Men Who Like to Travel - David Latt

Ever since I was a babe-in-arms, I have visited New York every year from my home in Los Angeles.    I grew up visiting New York City because my grandmother lived on 110th close to Amsterdam, with a view of St. John the Divine.  For several years I taught at RIC in Providence, R.I., so I visited more frequently. Since I am now LA-based, on average I visit the city at least twice a year.  When I visit, it's only for a few days, which means I walk a lot (LA is a city-for-cars-only) and I revisit my favorites.  New York City has thousands of restaurants and millions of residents and visitors. Everyone has their favorite restaurants. These are mine. Downtown Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese (you can see posts on Instagram - mr.manmade): Nha Trang One Restaurant 87 Baxter Street, NYC 10013 212) 233-5948 #18 salt/pepper shrimp + order a plate of steamed rice The shrimp arrive on a mountain of shredded lettuce. Delicious. Add shrimp, lettuce

If you are a foodie visiting New York, you're probably planning on visiting Mario Batali's Eatlay  where you'll wander the crowded aisles a bit dazed. Glass fronted counters and small eating areas display the best that Italy has to offer, including pizza, pasta, cheese, salumi, fish, local produce, prepared food, pastries and candies. You'll wish you'd brought a spare suitcase to cart all these great products home. That's the temptation of New York. So many great celebrity chefs and so much great, albeit expensive food, and so little time. But wait! Don't spend all your money on high-end restaurants and eateries. Stick to the neighborhoods. Eat the way locals do. Find the small restaurants and take out holes-in-the wall that feed New Yorkers as they speed through their insanely busy days. Everyone has their favorite places to eat in New York. On a recent trip, I revisited my favorites and enjoyed myself all over again. Here's a quick trip through