Manhattan is the borough everyone thinks they already know, and most of what they know is Times Square. Skip that. The stoner's Manhattan is downtown slices, dark rooms with real film, museums big enough to lose an afternoon in, and a northern tip that most people on the 1 never bother to see.
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Manhattan neighborhood guides
Lower East Side
Pastrami, knishes, dumplings, Metrograph and the Williamsburg Bridge walk.
East Village
Pierogi, ramen, falafel and Tompkins Square, with the most late food per block on the island.
West Village
Joe's on Carmine, jazz basements, the Comedy Cellar and Film Forum.
Chinatown
Dim sum, roast meats, cheap dumplings and Columbus Park.
Harlem
Soul food, Apollo history, the Studio Museum and the best stoops uptown.
Best munchies in Manhattan
Downtown does the heavy lifting. A plain slice at Joe's, smoked fish at Russ & Daughters, a ticket at Katz's that you absolutely do not lose. Chinatown handles the cheap and fast. Curry Hill has Kalustyan's, a spice and snack store you can get lost in. Midtown is mostly the halal cart, and that's fine, because the cart is the point. The citywide version is in NYC munchies, and the after-midnight version is in late-night NYC.
Things to do in Manhattan high
Natural History is the whale and the planetarium. The Met is a whole wing and no more, because you can't do it all. MoMA has chairs that will hold your attention longer than they should. The Guggenheim is a seashell with a ramp. The Museum of the City of New York, up on Museum Mile, is the quiet one, and the Morgan Library is the room you walk into and go silent. The rest of the list is in things to do high in NYC.
Movies in Manhattan
This is the repertory capital. Film Forum, Metrograph, the Quad, Roxy, Anthology, IFC Center and the Paris all live here, so you can pick by mood and walk to it. AMC Lincoln Square has the big IMAX. Full rundown in movie theaters for stoners.
The Manhattan people skip
Keep riding the A past 168th and the island turns into forest. Fort Tryon Park sits on a ridge over the Hudson with a view that doesn't look like New York at all, and Inwood Hill Park has actual old woods at the very top of the map. Both are smoke-free city parks, so arrive floating. More like this in the parks and waterfronts guide.
Where you can sesh in Manhattan
Same rules as the rest of the city: home is the spot, and parks, plazas, transit and outdoor dining are out. Times Square is a plaza, which is a great excuse to never go. The full story is in where you can sesh in NYC.
