New York Travel Tips

Visit New York City for a Family Holiday

New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, and it’s not difficult to see why: there’s always something to do or see on the island of Manhattan. This also makes New York a fantastic destination for a family holiday. There’s a lot of entertainment in the city that’s tailor-made for kids, and the city also offers many great activities for the whole family. For instance, you can have picnics in Central Park, see dinosaurs in the American Museum of Natural History, or go see a Broadway musical!

In this article we’ll show you what a family holiday in NYC can look like: from accommodations to activities and things to see, a New York City holiday will be one to remember! Read the entire story here…»

Rainclouds gather over New York City’s Lower Manhattan skyline

New York is the Empire city that never sleeps: always bustling and always crowded. Occasionally, however, the streets empty suddenly as people lunge for the nearest taxicab or down the nearest subway entrance.

When it starts raining, and we don’t just mean a drizzle but a true downpour, New Yorkers venture inside just like anybody else would do. When you’re visiting New York and the forecast suggests a downpour, you might have to adjust your schedule a bit. Luckily, New York City has plenty of indoor things to do!

To help you plan a day out in New York City on a rainy day, we’ll highlight some of the best indoor activities in the city! Read the entire story here…»

Fish Tacos

Younger New Yorkers may not believe it, but there was once a time, not so long ago, when you had to go all the way to the West Coast, in either Mexico or the United States, to enjoy a decent fish taco.

But times have changed, and food-savvy New Yorkers are all the richer for it. That’s because the fish taco, once unknown in New York City (and indeed all over the East Coast) has in recent years become a staple of the city’s ever-exploding foodie culture, much like the artisanal cupcake.

If you haven’t been sampling the wares, here are just a handful of mouth-watering options that will help you understand what all the fuss is about.

First up is Pinche Taqueria, at two downtown locations (227 Mott Street, near Prince, and 333 Lafayette Street, near Bleecker). Don’t ask us what the name means, but we can say that both branches of this Tijuana-derived taqueria get consistently high marks for their beer-battered mahi-mahi tacos and the piquant crema (the Mexican version of sour cream) that garnishes them. Read the entire story here…»

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes

Who would have thought that the once-lowly cupcake would enjoy such a renaissance in 21st-century New York? Once packaged and processed beyond edibility by names like Hostess and Entenmann’s, cupcakes are now experiencing the kind of homemade, artisanal revival that recently made craft beers such a phenomenon. Since the craze shows no signs of waning, it’s safe to say that cupcakes are now as much a part of New York’s food scene as food trucks and ramen noodles.

For the benefit of newcomers and anyone else who’s ready to indulge a sweet tooth, here are just a few of the most popular cupcake confectioners around the city. Read the entire story here…»

As winter’s chill finally settles over New York City, there’s probably no more satisfying way to warm up than with a hearty bowl of ramen noodles. To some, this salty, flavorful, and inexpensive Japanese noodle dish is a convenient comfort food—while to others it’s an all-consuming passion, inspiring pilgrimages all over the city, countless repeat visits to favorite vendors, and no end of online obsessing. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, there’s no denying ramen has been a fantastic recent arrival to the menu of New York “cheap eats.”

Ramen Noodles

Happily for all of us, the explosion in ramen’s popularity means that new ramen shops and stands are springing up regularly—with the epicenter of activity being the East Village, a traditional destination for New York’s expat Japanese community. To help novices get started, following are just a few of the most highly recommended ramen joints:

To begin with what might be the East Village’s best-known ramen stand, there’s a branch of the wildly popular Japanese chain Ippudo (65 Fourth Avenue, near 10th Street), revered for its basic shiromaru ramen, a thin noodle that may remind neophytes of angel hair pasta. Those who like it hot (and who doesn’t?) are urged to go for option #3, the spicy meat bowl. Read the entire story here…»

Hot Chocolate in New York

Hot chocolate! Is it the silver lining of the cold weather months? Whatever your feelings about winter, there’s no denying that one of its most comforting aspects is a steaming mug of cocoa. Since New Yorkers walk around so much, regardless of the temperatures outside, they understand this better than anyone – so as a public service, New York Habitat now presents an introductory guide to some of the most dependable sources for hot chocolate in the city.

(This is by no means a comprehensive list, and obviously tastes will vary. But trust us when we say that any one of the following options is better than the Swiss Miss or Nestle packet you’d be stuck with at home!) Read the entire story here…»