Manhattan: Cosy Havens Easy on the Dollars
The hidden corners of Lower Manhattan and Chinatown recall a time when New York was more affordable. There’s an enduring out-of-hours cosiness to the place, summed up by three spots. First up there’s a place we call No Name, perfect for Sunday lunchtime Dim Sum. Look on Bayard Street near the north end of Columbus Park for a pink-and-yellow signage in Chinese characters I can’t decipher. Ask for the sweet beef and chilli prawn. If you’re plant-based, take the greens and water chestnut ($7/£5.96 for five). Arturo’s, further West on Houston in the Village, is a Sicilian-American classic, which has one of the city’s only remaining coal-fired ovens. The crusts this oven produces melt in the mouth and their pizza ‘pies’ cost around $17 (£14.47). Go deeper into the Lower East Side, where you’ll find my go-to bar is Old Man Hustle, a classic little NYC dive that has killer standup nights, free to enter, $5 (£4.26) to perform (with a free beer into the bargain) and cocktails from $8 (£6.81). Classic NYC nights, with old school Lower East Side prices.