Looking for a place to stay in lower east-side I came across Hotel on Rivington. I would rave about this place if I would not have found out that the price we paid for our rooms is not available anymore...
This Hotel does many things right (more than most others). The rooms a "simple" no fancy decor the only thing spectacular is the view you have. Most rooms have two glass fronts so you are sort of in the middle of New York.
They offer some nice amenities like an ipod docking-station to listen your music. The beds are Tempur-Pedic , which is fantastic! I slept like a baby. The bath rooms are fancy some even have steam showers! The minibar offers a wide selection from nice beers to sextoys... You also find a list with all good restaurants and cafes of the neighborhood in your room along a nice selection of magazines. Particularly nice are the fresh baked cookies you get every evening. Of corse we got different ones every evening.
The lobby is on the second floor and there you also find a lovely lounge with a pool table which, when we were there, no one used.
Street level is a nice bar and their restaurant Thor which we did not get to check out.
Most amazing where the doormen. Every single one of them was fucking handsome! All dressed in black "gaban" jackets...

So what did we not like about Hotel on Rivington? First the breakfast wasn't very nice beside bagels you don't get anything nice. No cheese, horrible jam and filter coffee! you have to pay extra for the cappuccino! Thats probably why we did not eat at thor restaurant. Second it lacks a bit the friendly atmosphere one is looking for when inna foreign city. And third we paid 240$ for the room which is normal these days but a lot of money for a bed. Now they only have rooms for 400.- which I find just too much for any Hotel Room, I rather spend that money in a nice restaurant or shop or go more often.

www.hotelonrivington.com

I initially read about this place on Coolhunting and finally found time to check it out. Unfortunately I was not hungry so I bought several different cookies and took them home to switzerland for tasting.

Amai Tea and Bake House is a tinny place where you get a very nice selection of tea ( like all new york places they use tap water for the tea which, for my delicate swiss palate, has a rather unplesant taste ).
Really interesting is the baking they do. Rich brownies made with botanical ingredients like lychee and and white peach, as well as crisp tea cookies in flavors like chai almond and green tea (the latter of which won the Golden Scoop Award for Best Bakery Recipe from the French Culinary Institute this year) are available in their shop and online.
I bought:
- Earlgrey & Current cookies
- Chai Allmond cookies
- White tea & strawberry cookies
- Lemongrass & ginger
- Hojicha Sesame cookies
- Champagne brownies
- Lychee brownies
- Green-tea cookies and muffins

They are all very nice, of course my favorite are Lemongrass & ginger and earlgrey.

Amai Tea and Bake House
171 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
tel. +1 212 863 9630

www.amainyc.com/

Thursday we had dinner at Freemans. A trendy but cosy Restaurant on Lower Eastside. The Restaurants is specialized in seasonal rustic american cuisine.  The menu features wild game, sustainable seafood, and produce from local new york state farms. Freemans is also known for their cocktails.
We had a lovely artichoke dip and very fresh salds as starters. For main course we had a lovely grilled trout.
If you have something to discuss don't go there - it's very loud ;-)

End of Freeman Alley, New York, NY 10002
nr. Rivington St. 
Tel.212-420-0012

Hours
Daily, 11am-4pm and 6pm-11:30pm

Nearby Subway Stops
F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.; 6 at Spring St.

Directions
Freemans is located at the end of Freeman Alley, off of Rivington St. between Bowery and Chrystie St.

Prices
$12-$26

Payment Methods
American Express, MasterCard, Visa

www.freemansrestaurant.com

A very nice shop in Soho. Beside their own brans opening ceremony they have a good selection of brands.
Like a high-fashion version of a cultural-exchange program, Opening Ceremony features fashions from a different country each year, with Brazil, Germany, and the UK dominating recent racks.
They also have a selection of Hello Kitty Toy Machines!

Neighborhood: Manhattan/SoHo

New York, NY 10013
(212) 219-2688

35 Howard Street New York, New York 10013
Tel. (212) 219-2688
Store Hours: Monday–Saturday 11–8pm, Sunday 12–7pm

Nearest Transit:
Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Canal-Church Sts (A, C, E)
Franklin St (1)

Whether you speak English or Japanese, this impressively stocked bilingual bookstore promises a unique experience.

An amazing store selling japanese magazines, books, cool toys, games. They also stock a wide range of very nice japan related books and dvds. A must for people who like japanese culture.

Kinokuniya Bookstore
1073 Sixth Ave., New York, NY 10018
nr. 41st St.
Tel: 212-869-1700
www.kinokuniya.com/

Hours:

Mon-Thu, 10am-7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, 11am-7:30pm
Nearby Subway Stops

B, D, F, V at 42nd St.-Bryant Park

Looking for special fabrics? Walk around New Yorks fashion destrict on 40 th/Fashion Av. Ther are plenty of great fabric shops. They all do wholesale and retail.

Here two we particularly like:

N.Y Elegant Fabrics
222 west 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212) 302-49 84/4980
nyelegant@aol.com

Fabric House, Inc
214A 39th Street Between 7th & 8th Aves.
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212) 944 7016
alish0826@yahoo.com

South Williamsburg's hidden surprise. There is no sign on the door so hopefully this jewel will remain hidden from the masses.
Heavily barred windows enclose a comfort zone for artsy locals who crave a taste of the trendier end of town in this low-rent sector. Sample the beer and wine list, but don't miss the food. The inexpensive paninis, made with crusty bread and fine Italian fixings such as sopressata and portobello mushrooms, are worth the trek, and the grilled doughnuts, sweet, warm and indulgent, put Krispy Kreme to shame.

349 Broadway, Brooklyn NY 11211 (Corner of Hooper)
PHONE: 718.599.6895
CARDS: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
HOURS: Mon-Fri, 6pm-1am; Sat-Sun, 6pm-2am
SUBWAY: J, M at Hewes St.

www.circa1938.com/

Café by day, raw bar and restaurant by night, this quirky Williamsburg canteen is the latest venture from the owners of Diner, the American bistro next door. Locals congregate at communal tables over good olives, delicate tortilla española, and daily specials like the wild-leek-and-goat-cheese tart.
They also serve oysters!

Marlow & Sons Restaurant
81 Broadway
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
Established 2002
Phone: (718) 384-1441
Fax: (718) 486-0165
E-mail: contact@marlowandsons.com
Subways: JMZ to Marcy or L to Bedford

store is open for service 8am to midnight
Breakfast, Lunch & Tea available all day
Open Daily 11am until midnight
Lunch Mon - Fri 11am - 5pm
Brunch Coming Soon
Dinner Sun- Thrs 5pm - 12am
Dinner Fri & Sat 5pm - 12am

marlowandsons.com

There are two different Yoyamarts, one for babies and one for toddlers. Yoyamart is definitely the coolest Kids store I know. Next to a nice but a bit expensive selection of cloth and shoes they have a lot of very cool toys and books. From Gloomy Bear gloves to stylish puzzles and from Blythe dolls to designer toys.
A must if you are looking for a nice present for the little ones!

Yoyashop.com is the online fusion of high-end baby boutique Yoya and lifestyle design children's store Yoyamart. The stores were developed by J.D. & Cristina Boujnah and Stephane & Gena Gerbier. Both couples have worked together for the past five years to bring to life the first concept stores for kids. With celebrity clients and rave reviews, they have established themselves as New York's specialists in children's wear, furniture and designer toys.

YOYA
(646) 336-6844
636 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014

YOYAMART
(212) 242-5511
15 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014

www.yoyashop.com

This is the place to go for a hang over brunch (it's quite noisy though ). In this traditional french restaurant you can everything from a seafood platter to a soft boiled organic egg. Bread and pastries (croissant, scones, pain au chocolate and so on) come from the beautiful next door balthazar bakery.

It's quite packed and sometimes you have to queue for a table.
It's also a go place for homesick europeans, c'est tres francaise.

"Balthazar serves traditional bistro meals from breakfast through late-night supper. Opened by Keith McNally in the spring of 1997, Balthazar offers a French menu prepared by chefs de cuisine Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson. Diners can also choose from an extensive wine list, a raw seafood bar, and breads and pastries from Balthazar bakery.
Balthazar is renowned for its exceptional design. The building was converted from a leather wholesaler's warehouse to an airy space that can accommodate over 200 people in the dining room and at the zinc bar. "

80, spring street, Soho New York, ny 10012


BREAKFAST Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Sat & Sun: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
BRUNCH
Sat & Sun: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
LUNCH & LATE LUNCH
Mon to Fri: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

www.balthazarny.com/