How do you keep a German occupied?

I find a lot of free/cheap/odd/interesting things to do on the Nonsense-NYC email list, which comes out once a week:
http://lists.laughingsquid.org/mailman/listinfo/nonsensenyc/

And FreeNYC is another good place to check for stuff to do:
http://freenyc.net/

And if any of your Germans want a day-long Saturday or Sunday activity, I *totally* recommend Snug Harbor before the weather gets a lot colder:
http://www.uffish.com/archives/008572.html

I think MoMA is now doing first Friday's or Saturdays with a DJ. Chelsea Piers is a great also. Lots to do in a contained space. There is a really good German restaurant around 19th Street (nice/fancy) and a really great one with a good pub crowd called Rolfs (on I think its on 22nd Street). There is usually live/free music at the South Street Seaport after work and on Sat. afternoons. Also you can pick up Time Out NY they usually have the listings of what is going on in Manhattan, street fairs, etc.

You want I should give him a cake-mix wedgie?

Subject: Re: How do you keep a German occupied?

Cupcake wrote: No, this is not a set-up for a really bad joke.

Starting a few days ago, I've got rotating Germans: a new youngish Credit Analysit rotating in from the home office for a one month term for the next year or so. Walking out of the office with the new guy after his first day he said to me, "So now is the time I go and sit in my apartment?"

So, basically, I have become the de facto social activities coordinator for these guys. What fun things can I do with a thirty-something German that are not so touristy they will make me want to kill myself?

Whenever my cousins come in from south america I always take them to live shows at really "sceney" palces, it can be whatever type of music, and they are always amazed. Southpaw, sin-e, lit, north-six, S.O.B's , Arlenes, etc

dailyheights wrote: [quote=pitu][quote=Anonymous]1. Form alliance with Brighton Beach and then invade Greenpoint.
2. Invade Brighton Beach.
3. Form alliance with Bensonhurst and invade Staten Island.
4. Pull out of Staten Island, but occupy Bensonhurst.
5. Retreat to Bushwick.

BEST Guest post ever?

Yes. Yes, probably. I think we should have a "nominate this post" link, like on craigslist.

i would even nominate it for best post ever on a DH thread.

I love this post, but can you truly say that it's better than the Carneviento poetry?

you can always point them in the direction of New Yorkers who like hanging around with Germans....


http://german.meetup.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deutsch_nyc/

There's also deutschtreffen.de, which may actually be related to one of those meetup things above.

Muk wrote: Best post ever, period?

[quote=pitu][quote=Anonymous]1. Form alliance with Brighton Beach and then invade Greenpoint.
2. Invade Brighton Beach.
3. Form alliance with Bensonhurst and invade Staten Island.
4. Pull out of Staten Island, but occupy Bensonhurst.
5. Retreat to Bushwick.

BEST Guest post ever?
It's definitely up there.

Back to the original topic:

If they're really craving German stuff:
The restaurant on 19th someone mentioned above is called Silver Swan, which is very good, definitely better foodwise than Rolf's. Hallo Berlin in Hell's Kitchen is a great spot (although the one that's slightly further uptown closed). Of course, Heidleberg on 2nd ave and 85th is a great old standby.

But will they really want German-style food and atmosphere? I would think they'd want to "conquer new territory" as it were.

Cool places to bring tourists:
The Roosevelt Island tram at sunset
The bar at Guastavinos (the food kind of sucks though)
Chinatown (with or without dim sum)
Sammy's Roumanian
Churrascaria Plataforma

Typical tourist stuff that's worth doing even if you live here:
The Met, MOMA, The Whitney, The Jewish Museum (well, maybe not the last one)
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Coney Island (must include the Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone and Nathan's, with an option for "shoot the freak")
Bronx Zoo


Although as modern Germans, maybe this would be more up their alley:

http://www.paddlesnyc.com/

t-fal wrote: or maybe they want to form an alliance with some japanese cuisine and some sake?

i would suggest decibel in the village. its on the south side of ninth st. just west of second avenue. i guarantee you will miss it. its literally the first basement door on ninth just west of 2nd ave. the sign is very tiny, but you will see a wooden pagoda style gate, and a set of stairs surrounded by a wooden fence going to a basement door where you have to be buzzed in, and they don't open till 8pm. they don't take reservations, and you have to get there early in order to get a table...but OH IS IT WORTH IT!

best place to ever take people in nyc.

Great place. You can't go with too big a group though. 4 is ideal.

Right nearby is another fave of mine, Angel's Share.

Have any of you been to Decibel lately? I was curious about it after reading what was posted here so I looked it up on CitySearch, and the people who have reviewed it there are less than impressed:
http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/11351374

apollonia666 wrote: Have any of you been to Decibel lately? I was curious about it after reading what was posted here so I looked it up on CitySearch, and the people who have reviewed it there are less than impressed:
http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/11351374

I haven't been in a few months, but I've never had a bad experience there.

apollonia666 wrote: [quote=EmilyM]That said, people who comment at sites like that are always the disgruntled ones...

Good point. Still, stories of waiters ignoring patrons and then chasing them down the street because they considered an 18% tip on bad service gives me some pause!
My default tip is 20%, but I'll go down to 15% or even zilch if service is really poor. I've never had a waiter that warranted less than 20% there, so I don't know what would have happened if I gave less.

i second the vote for taking them to coney island... it's like definitely way too touristy, but it's so overtouristy that it you can very easily detach yourself from it, enjoy it, and just surrender your hard earned money to the lure of the skiball machine.

i think the cyclone is closed for the year though, but as far as I know, wonder wheel is still operating, and the nathan's is always there.

one thing i've heard germans like to do is grow competitively large mustaches and compare them at what i can only imagine are known as "Mustachio Bashios."

if you're hosting any Mustachio Bashios, you must let the people of daily heights know so we (though maybe I'm alone here) can go marvel in their mustaches.