Sep 30, 2012

30.9.12 - 2 comments

Home Stores


Moving to NYC or renovating your home? 

Decorating your home in NYC is a pleasant but challenging task… 
-Pros: you'll find plenty of options from all over the world at a great price and can buy everything online (hassle-free returns at most times). Your future home will already come with a full kitchen, so you won't have to worry about it.
-Cons: as the square foot in Manhattan is outrageous usually the stores are small and don't carry all the merchandise they offer online. Generally you can't pick up a furniture in the store and the shipping can take up to 20 weeks (!)…

Here are some of my favorite stores:

Kitchen/ Bed/ Bath:
-Bed, Bath & Beyond: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com
-Williams-Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com
-Sur La Table: http://www.surlatable.com
-Gracious Home: http://www.gracioushome.com
-Bloomingdale's: http://www.bloomingdales.com

Organization:
-The Container Store: http://www.containerstore.com/
-Bed, Bath & Beyond: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com

Furniture:
-Design Within Reach: http://www.dwr.com
-Cheapos: Straight from the crate (http://straightfromthecrate.com) , Ikea (http://www.ikea.com)

Online only:
-Amazon: http://www.amazon.com - they sell anything you can imagine…Subscribe to the $79-per-year Prime and get free-shipping on almost every items (you'll end up buying everything online so you don't have to carry it around NYC…). Usually Amazon has the best prices, so it's really worth if you can wait around 48h to receive the merchandise.
-All Modern: www.allmodern.com

Hardware:
-Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com - also sells appliances, renovation stuff and some furniture.

Bed / Mattress:
-Sleepy's: http://www.sleepys.com


Tip 1: Subscribe to the store's mailing lists to receive coupons. It's worth, believe me.

Tip 2: These stores go on sale during holidays as Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.

 Tip 3: Always check a coupon website (such as retailmenot.com) to save! Coupons in the US are very popular and can save you a lot!


Have fun!

Sep 13, 2012

13.9.12 - 1 comment

Picking a Restaurant / Bar


Open Table
Forget about having a decent meal in NYC without reservation… And be on time because they take it very seriously…
The fabulous (and free) Open Table allows users to search for restaurants and reservations based on parameters including times, dates, cuisine and price range. Users can also receive OpenTable rewards points after dining that can be redeemed for discounts at member restaurants.
Tip: The company also has a great mobile application available for free. It's a must-have!

 Urban Spoon
A website/ app similar to Open Table. You will need this one too.

Restaurants and Bars Reviews
Need help to choose a restaurant or bar? Try out these websites (most of them have mobile apps): 
Urban Daddy - a really funny and free app! I highly recommend it!
NY Mag / free mobile app
Time Out / free mobile app
NY Times / free mobile app

Food Trucks
For those who aren't familiar, there are trucks that drive around and park in the city serving food, desserts and drinks. They have gained in popularity due to the fun of scouting them out and great food! You would be surprised to see the huge lines and the variety of food served (organic, gluten-free, gourmet, desserts, waffles, ice cream, cupcakes, desserts, hot dog, burgers, pizza…). Check the best rated ones (usually the most crowded too, meaning the food will have a good turnover).
Tweat it - free app
Zagat Food Truck finder
Yelp
Food Trucker - paid app
Trux Map - free app

Delivery
Don't feel like going out?
Seamless - online and free app 
GrubHub - online and free app


Bon Appetit!

Sep 10, 2012

10.9.12 - No comments

Neighborhoods - Upper West Side

The Upper West Side neighborhood lies between Central Park (East), the Hudson River (West), West 59th Street (South) and West 110th Street (North). Two subway lines serve it: Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line (1 2 3 trains) and the Eighth Avenue Line (A B C D trains). 
Starting from the South, here are the Points of Interest:

Columbus Circle (southwest corner of Central Park):
- Time Warner Building: The complex hosts The Shops at Columbus Circle (great restaurants, shops and Whole Foods) and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Asiate restaurant is located on the 35th floor and has a great brunch and a floor-to-ceiling view over Central Park. I also recommend MoBar for drinks, and the afternoon tea at Lobby Lounge). It also has the Jazz at Lincoln Center, the world headquarters of the Time Warner corporation and the New York City studio headquarters of CNN.
- Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) is a small museum with a lovely gift shop and the Robert Restaurant. 



Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
New York City’s premiere performing arts facility. It is the home of 12 organizations (including the Metropolitan Opera, the NYC Ballet, the NY Philharmonic, the Julliard School, and the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts). It also hosts the NY Fashion Week. Lincoln Center has been featured in several classic New York movies, including Black Swan, Ghostbusters, Moonstruck, The Producers… Lincoln Ristorante is a great option before and after the concerts.
Tip: If you are 21-35 years old you can buy discount tickets at LCT. 



The Dakota
Most famous for being the building where John Lennon was gunned down in 1980, the Dakota is a luxury apartment building overlooking Central Park at 72nd Street. Famous residents of the building have included John Lennon and Yoko Ono (still lives there), Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, Judy Garland, just to name a few. The Dakota was also prominently featured in the Roman Polanski thriller Rosemary’s Baby. 



American Museum of Natural History
Located at Central Park West x 79th Street, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world. It became even more popular after "Night at the Museum" film. 



Riverside Park 
It's a narrow 4- mile strip of land along the Hudson River, from 72nd to 158th Streets. More info: Riverside Park

 Movies
A lot of films were shot in the UWS, such as West Side History, Ghostbusters, Fatal Attraction, You've Got Mail, Eyes Wide Shut, Panic Room, Die Hard, Borat, Home Alone 2, I am the Legend, MIB II, Night at the Museum, Rosemary Baby, Spider-Man I and II, Vanilla Sky, Sex and the City, and so on… Check it out !

 Celebrities
Here are some famous people who live in the UWS:
Al Pacino
Bono
Steven Spielberg
Sting
Woody Allen
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith 
Donald Trump
Tina Fey
Denzel Washington
Cyndi Lauper
Glenn Close
Bill Murray
Matt Damon
Mary J. Blige
Michael J. Fox
Nora Ephron
Steve Martin
Yoko Ono
Diane Keaton
Barbara Streisand
Better Midler
Anna Paquin
Mia Farrow
Jerry Seinfeld

And here is a map with my favorite spots in UWS:


See Upper West Side - Best From Expats in a bigger map

Enjoy!

Sep 9, 2012

9.9.12 - No comments

Taste Williamsburg




An enthusiastic Brooklyn friend introduced us to a food fest of the local best restaurants, with live music and waterfront views: Taste Williamsburg.
You buy a ticket and get 6 food tastes and 4 drinks. Each restaurant has a booth and serves small portions of their specialty (pasta, seafood, meat, ice cream…). Cafe Morgador, Fabbrica, Dumont & Dressler, The Bedford, The Meatball Shop were awesome!
Enter Taste Williamsburg and subscribe their mailing list.
Here is a video of last year's edition: Taste W 2011

Cheers!

Sep 3, 2012

3.9.12 - 1 comment

Tips for Tipping



There are two main hidden costs when visiting or living in NYC: 
- Sales Taxes (8.875%, not shown in the product's labels, being the City's tax 4.5% + State tax of 4% + the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District surcharge of 0.375%). 
- The other one is Tipping. Tourists and newcomers are always alarmed by the abusive amount of money to be given… But quite often the tip is the only source of income for service people, so it's important to know when tipping is expected and how much to properly tip:

Bars and Restaurants: 
- Service: 15- 20%. The locals usually pay 2 times the Tax shown in the bill (2 x 8,875%) = 17.75% (see picture above).
- Bartender: $1/ drink
- Bathroom Attendants: $1
- Coat person: $1
- Catering Halls: weddings and other events: 15%

Taxis: 15 - 20%

Beauty Salon: 15% (and they get mad if you tip in coins…)

Hotels:
- shuttle bus driver: $1
- Bellhop: $1 per bag
- Maid: $1/ night
- Room Service: $15%

Holiday Tipping (be prepared to spend $$$, Ho Ho Ho…):
- Apartment Building Superintendent: $100 - $200 (less if you tip throughout the year).
- Apartment Doorman/Concierge: $75-$150 each. Those who serve you more should get a bigger tip.
- Apartment Building Handyman And Porters: $20 - $30 each (broad range: $10 - $75)
- Apartment Building Elevator Operators: $15-40 each
- Parking attendants: $40 each
- Cleaning lady / Housekeeper: 1 or 2 weeks pay
- Full time nanny: 1 or 2 weeks pay
- Regular babysitter: $25 - 50
- Regular dog walker: 1 week pay

citidex.com, examiner.com

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