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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   1665 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for August 27, 2025

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Going to explore New York (city) for a week or two (starting ~now). Any advice on what to do? Anyone around and want to grab a beer?

Lived there all of my life. Moved away recently.

I assume you're already bombed with the usual touristy advice. My delta is NYC actually sucks at some food but its strengths are: Korean food, Jewish kosher deli food (bagels + fixins) and pizza. Though you might have to sample a few places as there's lots of scrubs trying to cash in on the name recognition. Also the median restaurant actually sucks because they're just "location" plays. It's astonishing how bad a lot of places are but they're still viable just because they are in a lucrative location. You have to worry about this a lot more in NYC, IMO.

Anyway, the usual stuff aside: if you're going to be in Manhattan proper the west side river path, from Battery Park City all of the way to Harlem is pretty much endlessly beautiful for walking or (rental) biking.

NY actually has nearby nice white sand beaches. You can take a ferry to a Jersey beach in no time and have a day of it.

There's also almost always multiple interesting things going on every night of the week, just think it and check a few lists. E.g. there's some amazing comedy nights that often have random celebrity comedians dropping in trying material and they're not even particularly crowded.

Do you like the idea of combining running and drinking in public while singing random dirty ridiculous raunchy songs? Try to find a Hash House Harriers group. H3 is a global phenomenon but there's several of these groups in NYC, should line up well with travel.

My delta is NYC actually sucks at some food

Out of curiosity which ones? Unless it's all

plays. It's astonishing how bad a lot of places are but they're still viable just because they are in a lucrative location. You have to worry about this a lot more in NYC, IMO.

Mexican food can be pretty disappointing as a category in NYC. There are of course exceptional places and you can find extremely sophisticated low brow regional Mexican cuisine in Queens but I can't really say "go enjoy Mexican food in NYC".

Indian food is kind of like this too. Indian food should be top of its class in NYC but it surprisingly doesn't compare to the Indian food in London, for example.

Cuisine won't automatically be mind blowing just because it's in NYC, is my caveat.

Mmm fair. You can find good Mexican food in the NE but it sucks except for random places. Pretty much only in Texas/SW/Cali tho.

Indian wise that's an interesting point. Maybe blame Edison?

I am a local, but going to be out of town for 1.5 weeks from tomorrow, or else I’d have maybe met up.

If you do end up in Williamsburg, taking the ferry is a fun mode of travel if the weather is nice! Can also take it up to Astoria for the Noguchi museum, which has a great gift shop.

It’s a bit of a trek, but I recommend Wonderville if you’re into arcade games. Lots of indie, locally made games, all free to play, and drinks are cheap (but nothing special)

I enjoy Chinatown for a cheap pastry (pineapple buns) and beverage— the TikTok spots are all pretty good.

If you like jazz, Ornithology (small cover) and Lunatico (suggested donation) in Brooklyn are nice places, latter is trendier but smaller.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is also gorgeous, though this time of year does not have a ton going on, though lotuses and some other flowers are still in bloom I think. The bonsai collection, tropics/desert houses are always fun too, available year round. Could pair that with a visit to Brooklyn Museum, which is right next door.

Not a local, not even American but been there multiple times. So tourist POV.

Walk. Seriously, Walk.

It's cliche, but there is a certain buzz or "energy" in Manhattan that I haven't felt anywhere else. Don't use Ubers, if its a 20 minute walk and a 10 minute subway ride, walk. Manhattan is best experienced on the streets.

Others have mentioned that you can try the endless options of food, entertainment, but I suggest don't overfill your schedule with "things to do", leave some room to just walk around and check out things that catch your eye.

Shoot man, I was just there yesterday, I woulda met up. I had a good time wandering the High Line in Manhattan. If you care about architecture it's basically a site seeing tour for that. There's a great quality yet cheap Japanese place called KENKA on Saint Marks Place. $7 for a bowl of hearty ramen and $7 for a 20oz bottle of beer with good vibes. Otherwise don't forget to check out central park. It really does live up to the hype.

High line is so cool

There's a great quality yet cheap Japanese place called KENKA on Saint Marks Place. $7 for a bowl of hearty ramen and $7 for a 20oz bottle of beer with good vibes.

$7 for a bowl of ramen in NYC?!? I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I visit.

I can second KENKA. I believe that's also one of the two spots that Vibecampers/postrats have their meetups.

If you feel like Chinese food instead, there's loads in Chinatown but I like Spicy Village for something casual - David's Bar next door will let you take their food in if you want to have a drink and likely meet some folks (more generally, a good way to meet people in NYC is to pop through a bar that's so small everyone is in close proximity). The infamous Dimes Square is nearby, but there's nothing to actually see at the moment.

Since you've got a lot of time, definitely go see the Cloisters. It's a great neighbourhood, too, and will give you some topological variety and good cardio just walking around.

-If you haven't been before do some of the touristy stuff. Much of it is overrated but it is still worth doing once (ex: Time Square).

-NYC is arguably the greatest city in the world. With the most selection in the world. This means shopping (for a partner maybe?). You ever wanted incredible Indian food but don't have it in your usual area? What about something more specific like Cambodian? Pull up some lists of stuff and go to town.

-You'll be there for a minute, depending on what your situation is it may be worth doing something like taking Amtrak to Philly for a day trip. If you are coming in from say Toronto or otherwise have limited access to the east coast you'd be surprised at how much you can do nearby. You'll never run out of things in NYC but it can be overwhelming and adding extra stuff can be paradoxically helpful.

-I've never been to an IRL Motte/SSC diaspora meet up but I've always figured you'd have a chance at getting some of the paranoid opsec types with an open invite to some location instead of a direct "lets meet up." Food for thought?

Philly sucks, do not visit.

Bruh the place has some pretty great food, for the history buffs it's one of if not the best choices in the U.S. and for men of culture it's got one of the most exquisite art collections in the world. Not a bad spot. Now Philadelphians......

If you're already in NYC, the food and cultural attractions of Philly are negligible. I guess you could go see independence hall, but is that really worth dealing with the Philadelphians and what they've turned Philadelphia into?

Food-wise that's fair unless you specifically want a Cheesesteak or something like that.

Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and so on are solid.

The Philadelphia Art Museum and The Barnes are both A++++++

I think I heard once that Philly has the second largest collection of impressionist art in the world that's something.

I'm just gonna say it. The liberty bell is basically a tourist trap.

The Barnes is a good museum, but it (even combined with the Philadelphia art museum) pales in comparison to the Met alone (and the Met is just one museum).

The liberty bell is basically a tourist trap.

I don't disagree but I feel like this is most America history items.

I think we might have different tastes, especially once you had the context...The Barnes is just an exquisite museum.

-I've never been to an IRL Motte/SSC diaspora meet up but I've always figured you'd have a chance at getting some of the paranoid opsec types with an open invite to some location instead of a direct "lets meet up." Food for thought?

Excellent idea. I will be at Gebhard's Beer Culture in the upper west side, this Saturday (8/30) at 5pm. Happy hour runs until 6. I will stay until at least 7. First round's on me.

I don't know NYC well, so if that's a terrible pick, suggestions are welcome.

I'll be in a black tshirt with shrodinger's cat on it.

Related question: are there any rationalist discords/meetups etc in NYC?

Are there any rationalist discords/meetups etc in NYC?

The semiannual Astral Codex Ten meetup list has just been posted. It indicates that there are meetups in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, and Newark.

@Southkraut: Are there any in southern Germany?

There are meetups in Erlangen, Freiburg, Mannheim, München, and Stuttgart.

are there any rationalist discords/meetups etc in NYC?

Just for a laugh: Are there any in southern Germany?

The Munich one is pretty well visited. Theres also a small one in Erlangen. Can DM you the group chat links.

Thanks. Fire away! But there's what's probably a <1% chance of me actually going to any of them. I'm not much of a social animal.

Hah, this is peak introvert energy. Not actually wanting to attend, but wanting the warm feeling of knowing there are groups nearby that you could attend if you wanted to.

A part of me wants to meet up. Another part of me is scared of meeting my fellow motte racists. Can I mark myself as tentative ?

I recommend spending a Saturday morning & afternoon in Williamsburg. It's a special neighborhood. Up there for hottest people per capita anywhere in the world (I bring the median hotness down). Smorbasborg is great. Domino park is amazing and the Domino sugar building is my favorite new building in America. If you like climbing, then the indoor-outdoor bouldering wall at Vital is fun.

Williamsburg food crawl:

  • Lindustrie (basil slice) OR Fini (long hot pepper slice) are 2 of NYC's best Pizza slices
  • Esse Taco OR Tacqeria Ramirez = Turns out NYC now has amazing tacos (Ramirez is my favorite taco place anywhere in the US)
  • 12 chairs OR Paolina - falafel/hummus/mezze platter.
  • Birds of a feather for upscale sichuan - Curiously tasty chicken + cuman lamb are classic.
  • Drinks - Kahwah house for Chai, Devocion for instagram coffee and Birdie for good vibes (and rotating foods)

There's best in class vintage stores (artists & fleas and surrounding blocks), wine bars (Sauced, or really any of them), Bath houses (bathhouse is legit, actually). Williamsburg is a 25 yr old white woman's dream. But, it's pretty great for all other demographics too.

Depending on if it was too much or too little, you can go south and spend time with the Hasidics or go east and spend time in Bushwick. It's unconventional people either way.

Check out Fractal tech.

Is it an open coworking space in addition to the bootcamp? Or what is there to check out here?

Yep open coworking space. Just cool people, a nice vibe, good place to chill.

Any advice on what to do?

The huge container ports on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River are fairly cool. (Read The Box to learn about their history.)

I'm the kind of sicko that wants to see stuff like this when I travel.

When my parents made me go on a trip to Chile in the summer after my freshman year of college, approximately my only enjoyable experience was looking down on the container port of Valparaíso from the hills above it.

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