Comments

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  Meryl Pearlstein December 1, 2010 at 8:23am

  I love to be a dissenter. i really do love the burgers at Shake Shack, or maybe it's the smell that I'm in love with. Whatever. They're good. The Chicago hot dogs are even better and no one else in Manhattan has them. Just avoid the vegetarian shroom burger or whatever it's called. It's truly awful.
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  Dana Curatolo December 1, 2010 at 12:34am

  I'm with Evelyn. Dogmatic has my Italian heritage wrapped around its finger. YUM.
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  Evelyn Kanter November 30, 2010 at 9:50pm

  Probably why it's called Shake Shack and not Burger Shack. Agree the shakes are awesome but not the burgers. My recommendation for something to bite into would be Dogmatic, which makes its own sausages on premises and serves them inside a fresh baked baguette. They even have a vegan version with asparagus. Or, head for the Homestead, a legendary NYC steakhouse. If you can afford it, go for the Kobe beefburger.
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  Dana Curatolo November 30, 2010 at 9:10pm

  Gotta say - I adore their shakes (personally don't do the burgers) - but for me, Mad Sq. Park is a great place to people watch. There's a dog park and quaint benches-- not too much more. The simplicity of it is what makes it enjoyable, for me at least. Not too many tourists and a lot of locals taking a breather from their frenetic NYC lives.
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  Bill Goodhart November 30, 2010 at 9:07pm

  Excellent - just the sort of feedback I want (after all these futile months on facebook). But, not to be picky, but a good friend and I experimented with our first Shake Shack, this one on Columbus and 77th - and blah! We hated it! Greasy burgers, at a high price for what we thought we just sliders, and we vowed never to return. What am I missing? Is Madison Square something different - besides a longer line?
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  Dana Curatolo November 30, 2010 at 9:01pm

  @Bill-- flatiron/28th street area is definitely on the up! I work around here and am certainly a fan of my surroundings. As Evelyn mentioned, Eataly is just around the corner (perfetto!) - and the Mad Sq. Park and Shake Shack make for the perfect lunch break on a spring afternoon. There's lots to discover around here.. including a superb selection of international restaurants.
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  Evelyn Kanter November 30, 2010 at 8:59pm

  Bill -- clicked before I could add -- if you or your family has an iPhone, iPad or iTouch, download my app "NYC Free and Frugal" which was a featured read on Tripatini recently.
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  Evelyn Kanter November 30, 2010 at 8:56pm

  Bill, this is a great area that's improving daily. Ed is correct -- it used to be unfit for human habitation. But neighborhoods change every decade or so. Your family will be within a few blocks of leafy (okay, not in December) and family-filled Madison Square Park and the original and fabulous Shake Shack. Sixth Avenue and 19th St. has some fab shopping, including a Bed/Bath/Beyond, discounters Old Navy and Marshall's, and my favorite discount camera store, Adorama. There's a Home Depot and a Best Buy on 23rd, and the incredible new Eataly fancy food outpost. Plus the legendary Flatiron Building, an architectural gem. And a few block north, you bump into Macy's and the Empire State Building. There's lots of great, inexpensive restaurants in the neighborhood, especially the stretch of Park Avenue South in the 20s that's lined with Indian curry restaurants. What's to worry?
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  Anil November 30, 2010 at 8:05pm

  @Bill: That would be a Holiday Inn express ? Anyways it is on the cusp area - two blocks from there, in each direction and you are in a totally different world all together.
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  Bill Goodhart November 30, 2010 at 7:24pm

  Well, on the 12th of this month I'm meeting a family of four from England on their first trip (at least for the kids) to New York at the Holiday Inn on W. 26th between 6th and 7th. Such an introduction to the Big City - but it is indeed interesting. I'll let you know how it goes!