WHERE TO STAY
Since we're getting married on a holiday weekend, we won't be able to secure a single hotel block for all of our guests. As such, we'd recommend looking on price comparison websites like Orbitz, Priceline, etc. Another fun option might be to rent an apartment instead of a hotel room, using Airbnb.
Please be warned that that prices will continue to get higher as the date approaches, so we'd recommend booking your accommodations as soon as possible.
Our wedding is in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, though we're assuming most of our guests will want to stay in Manhattan. Some of our favorite Manhattan neighborhoods, which we also think would make for good hotel locations, include SoHo, the East Village, Gramercy, the Flatiron District, and the Lower East Side. TriBeCa or the Financial District could also be considered, though they're located further downtown than the rest.
We do have some family staying at the Marriott Courtyard SoHo, if getting down with the parents is more your scene.
HOW TO GET HERE
AIRPORTS
The NYC metropolitan area has three major airports. We’d recommend them in the following order, based on how quick and cheap a cab ride to mid or lower Manhattan would be:
Public transportation is also an option; you can get to Penn Station from JFK and Newark by taking the Long Island Railroad or New Jersey Transit, respectively. But we’d spring for a cab – it’ll be quicker, you’ll have luggage and will still need to get from Penn to your final destination anyway.
VENUE PARKING
If you’re going to be driving to the venue itself, here are two parking garages nearby:
APPS TO USE
We'd love for you to post photos from the weekend using Instagram, and tag them with #tracyandbryan. This will cause them to show up on our website.
Uber is a really great app for requesting regular yellow taxis and all kinds of other affordable cars, right from your phone.
Google Maps is the best way to find your way around NYC (it includes subway directions unlike Apple's Maps). HopStop is another good app specifically for transit directions.
NYC has countless bars and restaurants, and we'd recommend using either Yelp or Foursquare to help find whatever it happens to be that you're looking for.
(Although we linked to the iOS App Store, these are all available on Android as well.)
EAT & DRINK
NYC has so many great restaurants and bars that it's silly for us to even try to offer suggestions. But here are a few anyway:
RESTAURANTS
The Meatball Shop (Lower East Side, West Village, Chelsea, Williamsburg) – casual spot with high quality meats, sauces, and sides.
Tink’s (East Village) – American food with a twist in a small plate format. Great beer selection too.
Mario Batali’s Eataly (Flatiron) – a multi-level, multi-restaurant Italian compound, with restaurants ranging from sandwich counters to fancy pastas. Plan to be here for a couple of hours, as wait times are long and there’s a lot to see.
Havana Alma de Cuba (West Village) – one of our favorite Cuban restaurants, flavorful food in a fun atmosphere. They even have live music sometimes.
Smorgasburg (Williamsburg, Saturdays only) – an outdoor market with dozens of food stands, ranging from ramen burgers to BBQ ribs. Come hungry because you will want to try everything.
QUICK BITES
Dos Toros (Union Sq., West Village, Upper East Side, Williamsburg) – the closest thing we have to a traditional California-style burrito.
UFC (East Village) – if you’ve never had Korean fried chicken before, do yourself a favor and fix that.
S’MAC (East Village and Murray Hill) – the buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese may be our single favorite meal we’ve eaten in Manhattan.
Doughnut Plant (Lower East Side and Chelsea) – the best doughnuts I’ve ever had.
BOOZE
Pouring Ribbons (East Village) – high-end specialty cocktails in a speakeasy-like vibe. Stumble further south for tons of cheaper, noisier bars in Alphabet City.
Schapiro’s (Lower East Side) – great cocktail menu in the center of one of the most popular nightlife neighborhoods. A great spot to start or end your night.
Fontana’s (Lower East Side) – like the nearby Schapiro’s, a LES bar without a giant line. A big/fun place with something for everyone.
The Village Tavern (West Village) – a pretty standard sports/dive bar.
The Tippler (Chelsea) – another speakeasy-ish, fun underground cocktail and beer bar.
Thank you! 