Monica’s Juicy Blog

There are many many places to eat in the city but here are some places  to check out that won’t break the bank…

Patsy’s Pizza. 61 West 74th. I love pizza!!! This is my favorite…and I’ve had them all.

Grimaldi’s. 19 Old Fulton St. Brooklyn. A fun destination in Brooklyn. You can walk the Brooklyn Bridge to get your pizza and your exercise. There is always a line outside but it is worth it! It’s the coal oven that makes it special. The best on this side of the bridge.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Right across the Brooklyn Bridge. I stop there on my way back once I’ve had my pizza. You have to pass it anyway! Save some room.

Coppola’s. 206 W 79th. A nice reasonable italian place. Great pastas and pizza.

Gradisca. 126 W 13th. Pricy but worth it. All pastas are homemade. $20-$30 pastas. I love the gnocchi in a truffle cream sauce. The menu changes often so you never know what you might find.

Harry’s Burrito. 241 Columbus Ave. (67th) Great outdoor seating and killer margaritas. There is usually a wait but worth it. One of the large drinks is all you need! I like to build my own quesadilla.

Fred’s & High Life. 83rd & Amsterdam. They are across the street from each other. Great American food. High Life also has good sushi. There are tons of bars on Amsterdam so it’s a nice place to stroll.

The Half King. 505 West 23rd. The best and biggest burgers. I love the sweet potato fries too. Go hungry! In the back there is garden seating. It gets a good bar crowd also.

Zen Palate. There are a few in the city. The most popular vegetarian place.

Thai Basil. 860 9th Ave. A tiny place with authentic Thai food. The staff is always pleasant. Reminds me of my time in Thailand.

Serendipity. 225 East 60th. An ice cream lovers dream. You must get the frozen peanut butter hot chocolate. Trust me. They do serve food but I go for dessert.

The great thing about New York is that you can stumble onto a great restaurant at any time. All of these neighborhoods are worth exploring. Happy Eating!!

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•  Some Things To Know About The Parade
• The Parade begins at 77th Street & Central Park West at 9am.  
• When the Parade reaches Columbus Circle (59th Street), it turns on to Broadway.
• Heading down Broadway, the Parade marches through Times Square and down to 34th Street where it turns at Macy’s Herald Square and ends on Seventh Avenue at around noon.
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Public Viewing Areas
  Central Park West: West side of street from 70th Street to Columbus Circle & east side of street from 70th to 65th
  Columbus Circle: West side of street
  Broadway: between 58th & 38th Streets
  34th Street: south side of street between Broadway & 7th Avenue

Yes, the Thanksgiving parade in New York is great. But to me the real treat is seeing the balloons come to life. You can watch them blow up starting around 3pm on Wednesday. The kids….and adults….will love it!

Spread out over a number of blocks on the Upper West Side, the unofficial start of the annual celebration is all about seeing flat but bigger-than-life versions of Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, and Mr. Potato Head slowly brought to life and inflated with helium.

It’s FREE and worth the trip!

Location: 77th to 81st Streets, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Enter at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue.