Crif Craft

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:32:47 PM8/3/24

to lustfinator

My name is Grier. I'm a blogger, small business owner, wife, toddler mom, Halloween fanatic, lover of all things gingerbread, sports fan, and craft beer drinker. I'm a finalist on Season 2 of the Food Network's Haunted Gingerbread Showdown. Welcome to my crib!

Location is king when it comes to lodging. Travel times between boroughs, and even parts of Manhattan, can take upwards of 30 minutes. Decide which neighborhood interests you most and pick a hotel in the area.

If you're into trendy bars, unique boutiques and a bit of edgy grit, opt for the Lower East Side. The Public Hotel, created by Studio 54 co-founder Ian Schrager, sits where the Lower East Side intersects with shop-heavy Nolita.

New York is a pedestrian town. You can take leisurely strolls around brownstone-lined blocks in the West Village and Brooklyn Heights, but the pace here is generally fast. New Yorkers use sidewalks for commuting and follow a set of unspoken rules: traffic flows to the right, walk no more than two people side-by-side and if you need to pause, step out of the way.

Another option for snagging in-demand tables: get to the restaurant at opening and put your name on a waitlist. If I don't have a reservation at Thai Diner, for instance, I'll join the waitlist and then grab a cocktail around the corner at Little Rascal to pass the time. Occasionally, the stars align, and I'll snag a bar seat without waiting.

If you want to bounce between cocktail joints with expert mixologists, base yourself around the East Village and Lower East Side. There's the kitschy speakeasy PDT (enter through Crif Dogs), craft cocktail connoisseur Attaboy, bitters-forward Amor y Amargo, plus some exemplary spots for wine (try Ruffian) and beer (taste what's on tap at Proletariat).

Speaking of queer-forward spaces, you'll find some of the best in Hell's Kitchen (home of pretty boys and Broadway babies), Chelsea (the jockstrap-happy Eagle is Manhattan's hottest gay bar), the West Village (unpretentious Julius' and femme-forward Cubbyhole are favorites) and into East Williamsburg (dance at queer bar 3 Dollar Bill; order craft cocktails at The Exley).

Theater tickets cost anywhere from $25 to $250 and up. If I'm adamant about seeing something (usually a buzzy New York Times Critics' Pick), I buy tickets on the TodayTix app, which offers discounted pricing and digital lotteries.