(New York, NY)

Does the First Lady really prefer New York's pizza to her hometown of Chicago's?

Doesn't everyone?

Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia and three friends feasted at Brooklyn pizzeria Grimaldi's yesterday, offering curious, salivating onlookers a rare glimpse into the dining habits of the First Family (minus President Obama, of course).

So was waiter Rafal Harajda, who said he was nervous at first to serve such a prestigious group, but was quickly relaxed by Michelle Obama's down-to-earth nature. That the First Crowd gave him a nice tip didn't hurt, he said.

The visit from the Obama clan wasn't entirely diplomatic, however. Harajda sparked a New York pizza versus Chicago pizza feud when the Times quoted him as saying that Michelle Obama told him: "It's the best pizza, and I'm from Chicago."

Visit Grimaldi's on a food walking tour with Walking Tours Manhattan click link below;

http://walkingtoursmanhattan.com/Tours/brooklyn-bridge-sunset-food-tour.html

(New York, N. Y. )

Many tour participants on WalkingToursManhattan.com love being in Greenwich Village so much, they want to spend more time exploring the neighborhood, after the tour, or want to come back on another day. I have added more attractions to see.

A very popular location and a most interesting neighborhood. The Village attracts a diverse population of party goers straight and gay, bohemians, writers, musicians, college age attendees and drop-outs, all in search of its wide array of dinner spots, jazz clubs, watering holes, shopping and people-watching.

You think you’re vacation is going to be easy but traveling is actually hard work. You’re doing a lot more walking than you have at home, and that usually means you’re getting hungry more frequently and in need of food, and rest stops too!

Snack Attack – The Hot Dog
Gray’s Papaya, at 8th Street and Sixth Avenue, which sells a good chain hot dog, not in the esteemed ranks as the Carnegie Deli, Katz’s Delicatessen, or 2^nd Avenue Deli. This dog is flavorful, slightly charred, and reasonably priced, but take a pass on the papaya drink. Remember its name, don’t be confused by other stores called Papaya Dog or Papaya King. Order with sauerkraut, a German word for finely shredded cabbage and mustard.

Rest Area Ahead – High Line Park

New York City’s new park, and it’s elevated, giving you a much different prospective from walking in any other park. It’s a former freight train line built in the 1920’s to bring beef from across the country to the wholesale meatpacking district here on the northern edge of Greenwich Village. Lovingly restored, the original train tracks were preserved, benches were added, and modest landscaping were added to this minimalist look. Great viewing site of the Hudson River, and Hoboken, New Jersey.Entrance on south side of 14^th Street, between 9 & 10 Avenues.

Refreshments Anyone – Chelsea Market

This old building was the home to Nabisco, and the smell of Oreo cookies is still smelled in some quarters of the building. The ground floor was converted into a gourmet food market, with excellent food purveyors like Amy’s Bread, wonderful chocolates from Jacques Torres and farm-fresh ice cream from Ronnybrook Farms. Convenient bathroom area, and plenty of tables outside shops. Located on 9^th Avenue between 15^th & 16th Streets.

All That Jazz – Village Vanguard

A true original with excellent acoustics, still going strong since 1935. A small, dark basement underground mecca for the past and present kings and queens of jazz. A very popular small & intimate club, so popular and loved, that Barbara Steisand introduced her latest CD live in this venue several months ago. Sets begin at 9 & 11.

Located on 7^th Avenue South, between West 11^th Street & Perry Street.

Most Charming Street – Commerce Street

Go 2 blocks south of Bleecker Street on 7^th Avenue South, and you’ll enter Commerce Street. One block long and looks like a dead-end street, but it’s not.

On the left is the famous Cherry Lane Theatre, the oldest off-Broadway theatre in New York City. Take your first right and you’ll be on Barrow Street, and your next

Immediate left and you’ll be on Bedford Street. On the right side of Bedford behind all that construction is Chumley’s, a famous speakeasy until 2007, when it closed for repairs. Go further up Bedford Street, and see if you can find the residential facade for the opening building shot of Friends.

Shopping Therapy – Noho Flea Market
Usual assortment of lots of clothing and jewelry, along with tapes, and sunglasses.
Open seven days a week. Broadway and West 4th St.

Indoor Activities – Bowlmor Lanes
If you’d like to get out of the sun, and bowl this is your place. Fun place to take the kids, even has gutter guards, ending the dread gutter balls. Decent burger and fries.
And a good pizza place next door called Stomboli’s.

Dinner Plans – Sushi Samba or Garage Restaurant
Sushi Samba very good choice, has indoor seating, and roof-top deck. Garage has American menu and highly prized outdoor seating for excellent people-watching on 7^th Avenue South.

Dessert Spot – Sweet Revenge
Cute little café offering liquor, coffee and sweets. Conveniently located near 6^th Avenue, (Avenue of the Americas) and Bleecker Street. 62 Carmine Street,
(Bedford Street & 7^th Avenue South)

For additional ways to see Greenwich Village;
http://walkingtoursmanhattan.com

We’re going to Carlo’s Bake Shop, location of the smash hit television show Cake Boss, as seen on The Learning Channel, for 3 seasons. We hope to see Buddy Valastro, his mother, 4 sisters and 3 brothers-in-law now operating the shop since it first opened in 1910.

The tour includes the history of Buddy and the shop, a brief background of Hoboken, and visits the major sightseeing attractions including; Hoboken Terminal, City Hall and Sinatra Park overlooking the Hudson with a great view of Manhattan.

We’ll meet in Greenwich Village, and take the Path train to Hoboken, New Jersey. Purchase of foods and train fare are additional.

Tour is 2 hours with minimal walking, Saturday 5pm, $20.

WalkingToursManhattan.com has introduced new food walking tours to enhance your sightseeing experience when visiting the Big Apple.

Private Food Tour
Have your own private food tour. We can customize a walking tour meeting your groups special interests. Tours can be arranged by neighborhood and food-type. Tell us what you have in mind and we'll design an itinerary to meet your needs.

(New York, N. Y.)

Interested in having a private NY food tour? We can customize a special food tour for private groups and students. You can explore New York City's great neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, or  a Brooklyn Bridge tour, with pizza and ice cream in Brooklyn.

Or perhaps you'd like to specialize in just one food group, we have a chocolate tour in the Lower East Side and SoHo, or if pizza's your thing, our tour starts in Little Italy and finishes in the East Village. How about a cupcake crawl for a birthday party?

Foods are included in all the above tours, and we stop for all major sightseeing attractions. 2 hours.

We also do dessert tours, where you can do a chocolate tour, cupcake crawl, or an ice cream tour in any neighborhood.

Foods are not included in these tours, giving you the option of visiting several vendors, and just buying specific items you have a craving for. 1 1/2 hours.

(New York, NY)

June

June 1-30, Union Square Green Market, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and

Saturdays, 8am-6pm, Broadway & East 14th Street 

June 1-2, Fleet Week

June 5-6, Washington Square Park Outdoor Art Exhibit, University Place & E.10 St.

June 9-31, Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte Theatre, Central Park

June 23-27, 4th Annual NYC Food Film Festival

July

July 1-31, Union Square Green Market, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and

Saturdays, 8am-6pm, Broadway & East 14th Street

July 12-25, New York City Restaurant Week

Enjoy 3-course, prix-fixe $24.07 lunches and $35 dinners at more than 250 NYC restaurants.

July 1-31, Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte Theatre, Central Park

July 4, Macy's Fireworks

July 13 &14,  New York Philharmonic, Free Concert in Central Park

August

August 1-31, Union Square Green Market, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and

Saturdays, 8am-6pm, Broadway & East 14th Street

Free Movies Under the Stars

August 4, 8:30pm Big Fish Location: Pier I (in Riverside Park South)

August 9, 8:00pm Goodbye Girl, Location: Bryant Park

August 11, 8:30pm Stranger than Fiction, Location: Pier I (in Riverside Park South)

August 16, 8:00pm 12 Angry Men, Location: Bryant Park

August 18, 8:30pm Star Trek, Location: Pier 54

(New York, N. Y.)

Trump SoHo, 246 Spring St., nr. Varick St.; 212-842-5500 Opening Summer, 2010
Located on the seventh floor deck, Bar d'Eau's views aren't as spectacular as some of it's midtown competition, but the bar itself keeps the atmosphere just as swank. A tile-lined pool—this one is for swimming—complete with waterfall, and a Bocce court keep the evening exciting. Private cabanas provide a perfect spot for a tête-à-tête.
The View: SoHo's surrounding buildings. And the eye-candy lounging by the pool.
The Menu: Basic bar snacks.
The Hours: Not yet determined.

W New York - Downtown, 123 Washington St., nr. Carlisle St.; 646-826-8600
Living Room Terrace, the fifth floor lounge at the newest W New York overlooks Ground Zero and the Hudson, with a retro feel. The LED lights reflect off the glass-shiny white floor, and old board games tone down the formality of the venue.
The View: Ground Zero, the Hudson River, and Jersey City.
The Menu: Light fare from BLT Bar & Grill.
The Hours: Mon.–Wed., 4 p.m.–midnight; Thu.–Sat., 4 p.m.–2 a.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.–midnight

Hotel on Rivington's Rooftop
107 Rivington St., nr. Ludlow St.; 212-475-2600
The "fully functional lounge and event space" is located in Hotel on Rivington's 2,300-square-foot penthouse and comes equipped with a 1,000-square-foot rooftop deck. Events will be mostly private, but nab a producer credit for some random indie flick and you're totally in for the premiere after-party.
The View: The Williamsburg Bridge and the East River.
The Menu: Fare from the hotel's restaurants — including Thor and Matt Levine's LEVANTeast — is available.
The Hours: Vary, according to the party being held.

Hotel Gansevoort, 18 Ninth Ave., at 13th St.; 877-426-7386
Plunge, for those willing to weather the line outside and suffer the cramped elevator ride consider the Gansevoort Hotel's fifteenth-floor penthouse an airy (and cruisy) escape; those who believe untucked dress shirts are an aesthetic affront consider it the inner ring of meatpacking hell.
The View: Great shots of lower Manhattan and New Jersey, from whence many of the patrons hail.
The Menu: Basic cocktails start at $15.
The Hours: Daily, 11 a.m.–4 a.m.

230 Fifth Ave., nr. 27th St., 20th fl.; 212-725-4300
Fresh air meets stale pick-up lines at the city's largest rooftop drinkery. Since it opened in 2006, a steady stream of finance types have flocked here for the Miami Vice–like décor of palm trees, stuffed safari animals, and an endless expanse of wooden benches.
The View: The Empire State Building to the north, the MetLife building to the east, and Jersey to the west.
The Menu: $12 cocktails incorporate fresh grape and pear juices; a full menu ranges from fried shrimp to the Malaysian Romli burger.
The Hours: Mon.–Fri., 4 p.m.–4 a.m.; Sat.–Sun., 11 a.m.–4 a.m.

35 E. 13th St., at University Pl.; 212-979-6677
Bar 13, for NYU students who couldn't make it to Florida for spring break (and downtowners too lazy to travel for a rooftop) seek solace at this campus clubhouse. Amid the palms and illuminated panels, revelers can pretend they're in South Beach—and of legal drinking age.
The View: Opaque screens surrounding the deck mean the only place to look is up.
The Menu: Well drinks are $7, while the 13-ini, the bar's signature Absolut Mandarin–based beverage, costs $10.
The Hours: Daily, 5 p.m.–2 a.m.

(New York, N. Y.)

(New York, NY)

Globetrotting newsman Anderson Cooper will soon be able to cool his heels in an old Greenwich Village firehouse -- complete with brass fire poles -- that he's turning into a new home.

The century-old building on West Third Street was nominated this week for a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, a status that Cooper can use for a slew of tax breaks if his renovations maintain the firehouse's historic façade.

Neighbors have seen Cooper visiting the firehouse regularly since it was sold in September for $4.3 million by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, which operated the private Fire Patrol 2 out of the building beginning in 1906.

The fire patrol was disbanded in 2006, and the insurance industry-backed fire patrol finally sold the four-story building last year. The owner of record is Firepatrol LLC, which lists Cooper's business agent as Carolyn Rossip Malcolm.

Construction crews have already begun work inside the building, taking down partitions and ripping out old plumbing fixtures, city building records show.

"I hope the new owner will appreciate what's there and will keep as much of it intact as possible," said Andrew Berman, director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, which nominated the firehouse for historic designation.

"It would be wonderful if that great interior could be preserved," said Berman, adding that his organization recommended the building for historic designation before it was sold by the fire underwriters.

The building, built in the Beaux Arts style, still has its original spiral staircases, brass fire poles, overhead beams used to dry hoses and walls covered with murals marking the fire patrol's history.

Cooper's plans for the old firehouse have yet to be filed, but the 8,240 square feet of space -- not including a two-story former stable in the rear yard -- will give him four times as much space as his current penthouse duplex on West 38th Street.

How much time Cooper will spend in his new home is anyone's guess. Beside covering world events, like the earthquake in Haiti, he's know for vacationing around the globe, including a trip recently to the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, India, where he was spotted with close pal Benjamin Maisani, who owns an East Village bar.

(New York, N. Y.)

Many tour participants on WalkingToursManhattan.com love visiting SoHo, they want to spend more time exploring the neighborhood, after the tour, or want to come back on another day. I have listed more attractions to see that are not on our walking food tour.

This neighborhood is a wonderful mix of residential loft living, cobblestone streets, art galleries, boutique hotels, historic buildings and one of the best designer shopping areas in the city.

Historical Building – E.V. Haughwout
The charming cast iron buildings give this area a distinctive look that is unmatched in beauty and numbers anywhere else in Manhattan. These buildings were put up in the 1850’s through the 1890’s as a cheaper replacement for stone construction. A magnificent example is the five-story Haughwout Building built in 1857 in the city's first fashionable housewares district. The Haughwout Emporium was world famous in its day as manufacturers and purveyors of cut glass, porcelains, mirrors and chandeliers. Located at 488 Broadway corner of Broome Street.

Shopping Therapy – Bloomingdale’s and Top Shop
After Macy’s there is no other retail store as well-known. A smaller version of the 59^th Street Store, located on Broadway between Spring and Broome. A few steps away is Top Shop, the British fashion retailer which recently opened its first store in the U. S.

Gallery Viewing – Dia Center
Check out Walter DeMaria’s The New York Earth Room, the longest running art show opened in 1977. For over 30 years this exhibit has brought a quiet oasis from the tuml of city life. Located at 141 Wooster Street, between Houston and Prince.

Lunch/Dinner – Balthazar Restaurant
A French brasserie offering the look and quality you’d come to expect in SoHo.
Open for 15 years this pricey classic is always busy, and their eggs benedict is only available on the breakfast menu. Visit their bakery next door for the chocolate chip cookie. 80 Spring Street, between Broadway and Crosby.

Best Real Estate – 190 Bowery
Struggling photographer Jay Maisel in 1968 bought this abandoned Germania Bank, built in 1898 complete with working safe in basement for $102,000. Yes its completely covered in graffiti but fits into the neighborhood’s artistic lifestyle on the Bowery. The 72-room mansion today is worth upwards of $40 million.

Coffee Break – Dean & Deluca
Great people watching spot with good coffee and sweets. Watch models running down Broadway late for photo shoots, to beautifully dressed European travelers
clothes shopping. Corner of Broadway and Prince.

Apartment Shopping – Trump SoHo
In case you really get to like the neighborhood and are thinking of settling down, you definitely should check this hotel condo with 391 units. Built by the Donald, naturally it towers over all nearby buildings with 46 floors and very impressive views.

For an escorted food walking tour of SoHo please visit;
http://walkingtoursmanhattan.com