Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Destinations > America - USA > New York City
Reload this Page >

Recommendations For Middle of the Night Activities?

Recommendations For Middle of the Night Activities?

Old May 14, 2008, 1:18 pm
  #1  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Recommendations For Middle of the Night Activities?

I'm planning a mileage run to NYC, and am considering what to do there overnight without getting a hotel room. I'll be there on a Wednesday night (which is giving me the biggest trouble) and a Saturday night.

I'm not much of a drinker, so I'm not looking to go to bars without some other activity (preferably late night, live music), and I would appreciate suggestions. I'll be arriving at 8 pm and leaving around 7 am the next morning. I'm considering the following:

Wednesday
Arrive at 8 pm
Katz's around 9:30 pm
Birdland after that until about 12:30 am
someplace late night (looking for suggestions for late night live music, comedy or other show) until about 3 am
Run for bagels somewhere (H&H is open 24 hours) and catch the A train back to JFK around 4 am, arriving around 5 am
Shower and rest at the Admirals Club and get on the plane, sleeping all the way home.


Saturday
Arrive at 8 pm
Greenwich Village Clubs (Cafe Wha? Blue Note, Village Undergrond) until about 2 am
Katz's around 2 am
Someplace from 3 to 4 am? (suggestions wanted)
Figure some way to LGA from 4 to 5 am
Shower and rest at the Admirals Club and get on the plane, sleeping all the way home.

I'm very open to suggestions, though I really like Katz's, as you see, so I am planning on going there on both runs.
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 1:46 pm
  #2  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Other posters may be able to give you late show advise. If you are more midtown suggest that you take the E train back to Jamaica for the Airtran. The A train runs in some not so nice neighborhoods. The E will run local in Queens but from midtown should still only be about 45 minutes or so.

Also, not sure but the observation deck at the Empire State Building may be open late.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 1:56 pm
  #3  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
Also, not sure but the observation deck at the Empire State Building may be open late.
I've done that a few times late night. I think they close around 11 pm, but I've been up there enough times now. Thanks for the advice about the E train. I'll try that instead -- always took the Airtrain to Howard Beach before, but then I've always done it in the middle of the day.

Last edited by Hoc; May 14, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 2:08 pm
  #4  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
By the way, someone I met in New York City once mentioned a place called Millie's as a place for after-hours live music. Anyone know about that place?
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 4:43 pm
  #5  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
If you want to go to Katz on Wednesday, do know that they will close 15 minutes after you plan to arrive. Were you planning on take-out? As for Saturday night, they'll close 45 minutes after your planned visit. You will walk away from there completely stuffed. If you plan on dancing afterwards, give yourself a good 2 hours to let your food digest.
Analise is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 6:31 pm
  #6  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Originally Posted by Analise
If you want to go to Katz on Wednesday, do know that they will close 15 minutes after you plan to arrive.
They told me that they closed at 11 pm on Wednesday and 3 am on Saturday. That's wrong?
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 7:01 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: BAEC Silver, WN CP, Marriott Gold
Posts: 420
A couple recommendations and tips from someone who has lived in the middle-Village area for the last 8+ months...

Skip the bars and clubs on MacDougal , they're mainly overpriced and full of hairy New Jersey guidos and drunk college kids, especially on a weekend night. Do check out the street though - go late and grab a shwarma at Mamouns or Yagatan, eat it while you watch and laugh at the drunks. Great people-watching late-night (11pm-3am'ish).

Check out Fat Cat at Christopher st.and 7th ave - very cool basement bar/lounge filled with pool tables, ping pong, shuffleboard, chess/checkers/go, and young laid-back crowd, beer+wine, and awesome live music (mainly Jazz) by unknown but talented local bands until the late, late hours. $3.00 cover and relatively cheap drinks. Be prepared for a line on Saturday night but none on Wednesday, it moves quick though.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater on W 26th and 8th ave
http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/
Multiple shows every night of the week, including some very late night, featuring local performers from SNL, Conan, and tons of other unknown but very talented performers. Many different kinds of shows - improv, standup, story-based... been to over a dozen and never a bad one yet! Cheap too, either free or $5.00

Both UCB and Fat Cat are near the A/C/E train (W 4th and 23rd st stops, respectively though at 23rd you'll need to catch a local to 14th then transfer to the A). That's your best bet for JFK, though Penn Station is nearby and offers a single-seat and much faster ride fo Jamaica station via the LIRR, for about ten bucks more I believe ($12 vs $2). Slick comfortable trains compared to slow subways (which BTW are extremely safe at any hours day or night).

When they ask you Pastrami or Corned Beef on your Reuben at Katz's (and don't even think about ordering something else), make sure to look confused and indecisive, and they'll carve you off a fat chunk of both to make your decision by.

Finally RE: LGA from the Village area around 4-5 AM, you can do it via the 6 train to 125th st and the M60 Bus, but it's a pretty long trip. These days I usually take a car service if there's traffic (Dial7.com, 212-777-7777, about $33 + tip), or a taxi if it's late-night (around $25 with no traffic).
DenverF9Flier is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:19 pm
  #8  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Originally Posted by DenverF9Flier
* * *
Thanks. When you say "Fat Cat," are you talking about the Village Underground (with entertainment by the Fat Black Pussycat)? I'm on the mailing list for that one, so I get free admission, or half price drinks, or something like that. I was thinking about going there on Saturday night, but I saw some great musicians playing at the Blue Note that night, so I might have to do both or even plan on just doing the Blue Note until it's time for Katz's.

On Katz's, I've never had the Reuben, always went with either Pastrami or Brisket (I know the trick about ordering from the carvers directly and tipping $2, so they always carve large portions of meat and give it to me on a plate to eat while they're making my sandwich -- also get better, fresher meat right out of the steamer, and as juicy as I like it). I might try a Reuben when I'm in town longer and can go a few times, but for the "one night only" experience, if I pass up the pastrami and get a pastrami or corned beef Ruben instead, I might miss my pure pastrami on rye with mustard. . . .

On Katz's hours, I double checked, and according to the website, it closes at 10:45 pm on Wednesday and 2:45 am on Saturday. So Wednesday doesn't scare me at all (I'd need to get out of there in time to get to Birdland by 11 pm, anyway), and I can probably wolf down a sandwich and a Dr. Brown's in 45 minutes on Saturday.

I think I solved my late night Wednesday dilemma. Crunch Fitness on Lafayette, near 4th St., is open 24 hours. So, I can work out there from 1:30 or 2 am until 3 or 3:30 am, including shower (apparently, they even provide soap and towels). That way I can justify pigging out at Katz's at 9 pm earlier that evening.

By the way, that's the East Village, right? Pretty safe to walk there from the Lexington Subway line, even in the middle of the night?

Now if only Faicco's in the Village was open later, I could have stopped by there on one of the runs and picked up some hot sopressata to take home in the interest of domestic tranquility.
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:29 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: New York City/NY22
Programs: AA Platinum 2.3MM (Lifetime PLT)
Posts: 5,285
Second Avenue Deli is open 24/7.
Landing Gear is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:30 pm
  #10  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Originally Posted by Landing Gear
Second Avenue Deli is open 24/7.
I thought they had closed.
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:37 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: New York City/NY22
Programs: AA Platinum 2.3MM (Lifetime PLT)
Posts: 5,285
Originally Posted by Hoc
I thought they had closed.
Reopened a few months ago. Read this as well as the rest of that thread.
Landing Gear is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:42 pm
  #12  
Hoc
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA 2.5 MM, United Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,460
Originally Posted by Landing Gear
Reopened a few months ago. Read this as well as the rest of that thread.
I don't think that I could justify there and Katz's, and I'd be really bummed out if I skipped Katz's. Pastrami is always a personal taste (I have a friend who swears that Ben's out in Queens makes better pastrami than any of the Manhattan Delis), but I found Second Avenue's pastrami and other food to be too salty, anyway.

Hmm, might go there for cheesecake at 3 am. . . .
Hoc is offline  
Old May 14, 2008, 9:47 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: New York City/NY22
Programs: AA Platinum 2.3MM (Lifetime PLT)
Posts: 5,285
Originally Posted by Hoc
I don't think that I could justify there and Katz's, and I'd be really bummed out if I skipped Katz's. Pastrami is always a personal taste (I have a friend who swears that Ben's out in Queens makes better pastrami than any of the Manhattan Delis), but I found Second Avenue's pastrami and other food to be too salty, anyway.

Hmm, might go there for cheesecake at 3 am. . . .
Sorry, no cheesecake. They are kosher so they cannot mix meat and dairy.
Landing Gear is offline  
Old May 15, 2008, 7:12 am
  #14  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,985
Originally Posted by Hoc
I think I solved my late night Wednesday dilemma. Crunch Fitness on Lafayette, near 4th St., is open 24 hours. So, I can work out there from 1:30 or 2 am until 3 or 3:30 am, including shower (apparently, they even provide soap and towels). That way I can justify pigging out at Katz's at 9 pm earlier that evening.

By the way, that's the East Village, right? Pretty safe to walk there from the Lexington Subway line, even in the middle of the night?
Hey, that's my gym! They do provide towels and there are some dispensers (soap gel, shampoo, I think) in the showers, though I've never used them. It's a pretty big gym (2 floors), by Manhattan standards.

Yeah, that's the west edge of the East Village, and perfectly safe to walk around in the middle of the night.
nerd is offline  
Old May 15, 2008, 10:32 am
  #15  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Onepass, Skymiles, Worldperks, Hilton HHonors Silver, Mariot Rewards
Posts: 708
What Saturday will you be here? I can let you know about some afterhours shows and things but I need the date.
gradvmedusa is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.