Getting in ✈️

By Plane: There are three major airports, with the choice mainly coming down to schedule and carriers. Fly into Teterboro if you're really fancy.

LGA LaGuardia (Queens) – Most likely the (marginally) most convenient airport if you are staying in Manhattan or northern/western Brooklyn. It has been renovated and against all odds some of the terminals now qualify as “actually nice”. Taxi, Uber, or the M60 or Q70 buses.

JFK (Queens) – AirTrain to the A (subway)/LIRR or taxi/Uber. Traffic can be highly variable especially at peak times and when coming into Manhattan.

EWR Newark Liberty (New Jersey) – Convenient to much of Manhattan. AirTrain to NJ Transit or Ubers (it's outside of NYC so the taxis are different). Traffic is extremely bad on both sides of the tunnels, so we usually take the train to avoid the headache. The only thing worse than being stuck in a car for 2.5 hours is seeing what Uber charges for it. Fun fact: US Airport codes starting with ‘N’ are reserved for the Navy.

By Amtrak: Take the train to Penn Station (NYP). This is likely faster than flying (and dealing with the airport and transport) if you're between Charlottesville/Richmond and Boston. Note that for northbound trains, they will try to fake you out with a Newark Penn Station right before New York Penn Station.

By commuter rail: Metro-North, NJ Transit (NJT), Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) are great options if you are in the region.

By car: Traffic is bad. Hotel or garage parking is expensive. Street parking availability depends on the neighborhood (from impossible in most of Manhattan to possible with some searching in residential Brooklyn neighborhoods). There is street parking near the wedding venue, but there are no parking garages in the area. We'd recommend against bringing your car unless you know what you are getting into.

Hotels: We have a room block at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Downtown Brooklyn ($251 + tax, a good deal for this hotel; parking from $50/day). It is about 40 minutes by subway or 25 minutes by Uber from the venue. Other hotels we like include the William Vale, the Wythe, the Williamsburg, or the Hotel Indigo Williamsburg — all in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In Manhattan, the Hyatt Union Square, the Standard East Village, or the Hotel Indigo LES are in an area that we particularly like. The Carlton Arms is a funky, artsy hostel that we can recommend for the budget. Most hotels are located in Midtown Manhattan or Financial District (Downtown Manhattan) which are both a convenient ~35 minutes by subway from the venue. The neighborhoods sections below can provide additional context for your search.

Airbnbs: We recommend staying in an Airbnb to get the full New York experience. There is also a larger selection across all price points of Airbnbs than hotels in the neighborhoods that are most convenient to the events. The neighborhoods section below links to example Airbnb searches in the area.

The wedding venue is in Bushwick, Brooklyn by the Jefferson St. L stop. The L runs along 14th St. in Manhattan and through Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn. Most subway services in Manhattan intersect with the L at 14th St, so all of Manhattan is a two-seat ride away. In Brooklyn/Queens it would be best to stay along the L or the G (which connects to the L at Metropolitan/Lorimer). The following neighborhoods are some options that fit the bill, but many others would also be great places to stay.

Neighborhoods – Brooklyn

Williamsburg/Greenpoint, Brooklyn – Williamsburg is a neighborhood right across the East River from the East Village/Lower East Side, Manhattan containing the first Brooklyn stops of the L (the venue is a few stops further, towards Rockaway Parkway). It is a destination for its bars, restaurants, and music venues. Major zones include Bedford Ave., Lorimer St., Metropolitan Ave., and Grand St. It was the infamous hipster neighborhood in the mid aughts. Greenpoint is just north of Williamsburg and served by the G (take Church Ave.-bound to Metropolitan/Lorimer). Greenpoint was historically Polish and today has a mix of that and a slightly more laid back version of Williamsburg.
Hotels: William Vale, Wythe, Williamsburg, Hotel Indigo Williamsburg. Williamsburg/Greenpoint Airbnbs.

Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill, Brooklyn – Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill are classic residential Brooklyn brownstone neighborhoods. We lived in Bed-Stuy close to Clinton Hill when we got engaged, and Michelle has lived in the area her entire time in NYC. Bed-Stuy is a huge neighborhood and the most convenient parts to the venue are close to the G stop between Bedford and Nostrand Aves at Lafayette Ave. Clinton Hill is also served by the G along Lafayette Ave (at Classon, Clinton-Washington, and Fulton). To get to the venue, you'd take the Queens/Court Sq.-bound G to the Brooklyn/Rockaway Parkway-bound L at Metropolitan/Lorimer. Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill Airbnbs.

Park Slope/Boerum Hill/Carrol Gardens/Cobble Hill/Gowanus, Brooklyn – More classic residential Brooklyn brownstone neighborhoods plus Gowanus, which is more industrial/new development. These neighborhoods are, in particular, very nice and family oriented, while having great restaurants (especially along Smith St. and 5th Ave.). Ideally, you'd stay close to the Queens/Court Sq.-bound G to take to the Brooklyn/Rockaway Parkway-bound L at Metropolitan/Lorimer. Park Slope/Boerum Hill/Carrol Gardens/Cobble Hill/Gowanus Airbnbs.

Bushwick, Brooklyn – Bushwick is a large neighborhood after Williamsburg on the L. It's a mix of heavily industrial areas and residential areas. Scattered throughout, there are fantastic bars, restaurants, and artistic spaces. This is a good place to stay if you know the city well. Bushwick Airbnbs.

Manhattan 🗽

East Village/Lower East Side, Manhattan – The East Village is bounded to the north by 14th St. and the L. It's a fine walk to the Brooklyn-bound L from most parts of the East Village, but further down in the LES it may be best to take another train (uptown FM or 6 to 14th St. ). These are classic tenement neighborhoods and are known for nightlife and restaurants. Ben lived in the East Village for a long time. Stay here if a slightly grimy, divey, party vibe sounds fun (and avoid it if you'd prefer quiet and a bathtub not in your kitchen).
Hotels: Standard East Village, Hotel Indigo LES, many others especially on the Lower East Side. EV/LES Airbnbs

Greenwich Village/West Village/Union Square, Manhattan – If the East Village does not sound like your cup of tea, and you'd like to be in the action, but quieter and nicer, Greenwich or the West Village may suit you. These are also bounded to the north by 14th St. and the L (towards Brooklyn for the venue). Union Square overlaps with other neighborhoods, but is a transit center from which it is easy to get anywhere.
Hotels: Hyatt Union Square, Standard Highline. Village Airbnbs.

Soho/Nolita, Manhattan – Soho is a major shopping district (big names on Broadway, boutiques on the side streets), but also includes hotels and restaurants. Take the uptown ACE/RW (or walk) to the Brooklyn-bound L. Nolita is a super cute neighborhood just east of Soho that is much more laid back (and also home to a slightly crunchier collection of high end shopping). Take the uptownRW/FM/6 train (or walk) to the Brooklyn-bound L at 14th St. Both neighborhoods are just south of Houston St. from the Villages.
Hotels: Nolitan, many other good options. Soho/Nolita Airbnbs.

Midtown, Manhattan – The main business and tourist district, with tourism focused around Times Square and the nearby Broadway theatres. Most transit goes through here, making it very convenient. On the other hand, it can be a weird mixture of crowded and dead, over- and underwhelming. We suspect that when people say “I like to visit, but I could never live in New York” that's influenced by this area. We couldn't live here either!
Hotels: So many (let reviews and your brand loyalty guide you), we occasionally like to stay at the Park Hyatt on points. Midtown Airbnbs (if you must).

Queens

Long Island City, Queens – LIC is a great option filled with new buildings and a variety of restaurants just across the East River from Manhattan and across the Newtown Creek from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. To get to the venue, take the Church Ave-bound G to the Brooklyn/Rockaway Parkway-bound L at Metropolitan/Lorimer. LIC Airbnbs.

Walking

Most distances under a mile or two are usually walked. This is a pedestrian city.

Subways 🚇

The subway is the best way to get around the city. The subway is safe and used by millions of people every day. It runs 24/7, though frequency decreases after 11pm or so. Fares are $2.75 to anywhere (passes are available, but often aren't a good deal unless you will be taking A LOT of rides) and can be paid by contactless credit card or Apple Pay via the new-ish OMNY system, no need to buy a MetroCard from a vending machine. Google Maps provides transit directions that work, but we've found CityMapper to be better.

Biking 🚲

Biking in Manhattan is terrifying (but people love it), while biking in Brooklyn is much easier (there are, of course, dangerous roads and intersections and many bike lanes are not adequately protected). The bikeshare program is CitiBike.

Cabs/Uber/Lyft 🚕

In Manhattan (and a few select places in Brooklyn, especially Downtown or Williamsburg), you can stick up your hand on any busy street and hail a yellow cab basically immediately (light on on the numbers on the sign means it is hailable). You can pay by card, but cash is often appreciated. Otherwise, Uber and Lyft are easily available—you'll probably want to take one home from the wedding. During the day and earlier in the evening, cabs are often not faster than the subway, which can be frustrating.

Directions 🧭

NYC streets mostly form a grid (and where they don't, like in the West Village, we get hopelessly lost. Navigation is usually stated in cardinal directions (North, East, etc.) along the angle of the street grid (Manhattan North is technically 29° NE because of the angle, suspend your disbelief). In Manhattan, uptown and downtown are used as synonyms for north and south, especially on the subway. In Manhattan, above Houston St. the streets (east/west) and avenues (north/south) are numbered with the numbers increasing as you go north or west. In other boroughs, the avenue/street distinctions do not generally hold and each borough does its own thing (Queens, in particular, is a mystery).

We hope that you are able to take the time to explore and experience the city while you are here (skip our events if you want, just RSVP accurately, please). These are some of our favorite places and things to do (these are our good recommendations, we're holding nothing back).

“There was another character that was just as important as the two of us—New York City...”

Restaurants 🍴

Popular spots in NY can be madness, especially on weekends, but the density of good places means you'll find something (and have plenty of options for places to hang if you decide to wait it out). For reservations, most downtown (and cooler) places are on Resy, while OpenTable has more midtown places and classic steakhouses.

• Xi'an Famous Food (Manhattan: Chinatown; Brooklyn: Greenpoint, Downtown Brooklyn; Queens: Flushing) This is not a deep cut. It's really, really good (maybe my favorite place in the city). Fast, cheap, spicy hand-pulled noodles. N1 (cumin lamb) is the classic, but I most enjoy N3 (pork belly). Walk-in, also a good lunch option.
• 456 New Shanghai (Chinatown, Manhattan) Great low-key dim-sum/brunch spot. The xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are the stand out, and the wait is much less than at Joe's Shanghai (also great). Exceptionally cheap. Walk-in.
• Pho Bang (Chinatown, Manhattan) Hole in the wall Vietnamese place. Most notable (to us) for serving a very good Hanoi-style Bun Cha, which tends to be hard to find in the US. Walk-in, good lunch or casual dinner. Cash-only.
• Spicy Village (Chinatown, Manhattan) Get the big tray chicken.
• Málà Project (Manhattan: East Village, Midtown) Spicy Sichuan dry-pot. Extremely good, highest recommendation. Reservations are a good idea if possible, but they keep most tables open for walk-ins, though there is often a wait.
• Nowon (East Village, Manhattan) Clubby Korean restaurant. Known for its two burgers (both excellent), but the chopped cheese rice cakes are also a stand-out.
• Jeju Noodle Bar (West Village, Manhattan) Korean-style Ramyun (ramen) with an incidental Michelin star (prices are reasonable despite this). It's so good. Reservation or walk-in with the expectation of waiting at a bar for a spot to open. This is very popular, so aim for early or on an off-night.
• Old Tbilisi Garden (Greenwich Village, Manhattan) Georgian food is ridiculously good. No meal is complete without Adjaruli Khachapuri (cheesy bread, national food of Georgia), Khinkali (soup dumplings, kinda), and amber (orange) wine to start. Reservation/walk-in.
• Swell Dive (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn) Filipino Tex-Mex tacos and nachos. We used to live entirely too close to here. Also a fantastic bar.
• Chilo's (Brooklyn: Bed-Stuy, Greenwood Heights) Mildly divey bar with frozen drinks and a taco truck. The tacos are great. Michael Cera is a co-owner. We also lived too close to here and this is where we went to meet friends after getting engaged.
• Birria-Landia (Brooklyn: Williamsburg; Queens: Jackson Heights; Manhattan: East Village) The best taco truck. Get a few tacos and a consommé for dipping.
• NY Pizza Suprema (near Penn Station, Manhattan) Ben's favorite traditional thin New York slice. Get plain or pepperoni.
• Joe & Pat's (Manhattan: East Village; Staten Island) Classic cracker thin crust pizza from Staten Island. The East Village location is much more convenient. We recommend the 1960 original with pepperoni and the vodka sauce (also great on pasta).
• L'Industrie Pizzeria (Williamsburg, Brooklyn) New school thin crust. The burrata slice is delightful.
• Emmy Squared (Manhattan: East Village; Brooklyn: Williamsburg) Detroit-style pizza (thick and square and all the rage). The Colony² is excellent. Skip the burger (IMO, overrated).
• Hawksmoor (Flatiron, Manhattan) New-school steakhouse from London. It's great.
• Smith & Wollensky (Midtown, Manhattan) older school steakhouse (founded by the TGI Friday's guy) that has one of the best prime ribs in the city.

Bars 🥂

• Tile Bar (East Village, Manhattan)
• Doc Holliday's (East Village, Manhattan)
• Rocka Rolla (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
• Jimmy's Corner (Midtown, Manhattan)
• Fanelli Cafe (SoHo, Manhattan)
• Holiday Cocktail Lounge (East Village, Manhattan)
• Maison Premiere (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
• Mace (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
• The Up & Up (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
• Mister Paradise (East Village, Manhattan)
• Dante (Manhattan: Greenwich Village, West Village)

Theatre 🎭

• Broadway (Midtown, Manhattan) Always great. We tend to use todaytix for tickets.
• Public Theater (NoHo, Manhattan) The Public is a prominent off-Broadway theater with a mission to bring theater to everyone. They usually have a number of shows on, as well as nightly entertainment at Joe's Pub. The Public also puts on Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park every summer. Hamilton and Hair premiered here before going on to Broadway (among others).

Places near the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge

The hotel is near the courthouses and office buildings of Downtown Brooklyn, so much of the area is oriented toward quick weekday office lunches. There are some great spots in the immediate area and within a 15 minute walk (as well as everything else via the subway).

• Xi'an Famous Food (4 minute walk): Delicious, spicy, hand-torn Chinese noodles.
• Gage & Tollner (4 minute walk): Recently renovated and reopened classic steakhouse. We have not been, but we have heard great things and the space is beautiful. Advance reservation required.
• Sunken Harbor Club (4 minute walk): Upstairs above Gage & Tollner. Easily the best and most exciting tiki bar in New York. The food is also good.
• Brooklyn Heights Promenade/Brooklyn Bridge Park (13 minute walk): Beautiful waterfront park that offers a stunning view of Lower Manhattan.
• DUMBO (15 minute walk): Fancy waterfront neighborhood with shopping, restaurants, and a famous view of the Manhattan Bridge (highly instagrammed).
• The Long Island Bar (12 minute walk): Popular bar with a great burger and martini.
• Clover Club (14 minute walk): Great cocktail bar with delicious new-American food. Outstanding brunch.
• Leyenda (15 minute walk): Fantastic, Latin-inspired cocktail bar with elevated Mexican dishes.

Charities

We've been very fortunate in our lives and recognize that there are many causes that would benefit from additional resources more than we would. We would greatly appreciate donations in our honor to any of the following organizations:

GiveWell is a charity researcher that rigorously evaluates giving opportunities based on how much good a given program accomplishes (in terms of lives saved, lives improved, etc.) per dollar spent. They operate a Top Charities Fund to direct funds to these organizations. Typically they fund things like medicine and bed nets to prevent malaria (which kills over 600,000 people every year, mostly children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa), vitamin A supplementation for children, and cash incentives to encourage routine childhood vaccination in Nigeria. They estimate that about $5000 will result in one life saved. (Tax ID: 20-8625442)

Planned Parenthood's mission is to ensure all people have access to the care and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. It is a trusted health care provider, educator, and passionate advocate here in the U.S. as well as a strong partner to health and rights organizations around the world. Each year, Planned Parenthood delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people. (Tax ID: 13-1644147)

Envision Freedom Fund, formerly the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, is an organization that fights against the injustices of the criminal justice and immigration systems. The cash bail system means that people with money get their freedom while they await trial, while those without money stay in jail. Envision Freedom advocates against this two-tier system (and previously paid bail for those who could not afford it). Immigrants are also subject to detention when they are rounded up by ICE or request asylum at the border, and when bond is even set, it is often set unafforably high. Envision Freedom pays immigration bond and provides post-release support so that immigrants can pursue their cases while free. (Tax ID: 90-1014588)

Gifts

We also have some household items we would like, though, thanks to COVID hobbies, we already own a great deal of kitchen gadgets. We are registered at:

Heath Ceramics: We love these fancy, Bay Area ceramics. Ben could only fit two plates and two bowls in his small East Village apartment, so we are looking to complete our set.

WithJoy: This meta-registry includes items from Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and Amazon as well as cash funds for the next stage of our life.