"For lunch, which, for the nature of my business, is my favorite time to go around to interesting and off the beaten path restaurants in New York City, a great place with counter service on 11th St. and 2nd Ave. is Momofuku Noodle Bar -- great soup and a major hang out for chefs and people in the restaurant business. Barbuto, in the West Village, is lots of fun. If you like Italian, Lupa in the Village is definitely one of the best. For lobster rolls, try Mary's Fish Camp – fantastic, and Fatty Crab on Hudson St. – funky place, great food. I love these places because aside from great food, they represent the most innovative ideas in restaurants. So, if you have two or three hours during the late morning / early afternoon, you can try a few of the places one after the other, like we New Yorkers do."
[more]Pino Luongo, Restaurateur & Author
Crossing Town
New Yorkers divide religiously along East Side/West Side lines. But occasionally they are known to travel to the Other Side. If you find yourself in such an unlikely position, you might take a cross-town bus: they run along 66th/67th Streets, 72nd, 86th, 96th, and 110th. These are, however, some of the slowest buses in the MTA's roster, famously clocked at an average of about four miles per hour. So you might also consider walking, enjoying the park along the way, and grinning as you pass the bus unloading its charges.