The places we hung out in when I went in 2006 are all gone.

RIP Yogi's.

And the West Side Brewery.

Amsterdam Ale House is a nice hangout, but the best thing to do in NYC is walk around. You'll be surprised what you stumble upon. The Upper West Side is relatively quiet for NYC - mostly shopping and restaurants. I don't spend a lot of time hanging out up there, but take a walk around Amsterdam Ave and Columbus, and down Riverside Park for sure and you'll happen upon some cool spots along the river. Just depends on what you are looking for, there are too many places to name and it's usually hard to go wrong.

Ryan, there are few first-timer threads a few pages back in the Beacon forum.

Also check PMs.

If you are a runner/jogger, I would highly recommend putting on your running shoes and take a jog over to and through central park. You'll see more in 45 minutes that way then you would in half an afternoon. The Fairway Market right across from the Beacon is a grocery shopping experience like you've never seen. And I'd hook up with RonE and crew who I believe will be there and you've probably met before. Never a dull moment with them...

The places we hung out in when I went in 2006 are all gone.

RIP Yogi's.

And the West Side Brewery.

Complete shame. The neighborhood is not as quiet as it's been historically. However the area from Broadway to the west side of Central Park is quite interesting and luckily meant for walking around. Check out Strawberry Fields with the Imagine circle. And lol New Yawkah's don't bite despite all the claims. Neither are we rude although we often look to be in a hurry. The pace of anyways is like nowhere else

Within walking distance:

Central Park - including Strawberry Fields and the Dakota building;
Museum of Natural History ("Night at the Museum" setting);
The Metropolitan Museum of Art;

Subway - quick rides to SoHo, Greenwich Village, Ground Zero and all that jazz.

Appreciate the info, thanks!

Ryan

Museum of Natural History ("Night at the Museum" setting);
The Metropolitan Museum of Art;

And more! There's a stretch of Fifth Avenue north and east of the Beacon that's called Museum Mile. Natural History is my favorite, but the full list of museums looks like this:

110th Street – Museum for African Art
105th Street – El Museo del Barrio
103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York
92nd Street – The Jewish Museum
91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
89th Street – National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
86th Street – Neue Galerie New York
83rd Street – Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

If you're looking for some er...company 😛 ...try

Manhattan:
11 Ave between 24 and 30th Streets
Houston and Crystie Streets
133 Street and Park Avenue
8th Ave. between 42nd and 48th Streets
Lexington Ave Between 24th Street and 30th Street
12th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
9th Ave 44th to 50th Street
28th and Lexington
West 47th and 48th Streets between Ninth and 11th
43rd Street
Between 48th and 59th Street, West of 5th Ave
10th Avenue in the West 40's

http://www.nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/
National Museum of the American Indian.
Free admission.
The building itself has amazing artwork murals in the rotunda.
Many immigrants were processed through this building.
Subway directions at link.
When you're done stroll over and have a pint where George Washington hung out.
http://www.frauncestavern.com/

Museum of Natural History ("Night at the Museum" setting);
The Metropolitan Museum of Art;

And more! There's a stretch of Fifth Avenue north and east of the Beacon that's called Museum Mile. Natural History is my favorite, but the full list of museums looks like this:

110th Street – Museum for African Art
105th Street – El Museo del Barrio
103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York
92nd Street – The Jewish Museum
91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
89th Street – National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
86th Street – Neue Galerie New York
83rd Street – Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

If you do go to The Guggenheim take the elevator to the top and walk down. A lot easier

If you're looking for some er...company 😛 ...try

Manhattan:
11 Ave between 24 and 30th Streets
Houston and Crystie Streets
133 Street and Park Avenue
8th Ave. between 42nd and 48th Streets
Lexington Ave Between 24th Street and 30th Street
12th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
9th Ave 44th to 50th Street
28th and Lexington
West 47th and 48th Streets between Ninth and 11th
43rd Street
Between 48th and 59th Street, West of 5th Ave
10th Avenue in the West 40's

Spoken like an expert lol?