Ten Things to do in New York: GUAP Recommendations by [@ajibolajosiah]

New York is one of my favourite cities in the world – the hustle and bustle, the energy and the architecture really do it for me and are traits shared by some of my favourite cities in the world. In my view, if you feel at home in London, New York will always feel like a home away from home. During a recent trip to New York (my fifth trip to the City), I made it a mission to explore and discover a different side to New York than I had in previous trips.

With many more friends now based in or having relocated State-Side, I was able to experience New York both as a seasoned tourist and in a manner akin to how a local (Millennial) may experience it. I’ve now managed to do non-touristy things in four of the ‘Five Boroughs‘, driven upstate as far as Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Niagara Falls (both State-side and Canada-side), and even been to a BBQ deep into Far Rockaway on Long Island. One day maybe I’ll even actually make it to Staten Island.

For those visiting New York soon, here are some recent food and drinks highlights and other spots that I would recommend from previous trips:

Food

• North River Lobster Company: Setting off from Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown Manhattan, pre-book a $10 boat tour and enjoy views of New York whilst eating affordably priced lobster or other seafood. The boat docks and departs every 90 minutes.
• Woodland Restaurant Brooklyn: If bottomless brunch is your thing, make sure to make your way to ‘Woodlands’ on a Saturday or Sunday. It gets particularly busy from 1pm, so make sure to turn up no later than this time to avoid lengthy queues as they do not take pre-bookings for brunch.
• Claw Daddy’s: A seafood specialist with branches in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
• Sylvia’s Harlem: Serving authentic soul food for over 55 years, this icon remains a culinary must-visit for foodies. I am still yet to check out their ‘Gospel Brunch Sundays’, which comes highly recommended.
• Harlem Shake: A local alternative to Shake Shack with over 65% of its staff comprised of members of the Harlem community. 
• Sammy’s Fish Box: Based on City Island in the Bronx, Sammy’s has been serving local seafood since 1966.
• Nobu 57: Nobu, with a Manhattan twist.

Drinks

• Klong: A Thai restaurant based near Lower Manhattan that runs a Happy Hour from 3pm-10pm Monday to Friday, serving $3 cocktails. So good that they don’t advertise it.
• Seamores, Gotham West Market: A true hidden gem located within Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen Manhattan, currently serving $3 cocktails from 3pm-4pm, $4 cocktails from 4pm-5pm, and $5 cocktails from 5pm onwards on weekdays.
• Skylark: Drinks in Midtown Manhattan, with a view.

You can read more about and check out some more content from my recent New York trip here. 

⁓ @ajibolajosiah

Photography by David Elikwu