Got some time on your hands?  Well, as a service to my visitors I have listed here some things that, in my opinion (of course), are worth seeing, doing, or eating in the New York City area.  I hope to eventually make this list a global one.   In fact, if you are reading this from somewhere else out there and you have a favorite place to visit to suggest to Time on Your Hands please E-mail me.





Things to Do

First things first.  Eating in New York is one of the best things to do.  There are so many choices from, great ,cheap, sometimes divey places, to fantastic but obscenely expensive places.  Any of them can be rapturous (rapturous?) if the food and atmo are right.  I won't bother mentioning the places that everyone in the city or visitors coming to the city want to eat at.  Find that out somewhere else if you care.   Instead I will , perhaps against my better judgment, reveal some of my personal favorites and hope that they don't get so crowded that I can no longer get in.  Actually, some of them have been difficult to get into for awhile already ....hmmm






This recommendation looks like many of the lastest trendoid places in NYC; ie. a casual french bistro that looks like it was airlifted from it's previous location of 100 years from some Paris side street.  The difference here is that the clientele are not models or others with an overwhelming sense of their personal coolness.  The patrons are to an extent neighborhood people, but wherever they come from there is no attitude either in the diners or the staff.   None of the things that make some places "hot" and at the same time insufferable will be found here.  The food is very good the prices are excellent and the staff are extremely nice.   The restaurant is called Titou and although it has been written up and gotten more crowded than I would like I still include it in this list.  Titou, 254 West 4th Street, NYC, tel. 212-691-9359


Coffee Shops are possibly the most New York of New York places to eat.  The Jewish delicatessan which alot of people think of as living breathing New York logo and symbolic of NY eating is disappearing through a sort of attrition, at least in Manhattan.  And let's get something straight right now, the other boroughs have things to offer and should not be overlooked but when people talk about going to New York City they are not thinking of visiting Queens however much they might miss by not doing so.  Okay, okay, back to the subject of coffee shops.  There are lots of coffee shops in New York and there are a number of really good ones but if you happen to find yourself in the West Village and need to get some basic food--preferably breakfast and want the food to be decent and the eating utensils to be clean this is the perhaps the best place.  Actually, the coffee here is very good.   Good coffee of course is not a given at a coffee shop, In fact quite the opposite is the norm.   The coffee here is shockingly good and the they make an effort to serve food that is above the usual coffee shop standard.  Finally, and this I guess is becoming a theme of all these choices, the owners and the people who work here are all really friendly and try hard to please.   For those of you who are not New Yorkers-  When you go to a coffee shop it is almost required that you make "special requests" concerning exactly how you want your food prepared.   Your eggs, toast, home fries, oatmeal, coffee, whatever are available however your little heart desires.  So pretend you're a New Yorker and order your food with a personal flair.   One guy I heard ordered his breakfast with lot's of pickles on the side.   Go figure.   The Village Den Coffee Shop,225 W. 12th St., New York City, tel 212-691-0303




It will not be news to most New Yorkers to read a recommendation for The City Bakery. : For those who don't know this is far more than a fantastic bakery. : You can come in for a great lunch with different options to suit most anyone and to make the discerning types happy.  : Options include, but are not limited to- all kinds of serve yourself salads ,South American areppas (don't know what that is? go and find out) soups, (the tortilla soup is great)and shall we say "world food". : The bagels are amongst the better available in lower Manhattan and the other breads and assorted baked goods are far superior to many of your other bakeries around town.  : There are many other surprises at City Bakery and you'll just have to go and see what's what for yourself. : Don't miss the homemade marshmallows and try not to go at the height of any mealtime because this is not really a secret place and it can be mighty crowded The City Bakery,3 West 18th Street, NYC.









As mentioned above, there are a number of restaurants in New York that try to look like some working class French joint in the depths of France.   These often seemed to have few actual French people associated with them and are really just overblown theme restaurants.   Ditch the mediocre food and the usual dose of attitude and instead head down (way down) to Le Pere Pinard.   You will actually find French people here, both working and maybe more importantly, eating and drinking.   The atmosphere is unselfconsciously French and the food is verey good. Added pluses- it is very reasonably priced , the people are nice and in warm weather there is a courtyard to sit in in the back. It's a great place for ameal anytime but I'm especially fond of going on Sunday evening when it is not too crowded.   The only drawback is that it is not open for lunch during the week, but it is open for brunch on weekends and dinner everyday from 5:00Le Pere Pinard,  175 Ludlow Street, just below Houston ,NYC 10002 212-777-4917.

Shopsin's a.k.a. Groceries is easy to miss.  It is at the corner of Bedford and Morton Streets in Greenwich Village.   Even if you find it it might not be open. It has it's own hours and it's own attitude. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but not in between.  It closes at 8:00 pm and is not open on weekends.  But it is worth seeking out.   The menu is very large and global.  Stick to the uncomplicated stuff and try one of the soups.   You'll be glad you did.  Oh, and be sure to behave yourself the owners are great but they have no patience for jerks or bozos.



Places to Go

Most places to go that are really worth seeing seem to be known to way too many people.  In this lies the dilemma.   That is that if a place is worth visiting and is thus visited by alot of people it loses some of it's charm and much of it's appeal.  Sometimes it loses all it's appeal and then becomes a place you wouldn't want to go to.  So.... Now I am going to risk aiding in the ruin of some of my favorite haunts and if they become too crowded over time well they will just be dropped from this list.





Storm King Art Center


This is one of my favorite places. It has so many things to offer in terms of basic human need for relaxation, visual pleasure, and mental and physical restoration.  How's that?  Storm King Art Center is a huge park of forests and rolling hills that allows people to see outdoor sculpture in the type of environment and expanse that it deserves.  Large scale sculptures (huge ) loom in the hills.  Small sculptures peak out from under a bush as you walk through the woods.  It is a magical place and the scale of the artwork can make you feel as if you are on another planet.  There are picnic tables under a grove for visitors, although they do border a bit close to the parking lot for a really bucolic outdoor dining experience.  This place feels very far from New York City , for those of us who live here and really need to escape now and again.   There are also some other nice places to explore in the surrounding areas, but that's for another time.


Getting There

From NYC take the New York Thruway (87) north.  Take the Harriman exit - Exit 16.  When exiting the ramp take a right onto Routr 32 north to Mountainville and Newburg.   Stay on this road for approximately 15 minutes keeping your eyes peeled for a small sign on the left side of the road that says Storm King Arts Center. Turn left at this point and go uphill about 3/4 of a mile.   Take a left on to a beatiful little lane which will soon bring you to the entrance of the Art Center grounds.  There is a fee for entrance to the grounds after you get over the shock pay the fee - it's worth it.

A couple of tips  If you come to the town of Cornwall you have missed the turn off for the Art Center and have gone too far. Turn around, go back and make a right off this road. Do not get confused this is the Storm King Art Center not Storm King State Park.