How long have you lived in New York?

I came to New York immediately after graduation to work on Madison Avenue and fell in love. During the years, I’ve lived all over: Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village, Park Slope, the Bronx, Long Island, Westchester and even across the Hudson River in Hoboken.

There was one time when I ventured out, but New York pulled me back. It was after my first year here and a friend and I decided to travel around the US on a quest to find the best city to live. We covered all but six states, stopping along the way to check out different places, several for extended periods of time, to make money to continue traveling. In the end, it was NY that won. It’s not that I don’t love other cities in the US and abroad, I just think New York offers more diversity than any other single place.

You love to travel, but also write extensively about cool and unusual places you’ve discovered in New York..what are your favourite recent discoveries?

A fellow travel blogger took some of us to Momofuku Ssam this last weekend and the food is sublime, particularly the pork buns which literally melt in your mouth. Summit Bar on the LES was also a great recent find. It’s in an old tenement building, they play a mix of old and new music (we were shazaming all night) and the bartenders are fun.

Also I’m looking forward to the opening of 4food. They’re on a mission to de-junk NYC by starting a healthy fast food revolution and they’re employing some pretty cool social media tactics. For instance, you’ll be able to create your own menu item and the more popular it becomes the more rewarded you are with discounts.

And what are your all-time favourite places in New York?

My favorite place is Central Park at all times of the year. There’s a ton you can do, from softball to tennis to concerts in the summer, ice skating and sledding in the winter. I also really love the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, it’s beautiful and there are amazing exhibits throughout the gardens. Fave burger joint is Shake Shack, fave bar is Wilfie and Nells, fave jazz club is Smalls, and fave place to play is Fat Cat (dive joint with jazz and ping pong!!).

What lesser-known places/restaurants/sights would you recommend to people visiting New York?

For museums it’s the Cloisters, a wonderful oasis of peace and tranquility with Medieval European art and gardens, beautiful archways and corridors and it sits in Fort Tryon Park overlooking the Hudson.  If you like art, hit the galleries in Chelsea, the LES or Dumbo. They feature cutting edge artists and are free to visit.

For neighborhoods, I recommend checking out the LES, it seems less popular with tourists but there are tons of bars and restaurants. Also try to fit in a visit to Brooklyn. A walk over the Brooklyn Bridge is fun and the views amazing. On the other side explore Dumbo and the waterfront, Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope.

To see different views of the city in addition to the Brooklyn Bridge there’s the free ferry to Staten Island, bike riding along the west side, or kayaking along the Hudson River (free at several piers along the west side).

For booze, entertainment and food: The Back Room on the LES is a cool speakeasy without the crazy cocktail prices; the Upright Citizens Brigade is $10 for an hour of hysterical improv; and food trucks are the new thing and popping up all over. You can get everything imaginable. One of my favorites is the Wafles and Dinges truck.

Here is a post I wrote about a few more of my favourite restaurants in New York.

You’ve recently been at the TBEX, Travel Blog Exchange. Did you meet any cool bloggers while you were there?

TBEX was absolutely amazing and I met some remarkable bloggers. I’d hate to name specific bloggers for fear of slighting someone; they’re all unique with interesting perspectives. The travel blog community is filled with friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate travelers most of whom aren’t making money at blogging but love to travel and tell their stories and they’re doing it out of love for their passion and on a shoe string budget.

I heard so many inspiring stories of people who quit their corporate jobs to travel around the world or work just enough to stay on the road and the gamut of travel specialties is mind blowing: round the world, backpacking, destination specific, solo travel, female travel, couples travel, family travel, the list goes on as long as their intense passion and knowledge.

What are your favourite posts on Scene by Laurie and why?

My favorite post on Scene by Laurie is The Wave, as a rockhound this is the ultimate! The pictures say it all.

I also like the Mexico City posts (one and two) My goal was to make Mexico a less “scary” travel destination by showing its diversity and modern side. The neighborhoods I visited are all so different and offer varying insights into Mexico City, the people, food and traditions

If you could only eat in one New York restaurant for the rest of your life, where would it be?

This is tough. It’s like being a kid in a candy store with thousands of options and only being able to choose one piece of candy. Also, I don’t tend to be a “regular” type of person; I like to constantly try new things. But the place I’ve gone back to most often recently is Bianca, an Italian restaurant on Bleecker. It’s quite charming, the owners are lovely and personable, the pasta is homemade and delicious and they have a relationship with Von, the bar next door so you can wait for your table there and enjoy a drink and they’ll come and get you. You can bring your drink back with you to the restaurant and you can even order Bianca’s at the bar.

What are your favourite books/films set in New York?
My favorite book set in NY is Time and Again by Jack Finney. It combines two things I love: time travel and NY. The main character travels back in time to early 1880’s NY and Jack’s narrative along with photos and illustrations paint so detailed a description of the city at that time you feel like you’re there.

My favorite movies are New York, I Love You and An Affair to Remember. The former is recent, a 2009 film with 11 love stories that take place in different NY neighborhoods, and of course the latter is a classic which everyone knows and may be cliché, but who doesn’t have one person they’ve agreed to meet at a designated time in the future at the top of the Empire State building?
Where are you hoping to travel to next?

I’ll be heading to Montreal soon and I’m currently researching the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Croatia for my next big trip. I have a bucket list that just grew longer after TBEX.

Photos by armaburrito and tasayu used under a Creative Commons License

How long have you been a Londoner for?

Almost 5 years. I spent 3 years living North Gower Street in Euston, right by Drummond Street, a mecca for Indian veggie restaurants of a very decent caliber. I then spent half a year in Highgate before deciding a move back to NW1 and Camden Town.

Where are your local hang-outs?

I’m always content to hang out anywhere that serves Belgian beers, so depending on the current location I’ll gravitate towards bars I know I’ll find them. For example if I’m in Covent Garden I’ll go the Low Lander Grand Cafe, or if I’m in Borough Market I’ll go to the Rake. Exceptions to this would be the likes of Trisha’s in Soho which just have a rocking scene going on. Other favourites would be places the The Hoxton and Shoreditch House in East London.

You’re a bit of a wine buff, what are your favourite wine bars in London?

My favourite bar to drink wine in isn’t even a bar. It’s an off license called The Sampler on Upper Street. There you can sample 70 odd wines on any given day and these change as the bottles empty. You can even pop a bottle of bubbly and since their selection of grower champagnes is almost unrivaled in London it’s always a good option. There’s a big table down the back of the shop where you can sit and enjoy whatever you choose!

Describe your ideal day in London.

My ideal day involves a morning of browsing one of the food markets for all the necessaries for dinner, whilst sampling various market delights along the way. Follow that up with a glass of Belgium beer, an afternoon kip and finally a jog in the park would wrap up the afternoon nicely. I like to slow cook when I have time so I’d happily pass the evening in the kitchen, and then follow up with night of fine food, fine wine and friends.

If you could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, where would it be?

For me if I had to eat in only one restaurant for the rest of my life it would be The Ledbury in Notting Hill. It’s a incredible restaurant that’s got better and better since first opening, going from a new restaurant to a two star michelin in less than 5 years. I’ve enjoyed a few four or five hour lunches which have all been memorable! (As for a very close second, I would say Tayyabs)

What is your favourite underrated London landmark/place?

At this moment Broadway Market is my favourite London place. It’s got a buzzing atmosphere, so much quality food on offer and plenty of street music to give it all a soundtrack. The unending number of high quality food stalls is dazzling. Couple this with a super selection of fine cafes and bars and a few hours passes very quickly. Underrated, in the mainstream, in a shameful way.

U
What places do you think are overrated?

Oxford Street is hugely overated. And even at that, overated is generous. I find the street to be a dive. Also some areas in east London are totally overrated, like Curtain Road. Many of the bars there are now just Soho esq which isn’t good. Strict door policy and boring dress code seem all too important…

What is your favourite London-based book (or film)?

I have bias here but my favourite London-based film would be Sweeney Todd, mainly because I spent over half a year working on it out in Pinewood Studios. Even though none of it was shot on location, the film really captured a London look and an atmosphere which is quite unique.

I’m quite sure the city of London and possibly the world in general, would be a much more pleasant place without them.

Photo of Broadway Market by mbiddulph used under a Creative Commons License

Lists

New York Oddities - a companion to her previous London Oddities list, Arland Penchant seeks out bizarre things to see and do in NYC. Warning: this list contains trolls, underground tunnels and some morbid anatomy.

The Catty List – Food blogger Catty, creator of Cattylife.com, prolific tweeter and machta lover, shares her favourite London restaurants with us.

Where to Watch the World Cup in Style – Emyr Thomas blogged about these places in more detail yesterday, but here is Bon Vivant’s list of places with pedigree to watch all the live action from South Africa this summer.

Places

Jennifly has recommended several great-sounding outdoor beer gardens in New York. Bia Garden is a Vietnamese twist on the usual German theme, Bohemia Hall is New York’s oldest beer garden and is authentically European, while the Standard Hotel now has its own beer garden, located under the High Line.

Mesa Grill was suggested to us by Metrotwinner stellatrottesdale. A popular New York eaterie for nineteen years, it’s one of those places we really should have added to the site sooner!

Woodwork Bar – we asked Twitter for good places to watch the World Cup in NYC and NotForTourists came straight back to us and suggested Brooklyn’s Woodwork!

Tsuru Sushi – super fresh, sweet sashimi? Hai!

Twins

The Wellcome Collection and The Morbid Anatomy Library - what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than wandering around looking at medical curiosities and oddities? Golf you say? Then this might not be the twin for you…

Thames Foot Tunnel and Atlantic Avenue Tunnel – Sure you go on the Tube/Subway daily, but have you ever walked under your city?

China Tang and Chinatown Brasserie – exclusive restaurants serving top notch Chinese cuisine in a ‘1930’s Shanghai’ setting. Sexy.

Photos by macwagen wallyg and dinoboy used under a Creative Commons License