NYC Restaurants List

Uptown
- Beyoglu (80th and 3rd)
- 3 Guys Diner (75th and Mad)

Midtown
- Nobu (57th and 6th)
- Norma's in the Parker Meridien hotel (56th and 6th)

Gramercy
- Maialino (21st and Lexington)
- Gramercy Tavern (20th and Broadway)
- Friend of a Farmer (19th St and Irving Pl)

West Village/Meatpacking
- Gotham Bar and Grill (12th and 5th)
- Morandi (Waverly and 7th Ave South)
- Joseph Leonard (Christopher and Waverly)
- Corner Bistro (Jane St and West 4th)
- The Little Owl (Grove and Bedford)
- Cafe Cluny (12th and W4th)
- The Mermaid Oyster Bar (Bleecker and MacDougal)
- Minetta Tavern (Minetta Lane and MacDougal)
- Bar Pitti (Bleecker and 6th)
- The Lion (9th and 6th)
- Hotel Griffou (9th and 6th)
- Babbo (Waverly and 6th)
- Faustina (5th and Bowery)
- Yerba Buena (Perry St and Greenwich Ave)
- Waverly Inn (Bank St and Waverly)

Meatpacking
- Buddakan (16th and 9th)
- Tia Pol (22nd and 10th)
- Cookshop (20th and 10th)
- Matsuri (16th and 9th)
- Sarabeth's (16th and 9th)
- Pastis (Little W 12th St and 9th Ave)
- Bagatelle (13th and 9th)
- Barbuto (12th and Washington Street)
- Scarpetta (14th and 9th)

East Village
- Motorino (12th and 1st)
- Mercadito (11th and Ave B)
- Veloce Pizzeria (7th and 1st)
- Momofuku (10th and 1st)
- Esperanto (9th and Ave C)
- Cafe Mogador (St Marks and A)
- Pylos (7th and A)
- Casimir (7th and Ave B)
- Perbacco (4th and B)
- Gemma in the Bowery Hotel (3rd and Bowery)
- DBGB Bistro (1st and Bowery)
- Prune (1st St and 1st Ave)
- Pulino's (Bowery and Houston)
- Hecho en Dumbo (Bowery and Great Jones)
- Lil' Frankie (1st and 1st)

Soho
- Mercer Kitchen (Prince and Mercer)
- Delicatessen (Prince and LaFayette)

Lower East Side
- Clinton Street Bakery (E Houston and Clinton)
- Freeman's (Rivington and Bowery)
- Inoteca (Rivington and Ludlow)
- Kuma Inn (Rivington and Ludlow)
- Sorella (Rivington and Allen)
- Essex Restaurant (Rivington and Essex)
- Schillers (Rivington and Norfolk)
- L'Esquina (Kenmare and Lafayette)
- The Meatball Shop (Stanton and Allen)
- Le French Diner (Houston and Orchard)
- Kenmare (Kenmare and Layfayette)

Tribeca
- Matsugen (Leonard and Church)
- Tribeca Grill (Greenwich and N Moore)
- Megu (Thomas and Church)

Brooklyn
- Peter Lugers (Broadway and Driggs, Brooklyn)
- Egg (Williamsburg)

NYC Sights List

Uptown
- Bronx Zoo (2,300 Southern Boulevard)
- Gospel Choir (138th and 7th)
- Central Park (SW corner is 59th and 5th)

Midtown
- Rockefeller Centre (50th and 5th)
- Top of the Rock (50th and 5th)
- The UN (45th and 2nd)
- Chrysler Building (42nd and Lex)
- Times Square (42nd and Broadway)
- Broadway Show (42nd and Broadway)
- Grand Central Station (42nd and Park)
- Empire State Building (34th and 5th)

Downtown
- Statue of Liberty (Liberty Island)
- Ellis Island (From Battery Park)
- Brooklyn Bridge (From City Hall)
- South Street Seaport (South St and Fulton)
- Chinatown (Canal and Bowery)
- Battery Park (State St and Battery Place)
- High Line (13th and 10th)
- Staten Island ferry (South St)
- DUMBO area of Brooklyn (Brooklyn side of Manhattan bridge)
- Brooklyn Flea Market (Lafayette and Vanderbilt (Sat) or Flatbush and Hanson (Sun))
- Coney Island (Brooklyn)
- Governor's Island (Governor's Island)
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade
- Prospect Park
- Sandy Hook beach

Sports (Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Islanders, Jets, Giants, Flushing Meadow)
Tour (Gossip Girl, Sopranos, Sex in the City, Seinfeld)
Restaurants (Serendipity, Katz, Magnolia Bakery)

NYC Culture List

Uptown
- Cloisters annex of Met Museum (Fort Tryon Park)
- The Jewish Museum (92nd and 5th)
- Cooper Hewitt Design Museum (91st and 5th)
- Guggenheim (89th and 5th)
- Neue Galerie (86th and 5th)
- The Met (82nd and 5th)
- Natural History Museum (81st and CPW)
- The Whitney Museum (75th and Madison)
- The Frick Collection (70th and 5th)
- Lincoln Center (64th and Broadway)
- Museum of Art and Design (Columbus Circle)

Midtown
- Carnegie Hall (57th and 7th)
- MOMA (53rd and 6th)

Downtown
- Chelsea Art galleries (24-26th St between 10th-11th Ave)
- Chelsea Art Museum (22nd and 11th)
- New Museum (Stanton and Bowery)
- Tenement Museum (Orchard and Broome)
- Museum of Jewish History (36 Battery Place)
- Soho and Lower East Side galleries

What Would Life Be Like Without The World Cup?

Hi All,

Well, what a great 2 weeks it’s been so far. Whilst there’s no sign of Wales, there’s fewer more beautiful scenes than watching an England goalkeeper flap at a slowly rolling ball….or a French team argue with one another and then get sent home in Economy class… I don’t want the World Cup to end!!

My last update came towards the end of April and it’s been an enjoyable Spring since then. My resolution was to spend more time in NYC and I’m grateful for it – it’s now really feeling like a proper home.

I saw the sense of my idiotic ways and got back together with Emily. Kind of a weak moment for me as a hit a major piece of culture shock 6 months into my time here but I’m pleased to say things are going really well. Having a lot of fun together, doing lots of cool activities and have some exciting trips planned…and I even took her back to meet everyone…and despite all the advice, she even met my Dad…!!!

The mighty Bluebirds made it to the play off final for a chance to play in the Premiership and I made a very very late decision to come back for it. The trip worked perfectly with Emily’s holiday to France so she spent that weekend with me and her first ever football game. Sadly the Bluebirds got knocked off their perch by the lucky seasiders of Blackpool and we’ll be staying in the Championship for another season. But apart from the 90 minutes of disappointment, the weekend was a truly excellent one involving a lovely Friday night dinner, a cracking weekend of sun, some booze, dancing and a couple of BBQs.

Since then, I’ve been back to my old tricks of organsing stuff. Saw Bill Gates talk about Microsoft, Ace Greenberg about the Bear Sterns fall-out and went to a charity do with Em hosted by Maggie Gyllenhall.

The next few weekends are all about the Hamptons – never been before and heard lots about it. Some friends have places out there and it really is supposed to be a respite from the manic-ness that is New York…and I need the break!!!

As always, keep in touch with news, stories and gossip

Missing you all

Jamie

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 646 269 3323
BB Pin: 2559be92

Farmer's tan, wellington boots and an unpronounceable volcano

Hi All,

So you may be pleased to know that I have archived all my emails since I left the sunny shores of the UK onto a central repository…

“Repository” (a receptacle or place where things are deposited, stored, or offered for sale)
…not to be confused with…
“Suppository” (a solid, conical mass of medicinal substance that melts upon insertion into the…)

You can find it all here, in the aptly named “The Hammertime” – feedback welcome
http://jamiefromwales.blogspot.com/

So….onto the real news…

It’s been 6 weeks since my last foray into updating you all on the challenging life I lead!! It has been an interesting few weeks to say the least.

I made a trip down to Princeton to watch girl’s lacrosse (don’t ask!!) – I actually spent most of the time on some dodgy internet channel watching the Bluebirds stick it to the Jack’s in the South Wales derby. Beautiful beautiful campus however and definitely worth a trip if you’re ever nearby.
Also visited Boston which has a lot of charm and most importantly - a Wagamamas!! And went to Philadelphia (aka Philly) which is a really fun city. Lots to do and the highlight, without a doubt, was not the Liberty Bell, or Independence Hall…but running up the Rocky steps, humming the music and shadow boxing at the top!!!

I managed to wangle a work trip home, which coincidentally enough coincided with Harv having a baby girl called Mia Rose. Amazing to see, but just a shame that she looks more like him than his much more attractive wife!!
Finally bought some Hunter wellington boots which I had been looking for everywhere…just in time for the summer!! Had to schlep them to the football and got lots of odd looks from the crowd
Saw the family, threw a brunch, ate way too much food, got drunk a couple of times and generally had a great time catching up with everyone
Then, the stupid volcano left me “stranded” for 3 extra days…not the end of the world to be stranded in London…although it could have been the Maldives...

Talking of stranded, I had Chris and his girlfriend Chloe stay with me for a few days. Excellent house guests and we made the most out of the weekend, walking the Brooklyn bridge, checking out the Botanical Gardens and Prospect Park. Had a proper farmers tan to show for it!! And the strange weather that exists in this city meant that the following day, it p1ssed down…all day long. However, that wouldn’t stop us discovering the Lower East side - a very cool part of Manhattan…those new wellies sure came in handy as I splashed though puddles with a chilidsh abandon!!

My latest treat to myself was joining a Classic Car Club. Soooooooo much fun!! Since I joined, I took out a 1969 MGC (red, convertible), a 1972 BMX Tii2002 (maroon, boxy and the kind of car you used to hate getting dropped off to school in by your parents) and the club’s pride a joy, a 1957 Jaguar XK150 (a masterpiece of mechanical engineering). Lots more cars for me to try and lots more fun to be had!!

My plan for the next few months is to really immerse myself into the city and become a real New Yorker. I realized I have only been in the city 6 weekends since the beginning of the year so it’s time to see why this place has the reputation it does

Keep in touch

Jamie

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 646 269 3323
BB Pin: 2559be92

The Long and Winding Road

Hi All,

It’s been a 2 month hiatus, but there’s a very good reason for it. I’ve been back up to my old tricks and creating my very own carbon footprint travelling to wonderful places like Australia and New Zealand. It’s ok though. I’ve now started recycling my plastic bottles (otherwise I’d be fined/prosecuted) so feel like it’s now a fair balance!!

It’s been a whirlwind start to the year…

I moved into my new apartment on the 5th Jan (see address below for any postcards, presents, dirty underwear etc) and have been having a lot of fun doing it up. It’s now equipped with all the mod cons an irresponsible 28 year old would need, including the latest addition – a fancy surround sound system – episodes of Gossip Girl and Grey’s Anatomy have never sounded so good!!

Sport-wise I’ve been a bit lame. Joined a gym, but my appearances have tailed off recently. I had a few free personal training sessions, but can’t justify the 100 bucks an hour they want to charge for anything more permanent. Cool guy though – his name’s Lemar, he’s built like a house!!. The downfall started when I turned up to a kickboxing class and found I was the only guy in there. Just as Lemar walked past and gave me this look of disdain as to what I was doing!!!

Also struggling to find a football team. From playing 3 times a week in Singapore, I’m down to once every 2 weeks here. Either they don’t like the cold or they don’t like outsiders here. Anyone got any bright ideas?

And 2 memorable trips…

The first was to my favourite source of culture….Vegas!! A crowd of my Berkeley friends descended on the city of sin for a long weekend in January and had a cracking time. Highlights were boozing in Pure, coming out evens on the tables, being spanked at a German beerhall and using all 3 of the bathrooms in the suite we got upgraded to at the Bellagio!

And then the big trip of the year – to Australia and New Zealand. 6 of us (which quickly turned to 4 as Paul and Nicole decided they couldn’t hack 2 weeks with 4 immature boys!) rented a car and toured the south island of New Zealand (cue “long and winding road” reference!). A truly wonderful country with so much to see and do. The first few days involved a lot of driving, intermixed with swimming with dolphins, kayaking in the national park and hiking through the Franz Josef glacier. After a minor speeding fine, we off-loaded the car and chilled out for 5 days in Queenstown. When I say we chilled out, we went on the luge, white water rafting, sky-dived, and of course…bungy jumped!! The 3rd highest in the world and safe to say, a pants soiler!! But so so much fun. Check out the pics and video on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154432&id=512991087&l=28e0ca26bb

Then, what feeled like the whole Cardiff jewish community landed in Sydney for Shippo’s wedding. The snob in me couldn’t hack the hostel we booked into so I went in search of finer digs for the weekend. Was great to see everyone – the Saturday was gorgeous and 30 of us went to Manly for lunch and to the beach. We made a “Bring It On” style human pyramid which came crashing down when my old man put sand down Shippo’s shorts!! The wedding on Sunday was gorgeous and the one with the long hair looked very pretty in his suit – as did his wife!!!

Long flight back on the Monday, 21 hours in total, was made a little easier when I got a partial upgrade. However it was to a middle seat and next to one of the fattest guys I’ve ever seen in my life!! I gulped, but for some crazy reason the guy in the window wanted me to swap with his daughter a few rows in front so they could sit together. I happily obliged!!

And back to reality…

Check out this article Emily found…a few too many similarities for my liking!!!

http://www.observer.com/2010/wall-street/portrait-banker-29-year-old

Keep in touch

Jamie

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 646 269 3323
BB Pin: 2559be92

Party Like it's 1999

Well, firstly, let me say – Happy New Year!!! Pretty strange that its midday here and it’s already 2010 in Australia and Singapore….and everyone in Europe is starting to get their glad rags on quaff a few glasses of champagne! Also strange to think I’m in New York…and it’s snowing!! Check out the pics attached I took outside my office this morning.

I’ve had a few visitors over the last week and can’t sleep at the excitement for “The Harv” to arrive this time tomorrow!! All my gear is arriving from Singapore next week, I move into my new apartment on Monday and I have just signed up for gas, electricity, doctor, dentist, psychic, back-hair remover etc etc. New York is well and truly becoming home!!! And despite it being frickin cold here and all I want to do is stay inside, watch DVDs and eat copious amounts of food, i’ve pulled my finger out, hit the gym and just managed to get into my first pair of 33inch waist jeans since I was 14!!! This was a very fun experience with the gay assistant in Diesel where we talked about how my “ass” and my “package” fitted in the different styles of jeans!!

Despite moving to a country where the majority of people don’t have passports and have never been abroad (I just made that up, maybe I should post it on wikipedia?!), I still have the travel bug and hit the “beach” in Miami 2 weeks ago (although it rained and was miserable for half the trip) and am heading to the greatest city on earth in a couple of weeks, where grown men become like little boys in a playground…fondly known as “Vegas”…ahhhhh!!! Want me to put a bet on for you?

And I’ve met a girl!! Her name is Emily (but I call her Frankie cause she speaks French and is a Yankee). She’s a native New Yorker, 25, works at the NYC ballet is great fun. She laughs at my jokes, likes to cook me dinner and puts up with my strange bathroom habits – she must be a keeper!!

Xmas Day, I cooked a 15lb turkey (the smallest I could find in this obese nation) for originally 4 people and finally 10. We barely dented it, but all the food and drink went down very well.

NYE will be spent eating and getting very very drunk at a friend of Emily’s who owns a restaurant in the very trendy Chelsea Market.

If you ever want to call me, you can catch me on +1 646 269 3323

And if you want to send me a moving in card/present, or just tell me that you love me via the ancient form of snail mail, you can send to my new apartment

55 West 11th St
Apartment 7c
New York
NY, 10011

All my best from 2009 and into 2010

J x