New York for Students and Interns

NYC & Company is the official tourism site of the City of New York. The site touches on all the basic aspects of a visit to the Big Apple. You’ll find information about activities and attractions, and help with planning your visit.

Gothamist is a daily blog that covers anything, and almost everything, happening in New York. Peruse entries to get a taste of the varied, eccentric and intricate New York culture.

Ontheinside.info is an insider’s guide to activities in New York with content that’s generated and donated by influential New Yorkers. Discover bars, restaurants, stores and hang-out spots that are favored by New York’s creative types.

OneCampusNYC is a one-stop shop for prospective and current New York City-area students seeking information on a diversity of issues. Sponsored by the city government, this site has information on all the city's academic instutions, along with advice on staying safe, finding a place to live, funding your education, finding a job and much more.

TurnHere , a site that shows short films online, has a few that feature New York. Venture virtually into various neighborhoods and take a sneak peek at favorite local haunts.

Virtual NYC Tour lets you explore a neighborhood online using both panoramic photographs and an accompanying map. Select a neighborhood from the list on the left or from the map. Once the tour has loaded, be sure to check “Side Hints” to get little tips about what stores, attractions or spots of historical importance are on the surrounding streets.

New York Magazine presents comprehensive evaluations of 25 neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. You’ll find a basic overview, tips on bargains, restaurants, some real estate analysis and related magazine features. Note that some information may be dated as the original article was written in 2003.

Brownstoner is a blog that covers Brooklyn “inside and out.” People looking to rent or buy in Brooklyn will find the site particularly useful, as it provides thorough coverage of various neighborhoods in Brooklyn and their real estate markets. You’ll also find some information about what it’s like to live there.

The New York Police Department provides crime statistics for the entire city divided by borough and precinct. The information isn’t meant to scare you; in fact, sometimes just being aware of your surroundings and what to expect helps to keep you safe.

The Village Voice’s “Shelter” section features stories on individuals living in various neighborhoods in New York City, and also does “Close-Ups” on several neighborhoods of note.

Educational Housing Services runs three housing centers in New York geared toward students and interns. Apply for housing by semester, summer sessions or term (9 month or 12 month). It’s a way to live off-campus but still reap many of the benefits of typical dorm life.

The 92nd Street Y runs the de Hirsch Residence student housing center, which contains a number of rooms for students, interns and young professionals. Benefits include maid service and access to a library with Internet access. Browse the site for information about rates and applications.

The Webster provides housing for women who are studying, interning or starting a career in New York. Residents live in a single room; maid service and two meals a day are included. Rates start at $240 a week.

International House offers housing for graduate students and people coming to New York to study in other programs. Apply for a short-term stay (under 20 days) or for a few months.

Polytechnic University , located in downtown Brooklyn, allows nonstudents to take advantage of its dormitories during the summer. Live inexpensively in an air-conditioned room with Internet access. Housing is available June 1 through August 5.

Long Island University’s Housing Application is for full-time students, but if you call the number listed on the site in late spring, you’ll find information about summer residence in Brooklyn for nonstudents.

New York Habitat is an online real estate broker that locates temporary housing for as little as two nights and as long as “indefinitely.” Whether you’re looking for vacation housing, a furnished sublet or a roommate to share a home with, the site has an extensive selection to meet your needs. There’s a fee if you choose to book housing through the service, although you can get information about a rental free of charge.

NY.com , New York’s official tourism site, supplies a list of hostels in New York City that may be suitable for long-term stay.

HopStop can help you get from any address or intersection in New York to any other. Enter your starting point and destination in any of the five boroughs and get train, bus or walking directions that will land you on the doorstep of your destination. Choose certain preferences for your trip (for example, less walking or subway only) and get oriented once you leave the subway: HopStop has 360-degree photos of a number of subway exits that indicate which way you need to go.

NY.com

calculates the cross street of a Manhattan address, and provides the complex algorithm (also found in most print telephone books) if you want to figure it out on your own.

The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Web site has all of the subway, bus and Staten Island Railway maps you could ever need.

The New York Times has an article titled “Think You Own the Sidewalk? Etiquette by New York Pedestrians Is Showing a Strain” that provides seven tips for navigating the streets of New York. Tip number one? “[W]alking rules are like driving rules.”

The Morning News presents an article called “How to Walk in New York” that provides tips not only for the casual sidewalk walker, but rules for those on escalators, on subway stairs and even jaywalkers.

Bolte Medical provides a directory of 24-hour pharmacies across Manhattan that includes the pharmacy name, address and phone number. You’ll also find urgent care, integrated medicine and house call options.

TravelMD.com helps you search for emergency care across New York. Look for links to urgent care centers, emergency care, 24-hour pharmacies and other important health and safety information. Visit “Travelers’ Wellness Center” for same-day appointments. 

New-York-Locksmith.com finds locksmiths who can deal with home locks, car locks, commercial locks and more. The site explains what each service entails and allows you to enter your contact information and need via the Internet, or call a toll-free number to get a locksmith immediately.

FindAPlumber.com allows you to search for plumbers by zip code. Results include a description of the business, contact information and links to the company Web site when available.

New York Magazine has a comprehensive guide to the best New York food of 2007. Beginning with the hottest new restaurants, this savvy rundown offers an A-to-Z list of top-notch noshes. Everything is covered: burgers, brunches, meatballs, and neighborhood bagel shops and pizzerias, to name a few.

Time Out New York tips you off to the best hotdogs, cheesecake, burgers and knishes in the City. In this quick, entertaining feature, four New Yorkers compare their favorite to a challenger’s offering, with some surprising results. The magazine also weighs in on its favorite pizza.

MenuPages’ Restaurant Search grants would-be diners access to menus of Manhattan and Brooklyn establishments. Search for eateries by neighborhood and type of cuisine or use the interactive map to pinpoint a location. There are also alternative search options (“Open 24 Hours,” for example) and a “Hot Menus” section featuring the most clicked-on restaurants of the past 24 hours (scroll down to find it).

Urbanspoon covers restaurants in a number of U.S. cities, including New York. This is a great one-stop site for comparing reviews from several different sources, including New York Magazine and The Village Voice. To access reviews and “best” lists, click on a neighborhood or type of food.

The New Yorker compiled its “Tables for Two” restaurant reviews from January of 2006 through the current issue, searchable by author and date or keyword. For additional archived results check off “Tables for Two” in the search tool. Reviews are often humorous, and just long enough to establish a restaurant’s character.

OpenTable is an online reservation service for hundreds of restaurants in New York. Enter the date and time you wish to eat, neighborhood and/or cuisine, and a list of restaurants fitting your criteria is displayed. Complete a quick sign-up to make a selection and reservation for free.

The Brooklyn Paper has an online dining section that helps locals and visitors discover new hot spots and trusted standbys throughout the borough. Search the dining listings by neighborhood, cuisine or keyword; results include detailed summaries of each restaurant, as well as contact information, average entrée price and the credit cards accepted. Below the search tool, read restaurant reviews and feature articles.

New York Magazine offers its annual list of the best cheap eats in the city, including new cheap eateries, chef’s favorites, cheap but locally grown food and “cheap expensive” eats. Each pick includes contact info, a profile and reviews, and a link to the restaurant’s official site.

SuperVegan makes it easy to find vegan and vegetarian options with its “NYC Vegan Restaurant Guide.” Search or browse by cuisine, neighborhood, level of veganism and special features, such as free Wi-Fi and BYOB. Listings include star ratings and customer reviews, and you can link to restaurant Web sites.

The Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program helps the gluten-averse dine out in New York. Search for restaurants by location or by type of cuisine.

Nachas.org lists kosher restaurants in New York State, and divides its NYC listings by borough and Manhattan neighborhood. Some entries include links to the restaurant’s Web site, and all have price and contact information.

Zabihah.com provides listings of halal restaurants in each of the five boroughs along with links to each site, payment information and menu descriptions. This site is cluttered but the content is thorough and helpful.

SeamlessWeb is an online delivery service connecting you to restaurants all over New York. By entering an address, you’ll be presented with listings of nearby eateries with food ratings, prices, estimated delivery time, occasional discount offers and photos of food. The site also makes it easy to reorder your favorite dishes.

Delivery.com promises “Food at Your Fingertips” by using their free service. Enter your address (hint: for best results, enter street name/number and zip code only) for a list of participating merchants throughout New York, complete with essential info like minimum order amount, delivery hours and ratings of quality, value and speed.

New York Magazine

provides the details on DiFara’s pizza in Midwood, Brooklyn. DiFara’s rivals Grimaldi’s for being the most popular pizza in New York, with each pie handmade—slowly—by owner Domenico DeMarco. Be prepared to wait for your pizza, and treasure the Italian-imported ingredients. For an inside look before you go, visit YouTube for a selection of short videos taken inside DiFara’s.

Jargol is an online shopping magazine headed by a University of California, Berkeley grad. Browse the list of New York shops, and click to see where each is on the map. You’ll also get quick but detailed summaries of each store, pricing and location info, and links to store Web sites.

Superfuture provides maps of Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods dotted with many stores and restaurants—click on a name of an establishment for informal reviews (“exterior is the coolest thing,” for example). Don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of information presented here; it can give you a general idea of the shopping scope of each area and help you get familiar with street names and layout.

The New York Times “Travel” section features a guide to New York, including a section on shopping with brief listings of stores spanning the boroughs. Some shops have reader ratings.

The Village Voice displays insider knowledge in its “New York City Guide,” offering a list of stores with unique details about neighborhoods and merchandise that you won’t find in other online guides. With just a quick glance at each listing, you’ll be informed of pricing and signature items. Search the listings by category, location and keyword.

Time Out New York is the entertainment listings bible. If you’re looking for something to do, head here first. Search by zip code or keyword, or browse through categories of events.

Metromix New York is a site devoted to New York entertainment. Find news, reviews and features about music, movies, theater and events, as well as restaurant and nightlife information.

SummerStage is an annual tradition in Central Park. Held in Rumsey Playfield (at 70th Street, approximately) from June to September, SummerStage is a weekly concert series featuring some widely renowned musicians and artists, such as the Beastie Boys, Common, Television and Neko Case. Best of all, it’s free.

The River to River Festival sponsors concerts and other performing arts in various outdoor locations in lower Manhattan.

JoonBug keeps you up to date on every aspect of and event in New York City’s robust nightlife. Get on lists and buy tickets for events, read about upcoming parties, check the nightlife blog and even browse through pictures of past events. Note that the font is a little hard to read.

New York Magazine’s guide for visitors lists its selection of the top 25 bars in New York. Choices include all types of institutions; you’ll find the rooftop bar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the notorious Bungalow 8, and some regular bars with dozens of beers on tap. And if you’re looking to save some cash, check out the Magazine’s compilation of New York’s best happy hour deals. Also note the “always cheap” list (scroll down to find it).

Shecky’s New York Nightlife guide creates lists of recommended bars and clubs and has reviews of many others. Search for bars and clubs by category or by neighborhood, and explore them through reviews and pictures.

Time Out New York’s “Clubs” section lets you search for a club, event or article. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, simply select a borough or date and hit search, then browse through the long listings. Or take a chance on one of the “Most viewed in Clubs” (on the right sidebar) or the “Find Events” section for daily listings.

The Village Voice boasts a list of more than 1,200 bars and clubs in New York City. Choose whether to sort by Voice picks, price or letter of the alphabet.

Myopenbar.com gives you a weekly schedule of all the City’s open bar events. Often the events are completely free, although sometimes there’s a small cover.