THE BEST OF 'THE BEST'
1. The best bar, the best bathroom, the best bus line, the best block party, the best back-crack, the best Brooklyn hipster haircuts, the best gossip, the best magazine browsing, the best patriot outlaws...Does it get any better? The VILLAGE VOICE Best of NYC www.villiagevoice.com
2. Best Way To Find Whatever It Is That You're Looking For: www.CITYSEARCH.COM helps you find bars, restaurants, shops, and museums all the time—and I've yet to come across an incorrect phone number or location.
Cuppa Coffee
3. JACK'S COFFEE ‘Jack is no ordinary coffee shop’. Stir brewed coffee, premium teas, live music on Tuesday, and Thursday night movies. ‘Great Vibe’. 138 W 10th St.
4. The Village Voice has named MUD 'The Best Coffee Empire'. Giving NYC residents an alternative to the Star$$$$'s take-over. Look for the orange truck at Astor Place and Union Square.
5. THE HUNGARIAN PASTRY SHOP - A Heavenly view of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Amsterdam & 109th Street.
6. THE CUPCAKE CAFE - is close to Broadway and the fabulous 42nd Street area where there are movies, arcade games, and a wonderful cluster of import shops. It is just behind the New York, New Jersey Port Authority in an area where you might
not think to stroll. Located at 522 9th Avenue on the corner of 39th Street, the nearby highway leads to the Lincoln Tunnel.
7. HOUSINGWORKS USED BOOKS & CAFE'Soho's Best kept secret'- 126 Crosby Street, NYC 10012.
HAVE MORE FUN!
8. BIKRAM YOGA-Offering classes in Bikram-style Yoga (Hot Yoga), a form of hatha yoga conducted in a heated room. www.Bikramyoganyc.com
9. GALAPAGOS- 'May be the only public place in town where (while imbibing) you can hear a reading of Shakespeare's Tempest, shimmy to live Cuban music and see trapeze artists all in the same month.' 70 North 6th St. (Williamsburg/
Greenpoint) Between Wythe and Kent Aves. Take L train to Brooklyn718-782-5188
10. Poetry Slams. With poetry or prose, untried and unstoppable writers gain stage worthy experience. NUYORICAN POETS CAFE 236 E 3rd between B & C (212) 505-8183
11. THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB - 308 Foot of First Street between Houston & Bleecker
12. FILM FORUM- 209 W. HOUSTON ST. N.Y., NY 10014 BOX OFFICE: (212) 727-8110 New York's leading movie house for independent premieres and repertory programming The Film Forum presents independent filmmakers, international
collections, complete retrospectives of worthy filmmakers, silent films, and mini-festivals
13. LEISURE TIME BOWLING AND COCKTAIL LOUNGE at the Port Authority Between Eighth and Ninth Ave from 40th to 42nd Streets, 268-6909 Electronic scoring! Lotsa Lanes!!
14. ST. ANN'S WAREHOUSE - Aritists, audiences, volunteers, creative freedom and some of the best perfomances in the outer bounds of entertainment. 38 Water Street Dumbo Brooklyn
15. THE STORYBOOTH is a soundproof environment where you can record your story or the stories of your loved ones located between Track 13 and 14 of Grand Central Terminal.
16. BRYANT PARK a green and sensual urban oasis including "Seventh on Sixth" fashion shows; the JVC Jazz Festival; the "New York Times Young Performers Series"; lunchtime concerts
by Juilliard students; Monday night movies in the summer; the Kaleidoscope Circus; boules and chess games.
LISTEN UP
17 WNYC National Public Radio 820-AM
18. WFMU College Free Form 91.1- FM
19. WFUV-FM Adult Alternative 90.7
PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY ARE LEARNING
20. WARD STUDIO is a coveted acting studio in the Meisner Approach. Offering summer sabbaticals for the corporate professional and intensive acting training for the serious minded actor. 145 West 28th St. Ny, Ny 212-239-1456 www.wardstudio.com
21. DANCE THEATRE WORKSHOP @ 219 West 19th St. is about supporting and advancing the work of artists - constantly evolving to sustain artists at every stage of their development. They provide a wide range of administrative, promotional and technical services to the community of independent artists in New York, across the country and around the world.
22. THE INSTITUE OF CULINARY EDUCATION- was named
“Avocational Cooking School of the Year” by the
International Association of Culinary Professionals. ICE has
three divisions: Recreational, Career and Special Events: 50 West 23rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues www.iceculinary.com
23. ANNE BOGART AND SITI TRAINING. Disinct, challenging and innovative methods of actor training. Viewpoints & Suzuki, Master Classes-Guest Artist Series, Drop-in Classes. www.siti.org
24. CRUSH WINE CO. 153 E. 57th St. offers a quick wine tasting primer for $50.
GREAT PUBLIC SPACES
25. PALEY PARK @ 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Located within Midtown's cultural district and surrounded by high-rises, this celebrated "vest-pocket" park is a welcome respite from the sights and sounds of urban living.
24. NY PUBLIC LIBRARY @ 42nd street and Madison boasts a gorgeous reading room that would make anyone feel like royalty - indeed, it rivals the ballrooms of European palaces. But out in front, along the street, is where this illustrious institution truly connects with the city around
it. A series of well-linked spaces - steps, plazas, little nooks and pathways - provide innumerable places for sitting, meeting, eating and chatting.
26.CONEY ISLAND streets, buildings, public beach and boardwalk may be a bit down at the heels, but it remains a one-of-a-kind destination. Vicinity of Surf Avenue & West 15th Street, Brooklyn, NY www.coneyisland.com
27. HUA MEI BIRD GARDEN Community garden that hosts daily, early-morning gatherings of Chinese men who bring beautiful songbirds in fancy bamboo cages. Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Lower East Side, New York, NY
28. GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL- One of the most well known and impressive indoor public spaces in the country, Grand Central Terminal- provides an unparalleled experience to over half a million people every day. Park Avenue and 42nd
Street, New York City, NY
29. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM STEPS- The grand, granite steps leading to The Metropolitan Museum of Art are a destination themselves: a place to meet, eat, talk, and watch both people and Fifth Avenue traffic. Fifth Avenue from 80th - 84th Streets, New York, NY
IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL BOOKSTORE. Owning a bookstore is a labor of love, and the financial rewards are slender. Independently owned businesses, like bookstores, drugstores or hardware stores, help define a community.
30. " Oh joy! Oh Rapture!" COLISEUM BOOKS, WELCOME BACK!! 11 W. 42nd Street New York, NY Phone: (212) 803-5890. Across the street from Bryant Park.
31. LABYRINTH BOOKS- 536 West 112th Street, for university presses.
32.ST. MARKS BOOKS- 31 Third Avenue, for a wide selection of all books.
33. THREE LIVES AND CO. 154 West 10th Street, for fiction.
34. THE DRAMA BOOK SHOP
Drama Books is one of the largest book stores specializing in theatre related material. 250 W. 40th St Phone: (212)
944-0595
SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
35. A beautifully made hat is a headturner. BARBARA FEINMAN MILLINERY- 66 East 7th Street NY, NY 212-358-7092.
36. Wahoo! Elisa Miller knows how to throw a class act Swank! SOMEDAY PRODUCTIONS handles all aspects of party and event planning 347-432-8949 www.somedayproductions.com
37. GO YOGA- Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A small, friendly Yoga Center offering a variety of classes all day - every day. Go Yoga is located within the Girdle
factory at: 218 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn NY. www.goyoga.com
TO MARKET WE GO
38. GREENMARKET FARMERS MARKET is a program of the Council on the Environment of NYC, promoting regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Comprehensive regulations govern what may be
sold at a Greenmarket. With few exceptions, all items must be grown, raised, foraged, caught, or otherwise produced by the seller. www.cenyc.org
39. CHELSEA MARKET includes The Juice Factory, Amy's Bread, Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market, Fat Witch, Chelsea Wine Vault, Hale and Hearty Soups and lots more.... Eat, browse and leisurely stroll. 75 9th Avenue New York, NY 10011
40. UNION SQUARE PARK AND GREENMARKET- Three-square-block urban park that hosts a year-round, open-air farmers market four times a week. 14th Street and Broadway, New York, NY
About the Author
Janice Hoffmann is Ceo and founder of Success Is Sweetest www.successissweetest.com A New York City based Career and Lifestyle Coaching Boutique