Restaurant Roundup: 5 to Try Before You Die!

New York City beckons foodies from around the world to try the best traditional dishes as well as new fusion cuisine at the world's best restaurants. There are so many great restaurants just around the corner from my no-fee apartment, I only wish I could sample them all! Here are 5 of the city’s best:

Tavern on the Green

This Central Park Landmark not only serves great cuisine but offers picturesque views of Central Park. Originally opened in 1934, the restaurant has undergone a series of transformations throughout the years, enabling it to remain a place to see and be seen. Naysayers malign the "touristness" of this historic site, but it is an experience everyone should have! Try the traditional dishes like prime rib or pork chop and you will be sure to be satisfied.

Pastis

You may forget you are still in New York if you spend too long in this restaurant! When I want to escape my New York apartment, I love going to this French-style brasserie, and with the surrounding cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District, it’s easy to get lost in a reverie. They offer traditional French cuisine, sometimes with an American twist. This crowded hot spot is well worth the wait. Try the seared tuna Nicoise, or the moules frites au Pernod.

Momofuku Ssam Bar

Ssam means "anything that is encircled or wrapped." At first this contemporary style Asian-American fusion spot only served Asian-inspired burritos, but has now expanded the menu to include many delicious and interesting dishes. The menu changes frequently and features fresh, local produce, in addition to meat items labeled with which farm they are from. Try the Momofuku Ssam to taste this restaurant's signature dish.

L'Orange Bleu

The friendly staff at this interesting spot only enhance the great food and atmosphere. Some nights you will find belly dancers or exotic African drummers at this French and African-inspired joint. The mussels are quite good, or come for the $1 oysters during happy hour from 4-7pm daily!

Serendipity 3

This spot is known for its "Opulence Sundae" of Guinness World Record fame. It's a $1,000 dollar ice cream sundae with flecks of gold in it. Don’t worry though, the other menu items are slightly more affordable. The other recommended item is the frozen hot chocolate, which defies physics, but tastes amazing!

So while summer lasts, head out of your manhattan no-fee apartment and sample some of New York's best cuisine!

The High Line: High Flying on the West Side

Photo by Sam Felder via Flickr

As anyone who lives in a New York apartment knows, living in the city in summer can sometimes feel like a concrete clam bake. Fortunately this summer relief comes to the West Side in the form of a new and innovative public space project--the High Line.

Originally a freight track built to replace a ground level track responsible for so many pedestrian casualties that its section of 10th avenue was once known as “Death Avenue,” The High Line had been abandoned for nearly 30 years (the last train to pass through was a three car freight train in 1980 carrying frozen turkeys).

This year, thanks to a concerted urban planning effort, part of the 1.45 mile elevated track has finally reopened as a landscaped promenade and park, complete with over 210 plant species and breathtaking views of the Hudson River. This new lifeline of public green space only serves to enhance the already charming Meat Packing District and West Village, increasing Manhattan real estate market rates and providing a significant draw for both tourists and renters of NYC apartments!

The park is free and open to the public from 7am to 10pm daily, but there are rules: no bikes, rollerblades, segways or skateboards are allowed, and dogs are prohibited due to the young and fragile plant life.

Friends of the High Line, the founding group responsible for the park, projects the opening of the second section of the railway (from 20th to 30th streets), sometime in 2010. The third and last section (that wraps around the West Side Rail Yard) is privately owned and may or may not be slated for renewal. The group wants to save this historic property and give it the same green makeover!

So this summer if you're baking in a West Side Manhattan Apartment and you want relief. . .just look up!

Darling, I Love You, but Give me Park Avenue!

Like many New Yorkers, I have a guilty pleasure. Every once and a while, I stroll up and down Park Avenue and fantasize about living in a luxury penthouse apartment.

Don't get me wrong. My current Chelsea apartment affords me plenty of luxury. But Park Avenue is the stuff of New York apartment dreams! When I think of having an address in the most exclusive zip code in the country (10021, which runs from East 42nd-97th streets) with millionaires and celebrities, Star Jones and Kim Cattrall as my neighbors, I get chills. An Upper East Side Apartment is something to desire, something to be envied!

And oh, the shopping! Nowhere else in the world will you find as many stores of such high caliber in such close proximity. Bloomindales and Saks, of course; but designer names as well, such as Gucci, Hermes, Chanel, Cartier, Christian Louboutin, Yves Saint Laurent and hundreds of others make me grip tightly to my purse!

But the Upper East Side offers more than just nannies taking their charges to the park, black tie charity dinners and trust fund babies; it's also blocks away from some of the best museums and universities in the world. It would take any New Yorker more than a lifetime to view each piece of artwork at the MoMA, The Whitney, The Met and the Guggenheim; but a girl with an Upper East Side apartment could certainly try!

The more I dream about it, the more I can't settle for anything less than the most enviable real estate in New York. I can picture myself rising at noon, greeting the doorman coolly as I leave the building for my afternoon stroll in the park, returning in time for a glass of wine on the balcony at sunset before getting ready for some high-society function...Park Avenue, you're the life for me! Even Madison Avenue just won't do. Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue!

Luxury at a Premium: Recession Brings Opportunity in Fashionable Uptown

Have you ever dreamed of living in a Manhattan luxury apartment, but didn't think you could ever afford it? The time to realize that dream is now. The recent economic downturn and the continuing slump in property values have created unprecedented opportunity for would-be Manhattanites to rent and/or buy prime New York apartments. The availability of luxury apartments in Manhattan has never been higher. So, this is the exact time to find a qualified New York real estate broker to help you find the apartment that meets your exact specifications and amenities, in the neighborhood of your dreams. Even furnished apartments in Manhattan's luxury arena are more cost-competitive. In short, it's a buyer's market, and luxury apartments in Manhattan are always a sound investment!

Move on Up to the East Side

If you want to socialize with wealthy commercial and business entrepreneurs, enjoy as your backyard and reside within a stone's throw of the world's finest museums and learning institutions, there is no substitute for New York's Upper East Side. Upper East Side apartments are uniformly-housed in elegant, pre-war low-rise buildings replete with luxury amenities
such as doorman security and fitness clubs. Once notoriously the most exclusive real estate area in the country, it is now possible to find luxury furnished rental properties here at prices that were inconceivable a year ago--and the further uptown you go, the more attainable real estate prices become.

What's the Story with the West Side?

More popular with the younger social set as well as home to many musicians and artists, the Upper West Side is brimming with sleek, modern condominiums that are ready to move in. But if high-rises aren't your style, you can also find an Upper West Side apartment housed in an historic brownstone. Culture buffs will be thrilled by the proximity to Lincoln Center and the Theater District, while gourmands can enjoy Restaurant Row, home to New York's finest dining establishments. In addition, the Upper West Side is accessible to many forms of transit
including several major subways, Pennsylvania Railway Station and the Lincoln Tunnel.

Rent-to-Own: Try before you Buy

For those of you who want to live in a New York luxury apartment, but are not ready to commit to buy, rent-to-own apartments offer the best of both worlds. By signing a pre-set one or two-year lease arrangement and exercising the option to buy before the lease period is up, you can claim most of your monthly rent towards the cost of the final purchase. This is also an excellent way of saving yourself a down payment while building--or even rebuilding--your credit history.

So don't just wait out the slump. Contact a New York apartment finder today and invest in your dreams. You may never see an opportunity like this again.

Shop Smart! Avoid New York Rental Scams

Finding an apartment in New York can be an exciting and rewarding experience, and the proliferation of online classifieds and broker finders such as New York Rent Club have made it easier than ever before, but the unguarded and unlucky few can easily fall prey to scams.As a cautionary tale on the dangers of renting apartments in New York City, read this article from the New York Post. A 22-year-old woman was arrested in December after collecting over $5,000 in application fees for underpriced Upper West Side apartments that were, alas, nonexistent.

In this case the perpetrator placed an ad in an ordinary newspaper, but scams of this type are also common online and are not always easy to spot.Anonymous listing sites such as Craigslist and apartment finders guides like Citycribs have been known to be hotbeds for scammers posing as both owners and brokers offering too-good-to-be-true New York rentals. Be especially wary of those asking for money upfront before showing their apartment for rent, and always ask for credentials.

Finally, not all legitimate New York real estate brokers are what they seem. If possible, get the skinny on your new agent before they lead you around. Find references and credentials on potential using an online broker finder site such as this one.

How A New York Apartment Broker can take the Sting out of the Apartment Search

So you want to find a luxury apartment in New York. Where do you start? Where do you go? Sure, you can look in the newspaper, you can drive around, you can ask around, but the best, quickest way to find a quality apartment is to contact a New York apartment broker.

A broker will have the right tools and the right connections to help you find the best deals on the most sought-after apartments in the New York area. With access to hundreds of listings, a qualified broker will be able not only to help you find your dream apartment, but also to inform you about the neighborhood. The price and purchase/lease terms of your future apartment is very important, of course, but information about government, schools, taxes, entertainment, and more, is also very important in making your decision.

The contract for your new apartment is also very important, and your broker will be able to help you understand each aspect covered in it, so you can make an informed decision. Your piece of mind is a great priority here, because you have to live with your decision for a while. Literally...

A New York apartment broker will guide you through the entire process, from finding a place that suits your needs and taste, to making yourself familiar with the area, or even helping you with your moving needs. New York real estate is a fast-moving market, and you cannot afford to fall behind and miss out on great opportunities.

Whether you are a college student looking for a small studio, or a couple looking for a one-bedroom apartment, or perhaps a larger family looking for a large luxury loft, visiting a New York apartment broker is definitely the best way to go.

Welcome To New York!