A Croatian immigrant by the name of Mario Skaric has announced he will reopen the Figaro Café, once the beating heart of the beatnik movement at the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Streets, Forbes reports.

Walking through Greenwich Village nowadays can sometimes feel like a movie set portraying the old neighborhood. Like many of the 1960s-era landmarks, the original Figaro closed in 2008, and the neighborhood has gentrified in the years since. Washington Square Park, at the heart of the Village, has undergone a facelift since the 1970s and 80s; it is now a safe, comfortable environment for families with small children or for teenagers to get together on a warm summer’s evening.

Of course, some of the neighborhood’s historic landmarks like The Strand and Three Lives & Co. bookstores remain from the heyday of the Village. But they are outliers: Apart from those examples there is precious little remaining from the days when Allan Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac wrote poems in local coffee shops and recited them on the spur of the moment. Gone are the days when Lou Reed just might turn up for an open-mic night, or Sam Shepard would read a script for whoever was in the bar that night, just to gauge the audience’s reaction.

While it may be true that Greenwich Village circa 2021 is a far cry from the vintage model, the neighborhood’s historic vibe has not been forgotten: Skaric expects to open the new venue by June or July.

While official tourism data suggest a bleak summer, some brave visitors are making their way to the Big Apple. After months of being cooped up indoors, cooking countless meals, tourists are eager to experience new tastes and culinary favorites.

New York City’s Broadway and the museum scenes might be closed, but the sidewalk and rooftop dining options are booming.

There are also open street fairs, verdant parks, breathtaking architecture on every block, bridges, ferries, and bike-riding trails throughout all the five boroughs. If you can get to New York safely, and don’t come from a state requiring quarantine upon your arrival, a fun, food-filled, relatively affordable vacation is still possible.

The city that never sleeps is currently taking a nap. All the things that make New York City the vibrant, exciting, and enchanting place that it is have modified their programming and reaching customers despite the current restrictions. There are plenty of the city’s finest haunts and jaunts available to enjoy virtually.

Social distancing, school lockdowns, and stay at home orders have made the days of the week virtually indistinguishable. Rosé Mansion makes sure you launch your weekend off right by offering virtual happy hours every week! They even have customized Zoom Backgrounds so you can feel like you are in your favorite mansion room. No happy hour is complete without a glass of wine, and Rose’ Mansion has got you covered. They will deliver a 6 or 12 pack of wine—produced by small businesses—right to your door. And while down your drink you can feel good about giving to charity too: 100% of the money from the online sales go toward paying the staff and reopening the bar.

If you are missing the sounds and beats of New York, you can check out the Music for the Soul of NYC’s Health + Hospitals Heroes. This new series brings inspiration and comfort to the 43,000 staff at NYC’s 11 public hospitals and their patients. It is providing paid work for musicians and features professional NYC musicians performing songs requested by health workers and patients at NYC public hospitals. Music for the Soul is livestreamed on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page every day from noon-1pm.

Thought Gallery is live-streaming hundreds of talks, lectures, performances, and cultural events to enjoy. If you like to curl up with a good book, The New York Public Library is offering access to more than 300,000 FREE e-books and e-audio books during this crisis. 

In late March, New York City Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered all nonessential businesses in New York to close. With little notice or time to prepare, most businesses felt they needed to convey some kind of message to their customers. Some are handwritten expressions of gratitude. Others are hastily typed messages of resolve, affixed to shuttered storefronts with industrial tape. And others evoke a tone of humor or inspiration.

It is still unclear what New York City will look like on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic, but the current tour of the Big Apple’s businesses shows a kind of determination and grit that has always served them well. It is not the kind of tour anyone expects to enjoy. But walking along New York’s streets at this time offers a glimmer of hope that is the city’s strength. Collectively, all of these “closed” signs give voice to New York’s unbreakable spirit.

The 9th annual Savor the Bronx restaurant week is running through Jan. 17 2020. The Bronx is a fun place to visit even when it is not restaurant week. Now it is well worth a trip to taste some of the Italian, Asian, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines on offer.

45 eateries in the Bronx, representing the borough’s cultural and culinary diversity, are offering discounts and specials.

Whether you are a die-hard New Yorker or “just” a New York enthusiast, you can now get your NY-fix when you are in the United Kingdom.

Manahatta, a New York-inspired cocktail bar is opening in York on November 8.

The venue, like its namesake, will have many unique Instagrammable features, from neon signs and peacock blue booths. Stacked burgers like the ‘Godfather,’ a stack of beef, fried chicken, pancetta, pulled pork and Monterey Jack Cheese, is sure to please. The Beyond Brooklyn is a veggie option, with pulled BBQ jack fruit, vegan cheese, and spicy chipotle. Prosecco, Aperol Spritz, Bloody Marys, beer, and unique NY cocktails are all available.

An in-house DJ will fill Manhatta with NY-style music, including tunes played by various ensembles in NYC subways.

A private dining room on the top mezzanine, and other areas available for private hire, provide more intimate spaces to enjoy a taste of New York when visiting York.

Bindaetteok (빈대떡), a Korean pancake made of ground mung beans, and bean sprouts, vegetables, and seafood. Photo courtesy of jetalone (a flickr user)

Foodies and other dining out types adore New York for its amazing restaurants, but what if you are just a normal person who does not know that much about New York’s incredible menus?
One answer is to simply try everything, or almost everything, on the menu. You might be concerned that such an extravagant night out could cost real money, but since about 2016 restaurants began to realize that you don’t need to charge astronomically for just a few tastes of the chef’s best offerings.

Here is list of some of New York’s best tasting menus that are comparatively reasonably prices, and even leave you full when you are done tasting:

1. Delaware and Hudson (Williamsburg): This Michelin-starred eatery offers what might be the best tasting deal in the city. For $58 you get appetizers big enough to share; a first course; a main course which could be duck, sea bass or braised beef; dessert, and a cheese course, too for an additional $10. The food is locally sourced, and changes seasonally.

2. Babu Ji (Alphabet City): Indian food is wonderful, and its even better when you can try all different kinds. At Babu Ji you get a tasting menu that includes the best Indian flavors in a delightful variety of specialties. And its all for a moderate $62.

3. ATOBOY (Flatiron): This is a “casual-fine-dining” Korean establishment relatively new to the restaurant scene in New York. For a mere $36 you can keep your denims on and still get great food and service. Three dishes of your choice and rice is covered by that reasonable price. No, its not really a traditional tasting menu, but for a mere $36 you get to mix-and-match 20 different kinds of Korean delectable delights.

Does New York really have everything? Well, not literally everything, but it probably has just about everything, or anything, anyone could actually want or imagine they might want. Here are a few more unusual, if not obscure, eating adventures awaiting the bravest among us.

•    The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: This place is fun! The story goes that ice cream was invented in China several hundreds of years ago, during the Tang Dynasty. Over the intervening years ice cream has continued to get better and better. And where is it at its best? Of course at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory! The store has been around for 30 years, constantly

Photo by Jason Lam.

coming up with unique tastes to attract attention, at the very least. If wasabi, black sesame or peanut butter and jelly flavored ice cream appeals to your tastes, then run on over and start eating.

•    Burger Joint: Like surprises? Head over to the Parker Meridien Hotel, pull open a curtain, and experience something strange and wonderful. This is the most basic of fast food sellers, with a tiny menu, but all tasty. So, go and get yourself a burger and shake behind the curtain, and enjoy.

•    Kenka: Whatever you know about or think about St. Marks Place, Kenka knows and thinks more. This Japanese cuisine restaurant offers so much more than traditional Japanese fare. If you are in the mood for adventure, Kenka leaves the sushi and tempura far, far behind. Strap on your seat belts and get ready for a meal you will not forget.

Roberta’s Pizza is amazing. Photo by Jason Lam

Are you willing to head out to Brooklyn for an eating experience simply not found anywhere else in the Big Apple? Then check out the remarkable, and remarkably different Roberta’s in East Williamsburg/Bushwick.

Known for their exquisite pizza primarily, they have different menus for lunch, brunch, dinner, take out and a list of drinks and wine. Roberta’s prides itself on its fresh, delectable vegetables, often coming from their very own rooftop garden. Steak and pork are on the dinner menu, but the selection of vegetarian specialties is abundant.

The décor is a bit primitive, the crowds can be daunting, and the wait for your fare a bit long. Nevertheless, there is an outdoor beer tent where you can enjoy the wait. There is also something appealing about the nitty-gritty look of the place. It is eccentric, a bit wild, and definitely delicious.

If you decide to give it a try, you can be assured you are in good company. The Clintons have been, Michel Bras, too. The tale is told that Alice Waters helped finance the garden. Now that I’ve mentioned the garden again, how about taking a tour? Roberta’s sometimes has garden workshops for interested green thumbers.

Take the plunge and give it a try. Located at 261 Moore St., Brooklyn, NY 11206, near Bogart Street. For more information call: 718-417-1118.

What?! You haven’t been to the Levain Bakery yet?! Well lets fix that problem right now. First of all, this bakery has grown its reputation since its founding in 1994 purely on the amazing taste of its products. However, that great taste does not arise from nowhere.

All the baked goods for sale are baked fresh right on site in their Upper West Side headquarters. All ingredients are the freshest and most nutritious possible, and to top it all off, whatever delicious bakery products are left at the end of the day go to help feed those less fortunate. This act of giving has been part of the Levain business plan from its inception.

The shop was founded by two friends, Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes. Although one was in banking and the other in the fashion industry, the two were competitive swimmers. While training together for the Ironman competition, they dreamed of starting a business that could soothe even the hungriest athletes. They took their passion, and swam with it-creating a wonderful bakery that is known worldwide for its artisanal breads and six-ounce incredible chocolate chip cookies.

This is one New York landmark not to be missed. Now that you know: GO!