Ahh NYC. It's a tough place to crack but the opportunities are there if you know where to look. Here's my 2c on NYC.
Like every big city there are different scenes and you'll have to figure out what works for you. My experience is mostly with Manhattan. I know there's fun to be had in Williamsburg, deeper in Brooklyn or in ethnic enclaves in Queens and the Bronx. I'd love to explore those further and there's some info in the NYC thread here:
http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-2863.html
Because NYC is big, there's a lot going on and getting around can be a pain in the ass girls are very flaky. I don't think I've ever seen this much flakery. Collect a lot of numbers during the day and start texting late afternoon / evening when you head out to the night venues.
At night girls will want you to join them and their friends where they are. Avoid the temptation even if you're alone. Just tell them you're at some cool place and that they should join. It's a big city and there are fresh leads everywhere!
Daygame
Central Park - the steps of the Metropolitan Museum are good during the day. Lots of traffic and mainly tourists.
Union Square is good because it's a tourist hub and there are lots of modeling agencies in the area and a lot of people passing through. Bookstores are another good bet - look up the big
Barnes & Noble stores. Look out for tourist looking girls since the long time New Yorkers have seen it all.
I'm not good at daygame, but I sometimes rack up approaches in the above places. Daygame is tough in NYC. Girls are on their guard and often in a rush.
Daytime drinking is more my style. A good venue is the
Beer Garden at the Standard in the Meatpacking District. It fills up in the late afternoon on weekdays with a very varied (though yuppie heavy) after work crowd. During the weekend it's packed all afternoon. You pay 8 dollars for a beer token at the entrance. This can be redeemed for beer and food inside. It's a massive place. Grab one of the tall white seats by the entrance to catch the passing traffic as people go in and out.
Outside the Beer Garden there's garden furniture outside the main entrance of the
Standard Hotel; during the day tourists will often sit there for some rest and it's a good place to approach.
If you meet a girl at the beer garden and need to transition to go to the Top of the Standard where there's an incredible view of the city. It's pricy but awesome. If you're on a tighter budget there are many other options nearby.
One option is
Brass Monkey. It's a more frat boy heavy, slightly younger crowd but a good place to get in some approaches. This place doesn't really start getting fun until early evening so transition there later.
Night game
There are tons of options. Weekends are terrible, but there's much fun to be had on weekdays. I like Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here are some rough categories with places:
Scene / trendy clubs - this is where the cool kids, the socialites, the wannabes and the fashion girls go. They often have nights that are guestlist only so call ahead to check before going or try to sneak the bouncer a $20, though it will be the person with the clipboard who calls the shots. Sometimes you can say you're from out of town and ask them to put you on the list if you call ahead the same day, but don't count on it.
Logistics are a big part of mastering NYC and you don't want to end up on a wild goose chase being rejected from every place you go to. Wherever you go in NYC, dress sharp.
The Jane Hotel Bar: young model girls and wannabe socialites galore. Also trendy looking yuppies in thick rimmed glasses and suits. Is loosing its lustre a bit but still a fun place to go. It's spread over two floors with two bars and a dancefloor in a dark high vaulted room. Think oak paneling, big chandeliers and plushy sofas. Go there early. You should be dressed well or you'll get turned away at the door. If you go as one guy you may well get in, two guys is pushing it and three you'd have to be on the list. This also means that the ratio never gets stupidly out of whack so it's a good choice. This is your best best for getting into one of the more scenester heavy places without connections or guest list.
The Soho Grand - Soho: this place can be fun. Mixed crowd age wise, it runs from young scenester party kids to older yuppie types. Generally fashionable with strict door policy, though guest list is usually not required. Two bars, one quiet bar with plushy sofas near it and another party bar with a dance floor, DJs etc. Sometimes there will be a separate guest list for the latter.
Milk Studios - Chelsea: Gigs, art events, film screenings, fashion parties and afterparties. This is not a club as much as a venue for special events. Look it up on Facebook and and find out how to RSVP to the events they have on to get yourself on the list. They'll sometimes have sponsored booze available, etc.
The Kenmare - Soho: Club on two floors. Top floor has a laid back bar where you can have conversations, downstairs has DJs. It's cavern like with lots of nooks to retreat into and talk to girls, etc. Great crowd on Wednesdays. Young and hip, you'll often meet NYU students in there. Door policy not very strict but still selective.
The Boom Boom Room - Meatpacking: the Top of the Standard mentioned earlier turns into the Boom Boom Room at 10-11pm on some days. It's usually guestlist only but free to get in. You may be able to get yourself on the list by calling ahead or get in by bringing hot girls. Well turned out crowd, very good ratio (helped by that gay dudes go there too) and some incredibly hot girls. Incredible roof terrace for smoking and bringing girls for a quiet talk.
Employees Only - West Village: more a laid back bar than the above. Can be fun on weekdays. Late twenties / early thirties crowd. Pricey but nice atmosphere. There's a long bar to sit at and tables at the back.
Dive Bars / hipster joints - The East Village / Lower East Side really shines when it comes to these. You can walk around 1st st and 1st ave and you'll see plenty of these. It's a good area to start off with some bar hopping or end up when everywhere else is closed. Some places:
Max Fish - LES: grimy, cheap and cheerful. This is known as a skater venue but it attracts it's fair share of of art and fashion girls. Really good, laid back vibe. It has foosball / pool in the back room which gives you good opportunities for opening and doing something fun. Open late and usually has a good vibe. You'll meet some backpacker and aussie girls here too occasionally.
Mehanata Bulgarian Bar - LES: not divey, more of a hipster joint with a Bulgarian theme. Varies a lot. Stay away on weekends, when they charge a cover and the place fills up with an odd crowd. On weekdays it can be a lot of fun. They play Balkan music and attract a varied crowd, including Balkan girls and girls who want to show off their belly dancing. Somewaht pricey. They have shisha too. If you need to get a girl drunk they have a vodka room downstair where you pay 20 bucks for all you can drink high end vodka in a glass freezer for five minutes.
Frat bars - if you want to meet girls fresh out of college surrounded by guys with popped collars this is the way to go. I have limited experience with these but there's a high concentration of them in Murray Hill and the Upper East Side.
Brother Jimmy's on the UES is a barbecue joint that turn into rowdy bar at night. It can be good fun, drinks are reasonably priced but I'm not big on that niche.
The Fat Cat - West Village: If you want to meet college students, go here. Big venue with all sorts of games: beer pong, shuffleboard, ping pong, air hockey, etc. There's a big bar, lots of seating. It's $3 to get in, but drinks are cheap. Wander around and chat up people at the tables playing games. Very easy place to open at so if you're struggling with approach anxiety this is a place where, on a busy night, you can easily get in 10 approaches in not too long. Because the place is big it won't look too weird when you move around the place. If you're with a friend get a pool table somewhere central and use that as your base to approach from / invite girls to your table, etc.
Promoter driven clubs - There are many of these in NYC. Some of the places listed above partially fall into the category except they usually don't charge covers during the weeks. I refuse to pay $20 entry to be surrounded by meatheads and eurotrash. These are your 'bottles and models' venue so I stay away from them. Their one redeeming feature is that you'll find a higher than average concentration of hot girls but not worth the money, the hassle and the poor ratio. I know guys who do well on this circuit, but it's often when they've become well known on the scene (ie. promoters hook them up, intro them to girls, etc.) and drop a lot of cash on bottles. Not saying it's impossible if it's your thing, but there are easier targets out there.
Finally I'd like to explore the hotel lounge scene more. Would love to see tips if anyone's got them.
