Peter Luger was established in 1887.



MY TIPS

1. Reserve online. Do not walk in.

There's little chance of getting a seat if you walk in. As you can see in the photo below, the restaurant has a very long wait list.

Reserve at https://peterluger.com/




2. When to reserve online

I noticed it's harder to get a slot if you're only 2 in your group. More slots are available if you're more than 2. At the same time, you can't make a reservation for more than 2 people if only two are coming just to get a slot, because they charge 40 USD per person for no shows.

So, if you're only 2 in your group, and desire to book on a weekend peak time, you have a better chance of getting a slot if you make a reservation at least 3 weeks before your intended date. Reservations open 6 weeks before.



3. What time to reserve

We chose the 12:45 PM slot so we'll have the option to choose the lunch special and Luger burger if we desire. Both are available only till 3:45 PM.


4. Make sure to cancel the day before if you're not coming.


You guarantee your reservation with your credit card. No shows will incur a 40 usd fee per person. You can cancel your reservation 24 hours before without charge.


5. Bring cash. They do not accept credit card for payment.


6. What to order and how much.

We are a party of 6 and when we dined we over-ordered the steak.


Steak

If you're a party of 6, only order the steak for 4. In our case, we ordered two "steak for 3". You can see how large it is from the photo below. Friends recommend that to get the most out of the steak in terms of flavor, you should at least order 600 grams of steak.


We ordered 2 "steak for 3" Dry aged USDA Prime Beef
One is cooked medium rare. The other is cooked medium.


The size of one "Steak for 3"









Checkout this post on how it is cooked and how it is served to better appreciate your meal: The Porterhouse at Peter Luger Steakhouse 



Appetizer


Luger's sizzling bacon, extra thick, 3 slices



Salad


Iceberg Wedge Salad, Chopped Tomato, Bacon, Crumbled Blue Cheese
with Blue Cheese Dressing




Complimentary bread basket



Peter Luger Sauce
It's a sweet sauce we didn't put on our steak.





At the end of the meal, they give you Peter Luger chocolate coins.












MENU OF PETER LUGER















NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: All About Brooklyn Bagel

August 27, 2019





NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: All About Brooklyn Bagel


Everyone says you can't leave New York without trying the New York bagel. The New York bagel is considered the signature foodstuff in New York. So the first thing we did when we arrived in New York was to check out Brooklyn Bagel. 



WHY CHOOSE BROOKLYN BAGEL

1. IT COMES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


Brooklyn Bagel was recommended to us by my daughter's colleagues at work and has been mentioned in several articles such as the ones below:

NYC's Finest Bagels Mapped
18 Best Bagels in New York City - Best NYC Bagel Shops in 2019

The Absolute Best Bagel Shops in NYC 
The 15 Best Bagels in New York City

2. IT'S VERY NEAR THE NEW YORKER HOTEL.


Since it's near the New Yorker hotel where we are staying, it fits our itinerary to try out this place.


 Brooklyn Bagel: 286 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001, USA
Operating Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6:30AM - 4:30PM
Sat-Sun: 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM



It's 930 AM when we arrived and there's still a line.


HOW TO ORDER:

1. ORDER JUST A BAGEL (SEE THE FLAVORS BELOW), EITHER IN MINI OR REGULAR SIZE, OR


CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


2. ORDER A BAGEL WITH SPREAD (SEE CHOICE OF SPREAD BELOW), OR

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


3. ORDER A BAGEL WITH FILLING (SEE CHOICE OF FILLING BELOW), OR


CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


3. ORDER THEIR SIGNATURE BREAKFAST WRAPS OR SANDWICH (IF YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR SANDWICH)

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE



We ordered a plain bagel without any spread
and their signature sandwich called Highline Club. 


Highline Club:
Plain bagel with oven roasted turkey, bacon, romaine, tomato and mayo 

NEW YORK with Kids: Suggested Itinerary for 5 days and Details of Cost

March 21, 2014


NEW YORK with Kids: 
Suggested Itinerary for 5 days and Details of Cost 


This is our actual itinerary when we visited New York. We did everything and saw everything listed in this itinerary. So, this has been time tested and proven to be possible, even if you have kids travelling with you. 

Things to note about this itinerary
1. I have to let you know that my kids, who were with me, range from 13 years old to 18 years old. They are fit and capable of walking long distances. They were able to see all the sights listed in this itinerary. 

2. The choice of sights were made in consultation with my kids. So it's a blend of sights that both adults and kids will enjoy.

3. We traveled by public transportation (mainly by walking, riding the bus or the metro) so the itinerary includes directions from the New Yorker hotel to the sights and between sights. Being 6 in a group, we didn't see the taxi as an option.

4. The timing includes lining up for tickets and going through security checks. The only ticket I purchased ahead of time is the United Nations tour tickets, the Statue of Liberty tickets and the Lion King tickets.



MY NEW YORK ITINERARY WITH KIDS

DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE
UNITED NATIONS TOUR

Read more of Day 2 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING
TIMES SQUARE

Read more of Day 3 of New York Itinerary with Kids


DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK

Read more of Day 4 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK

Read more of Day 5 of My New York Itinerary with Kids

Cost:

The total cost of this itinerary can be computed as follows: 
Hotel accomodation for 4 nights: The New Yorker Hotel
Meals: see McDonalds New York prices
  • Mcdonalds meal rate x 10 meals (breakfast is free with hotel) x 6 people 
  •  Why use the McDonalds meal rate? I always use the McDonalds meal rate in   places I visit to estimate my meal budget because there's  McDonalds restaurant almost everywhere in the world, and a website that will show you the menu prices. 
Tip based Manhattan walking tour: see Free Tours by Foot: New York
UN tour: see UN websiteOnline guided tour tickets
Statue cruises to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: see Statue cruises websiteStatue cruises tickets
Broadway tickets: see Ticketmaster website
Museums: see Metropolitan Museum websiteMuseum of Modern Art website
Empire State building: see Empire State building websiteEmpire State building tickets
Metro/bus tickets: see New York Metro ticket website


OUR ACTUAL EXPENSES:


*Take note that our trip occurred May 2012. Hotel rates and plane fares are sensitive to and affected by dates of travel.

Plane fare from Chicago to New York: United Airlines, 111.8 USD x 6 adults = 670.80 USD

La Guardia airport to New Yorker hotel airport transportation via NYC airporter: 55 usd

New Yorker hotel accomodation for 6 = 336.67 USD x 4 nights: 1346.68

Meals: 12 meals x 6 adults x 5 USD - 360 USD

Free tours by foot tip: optional but we gave 60 USD

Metro tickets: 20 x 6 adults = 120 USD

UN guided tour tickets: 14 USD x 4 adults + 11 USD x 2 kids + 2USD service charge x 6 = 90USD

Statue of Liberty tickets: 13USD x 6 = 78 USD

Lion King tickets: 155.7 x 6 = 934.2

Museum of Modern Art tickets: 10 USD (we had special rates because of corporate membership)

Metropolitan Museum of Art tickets: free

Empire State building tickets: 138 USD

Souvenirs: approx 120USD

Hotel to Yonkers via metro: 2.25 x 6 = 46.5

Yonkers to JKF airport via Carmel cars: 120 USD

Plane fare from New York to Los Angeles: United Airlines: 159.8 x 5 adults = 948.8

Total: 5098 USD or 850 USD per person with airfare 
Total: 3478 USD or 580USD per person without airfare

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 5: Empire State Building, Departure from New York)

March 20, 2014


My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 5: Empire State Building, Departure from New York)


DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE
UNITED NATIONS TOUR

Read more of Day 2 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING
TIMES SQUARE

Read more of Day 3 of New York Itinerary with Kids


DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK

Read more of Day 4 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 


DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK


View New York City in a larger map


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 
Late breakfast at the Hotel
Packing for today's departure from New York

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Check out of the New Yorker hotel and leave your luggage at reception


At the lobby of the New Yorker after checking out of the hotel.


At the front entrance of the New Yorker


Walk from the New Yorker hotel to the Empire State building.
Across the New Yorker hotel entrance
Just a short walk to the Empire State Building


1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Empire State building




Why go up the Empire State Building on the LAST DAY of the trip:


1. In our case, it's only walking distance from our hotel, the New Yorker, so we save more time by doing  it on the day we check out of our hotel. Since checkout time at our hotel is 12 noon, we can still use the whole afternoon to visit the Empire State Building. With the little time that we have in the afternoon, the tourist site nearest to our place, in our case, the Empire State building, is the most feasible place to visit.

2. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLYafter extensively touring New York City the past few days, viewing how New York City is laid out from the top of the Empire State building puts into perspective all the tourist sites you've seen. You remember where the tourist sites were, whether on Midtown Manhattan, Upper East side, Downtown, etc. You have an aerial view of how far you actually walked to explore the place and where those places are located.




Midtown Manhattan, where we went on Day 2


Downtown, Liberty Island and Ellis Island,
where we went on Day 3


You can see the Statue of Liberty at a distance


MOMA, the MET and Central Park,
where we went on Day 4


Going up the Empire State Building on the LAST DAY of your trip 
is the BEST WAY to end your visit to New York City!!!




3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Walk back to hotel


4:00 PM-4:30 PM
Late lunch at Famous Famiglia Pizzeria across the hotel.


4:30 PM
Left Manhattan to go to Yonkers to visit relatives

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 4: Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Plaza Hotel, Central Park)

January 4, 2014


My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 4: Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Plaza Hotel, Central Park)


DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK




DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE

DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING


DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK


The map below shows our itinerary for the day:


View New York City in a larger map


11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Since we had a very late night at Times Square the day before, we started late today.

Go to 34th St - Penn Station. Board   E   going towards Jamaica Center, get off at 5Av/53 St. Walk to the Museum of Modern Art at 53rd Street


12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Museum of Modern Art
Finally saw Van Gogh's "Starry Night" at the Museum of Modern Art



2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

From the Museum of Modern Art, walk to Madison Av/East 52-53 St. Board M2 bus going towards Washington Heights Broadway -168st via Madison. Get off at Madison Ave/83rd St. Walk towards 5th avenue to the entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.



3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Arrival at the Met


Before going in, we had a 15 minute hotdog sandwich lunch at the steps of the Met.
Hotdog stand in front of the entrance of the MET

My tip: DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PAYING FOR ADMISSION TICKETS AT THE MET. 

Contrary to what people think, tickets at the Met are FREE!!! The entry desk indicates that adult tickets are $25 but it's also stated below that they are only recommended, which means it's optional. New Yorkers know this but visitors are misled by the signs.

Check out these two articles:
Don't Pay the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Recommended' $25 Fee
Seeking Clarity on Fees at the Metropolitan Museum

  3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Metropolitan Museum of Art
The collection of the Met is so vast that it's not possible to see them all. 

My tip: The best way to be satisfied with your visit to the Met is to know beforehand what particular collection you want to see and go see it. This means you must read about the Met before your visit to know where to go. In our case, even if we knew what we wanted to see, because of the sheer size of the museum, it took a while to find it. I wanted to see the works of my favorite painter Johannes Vermeer, but I couldn't find it on my own. I had to ask for assistance of one of the museum employees stationed in the area to find it.

On the other hand, one of  my daughters wanted to see the Egyptian collection where all the sarcophagus and other artifacts were, another wanted to see the sculpture section, but all of them unanimously enjoy looking at the work of Impressionists: Monet, Renois, Cezanne, Latour. 


Self-portrait in a Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh


Bouquet of Sunflowers by Claude Monet


Marguerite-Therese (Margot) Berard by August Renoir

 


Young Woman with a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Walk to 5th Av/East 80th St. Board the M@ bus going to East Village 8th st via 5th ave. Get off at 5av/West 60-59th St. Walk to the Plaza Hotel

6:00 PM - 6:30 PM 


The Plaza Hotel



WHY THE KIDS WANTED TO SEE THE PLAZA:

Because my kids watched the 2003 Disney TV movie "Eloise at the Plaza". The film was based on the famous Eloise series of children's books.


Eloise at the Plaza (2003) Poster
Photo taken from IMDB

In front of the Plaza Hotel



Inside the Plaza Hotel


6:30 PM - 7:30 PM 


Central Park


At the Pond


My kids pretending they're at the movie "Enchanted"





7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
From Columbus Circle, walk to 59th st - Columbus Circle. Board   to Gar Rockaway Mott Ave. Get off at 34th St - Penn Station



DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING