KiwiSeiko Big USA Trip

Welcome to the US! Happy and Safe Journies! You have picked some great cities. Chicago is my hometown 

Welcome, bud!
I haven't traveled much, but SF is a super youthful and lively city. Hope you enjoy it and safe travels 🍻

Hey man, you definitely gotta eat a street vendor giro.  I know that sounds super sketchy, but hear me out.  You will find 4 types of dining outlets in NYC:  

1.  Upscale craziness that will cost an arm and a leg, like Le Bernardin.  If you can afford it, why not?
2.  Dumpy tourist traps, like TGIF in Times Square or any big eatery near tourist destinations.  Avoid like the plague
3.  Hidden gems, like...  well, it's been so long since I've lived in NYC that I can't name any.  Eat at these places every meal that you can.  Probably the only way to find them is to look on Yelp for places that don't cost a lot but have really high ratings
4.  Outlets that have to compete on quality and price, like NYC street vendors.  As soon as you walk around NYC, you'll see street vendors on every frickin' block, and often there will be 3 or 4 on any given corner.  These guys are fighting for their lives.  This is an example of "perfect competition."  The only way they can survive is if their food is top notch.  Thus, the best time to hit these guys up is lunch hour near giant office complexes.  They're fighting for the patronage of people who can choose from 100 different options for their lunch.  So, they gotta offer yummy food at an amazing price.  Some of the best food I've ever eaten in NYC was from street vendors in Midtown, near all the giant office towers

Hope you're having the time of your life!

Make sure you go to Tourneau on 57th & Madison.  I lived there for many years and the best part is the availability, you can pretty much get what you want anytime.

Thanks man my 2nd trip up to the big Apple but haven’t been to Chicago or SF before. Going to the Bears v Commanders game. Going to have a blast

Hey man, you definitely gotta eat a street vendor giro.  I know that sounds super sketchy, but hear me out.  You will find 4 types of dining outlets in NYC:  

1.  Upscale craziness that will cost an arm and a leg, like Le Bernardin.  If you can afford it, why not?
2.  Dumpy tourist traps, like TGIF in Times Square or any big eatery near tourist destinations.  Avoid like the plague
3.  Hidden gems, like...  well, it's been so long since I've lived in NYC that I can't name any.  Eat at these places every meal that you can.  Probably the only way to find them is to look on Yelp for places that don't cost a lot but have really high ratings
4.  Outlets that have to compete on quality and price, like NYC street vendors.  As soon as you walk around NYC, you'll see street vendors on every frickin' block, and often there will be 3 or 4 on any given corner.  These guys are fighting for their lives.  This is an example of "perfect competition."  The only way they can survive is if their food is top notch.  Thus, the best time to hit these guys up is lunch hour near giant office complexes.  They're fighting for the patronage of people who can choose from 100 different options for their lunch.  So, they gotta offer yummy food at an amazing price.  Some of the best food I've ever eaten in NYC was from street vendors in Midtown, near all the giant office towers

Hope you're having the time of your life!

Ohhh… dude…ohh dude.. tell him…tell him about McDonald’s!!! 
 

🤣

No McDs on this trip 😮🤣

Pizza in NYC is pizza. Don't leave without a slice. Pizza in Chicago is lasagna (or something like it).

I haven't lived in NYC since there was an Automat in mid-town.

If you need any recommendations in SF feel free to reach out. Hope you have a great trip. 

Safe travels! Love the HydroConquest line, great pick 😎

Welcome to NY, you just missed the week of dreary rain 😂 I feel Juliana's vs. Grimaldi's is the coal oven pizza ver of Rolex vs. Omega.

Hey man, you definitely gotta eat a street vendor giro.  I know that sounds super sketchy, but hear me out.  You will find 4 types of dining outlets in NYC:  

1.  Upscale craziness that will cost an arm and a leg, like Le Bernardin.  If you can afford it, why not?
2.  Dumpy tourist traps, like TGIF in Times Square or any big eatery near tourist destinations.  Avoid like the plague
3.  Hidden gems, like...  well, it's been so long since I've lived in NYC that I can't name any.  Eat at these places every meal that you can.  Probably the only way to find them is to look on Yelp for places that don't cost a lot but have really high ratings
4.  Outlets that have to compete on quality and price, like NYC street vendors.  As soon as you walk around NYC, you'll see street vendors on every frickin' block, and often there will be 3 or 4 on any given corner.  These guys are fighting for their lives.  This is an example of "perfect competition."  The only way they can survive is if their food is top notch.  Thus, the best time to hit these guys up is lunch hour near giant office complexes.  They're fighting for the patronage of people who can choose from 100 different options for their lunch.  So, they gotta offer yummy food at an amazing price.  Some of the best food I've ever eaten in NYC was from street vendors in Midtown, near all the giant office towers

Hope you're having the time of your life!

I posted my take on watch shopping in New York, for what it's worth. The city is ground zero for watches in North America, so the world is your oyster.
https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChaseEagle/posts/advice-what-watch-spots-to-visit-while-in-new-york-city-16508#comment-184858

@HotWatchChick69 Outlets that have to compete on quality and price, like NYC street vendors.  As soon as you walk around NYC, you'll see street vendors on every frickin' block, and often there will be 3 or 4 on any given corner.

I'm afraid I'll have to beg to differ. There is good street food to be had, but New York does not have a particularly notable street food scene. This ain't Portland. Or Asia. My experience of food from trucks is more utilitarian than notable. Those office workers aren't particularly discerning. Hot dogs and pretzels and chestnuts in winter are iconic, but I wouldn't come here to try them.

One quintessentially New York culinary experience, delis. Check out Katz's (and channel Billy Crystal or Meg Ryan) or the Second Avenue Deli (perversely on 33rd and 3rd; you can still see stars of the Yiddish theater in the sidewalk at 10th and 2nd where it used to be). Hot pastrami on rye with mustard. It's a mantra. You can't get more New York than that. 

All night diners. They're a dying breed. They're a mixed bag, but if you come across one, they are quintessentially New York. Heck, they're art. They always have gyros, souvlaki, and Greek salad.

You haven't had a bagel if you haven't been to New York.

For the best Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, Congee Village. The best Chinese food is in Flushing. 

That's all kind of random, but it's what came to mind when food was mentioned. 

Welcome to Jungle!! Baby!! 🥳😉
 

Enjoy it all & Especially the Windy City aka Chicago. I'm a Bears Fan for life... that takes some guts these days LOL

My favorite player

I am a diehard Bears & Walter Payton fan. This is my office right now as I post

My son on the Season Opener. We all have Payton Jerseys LOL

Of course he's a watch fanatic too!

This is him at a dinner letting me know he jacked an Omega to wear LOL 

Great night at the game didn’t get the right result better luck next time

Hope you had fun at Soldiers Field! The Bears have not been great since '85 LOL but games are always fun. I hope you get to the Willis Tower Skydeck before you leave. It's right at Wacker and Adams Great views of the entire city 100 stories up

So much passion for gyro's in this thread, LOL. I don't know about NZ (although I've been there twice, I wasn't looking for Greek fast food so I remain dumb on the subject there), but in Australia we have a ton of Greeks and great gyro's are everywhere. Of course so are doner kebabs, which are like a close cousin of the gyro. I'd be surprised if our Kiwi mate here hasn't already had amazing gryo's in the past!