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My Neighborhood - Inwood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe, etc.
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Tempest’s 5-star review: This is my favorite park in NYC. It's not as big as Central Park (but really, not much is) and not as manicured as Fort Tryon, but that's why I love it so much. The park has two parts. The lower park with places for basketball, tennis, baseball, and other sports. There's the inlet with beautiful views of the river and the Palisades, some lawns which make a great place for a picnic, and a track for exercising. Everything a park needs. The second part is Inwood Hill itself. This is the last 'natural' forest in Manhattan. Though it's smaller than a forest should be and has concrete paths, there is a movement afoot to return it to its wild nature. That's why the streetlamps don't work and the benches have been left to the elements. That's great, though, because it gives the place a wonderful aura. Though not terribly big, you don't have to go too deep into the trees before you lose all sound of the outside world (evemn the cars on the highway). Treat yourself by walking to the top to look out over the GW Bridge, river, and Palisades from an even better vantage point. The only caution I would give is to not visit the park too close to dark. The streetlamps don't work and since it's semi-isolated, it's not exactly safe. During the day I've never ever felt unsafe or had a problem. I just wouldn't go running here at night. (Fort Tryon is great for night walking). -
Tempest’s 1-star review: I know that by downgrading my review I risk getting yet another note from the owner of this establishment, but I have to be honest. I've had to remove it from my Best Places to Write/Work list because it's clear that IRC wants to be more of an eatery than a true cafe, and that irks me. I'd be less irked if Inwood was a wasteland when it came to good places to eat brunch or lunch or dinner, but that hasn't been true for a while now. There are better, less expensive places to eat just up the street, down the road on Dyckman, or even just over the river in the Bronx. What we sorely need in this neighborhood is a place to sit and work or read or chill with a good cup of coffee. Instead, we've got a small, noisy restaurant filled with yuppies and their offspring. Perhaps the mood here is better suited to the west side of Broadway, whose gentrification is sadly complete. Still, you would think that the population fo students, artists, musicians and writers would be a customer base worth courting. I guess not. They still have free wi-fi and there is a little bar ghetto in the corner for those of us still lugging our laptops around. But it's a poor substitute for a real cafe. In my last review, I challenged IRC to decide what it was and be that thing. They decided, which is fine, but lost me as a customer. After all, if I wanted brunch, why would I come over here instead of going to the far superior Garden Cafe not 4 blocks away? And another star off for Jason's response. Snarky/whiney comebacks for every non-glowing review? Not cool at all, dude. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: The Inwood farmer's market is relatively new compared to the more famous ones downtown, but it's already become an indispensable part of the neighborhood. It's also now open all year 'round! Every Saturday, even in Winter. Like most of the localized greenmarkets, there are only a few vendors here. But the ones we have are wonderful and varied and most of the time I don't have to travel all the way to Union Square to get everything I need. On most weekends there are 2 - 3 places selling fruits and veggies, the best honey vendor in town, Diapola Turkey Farm (the best!), organic meats, poultry, and fish, and a couple of places selling fresh baked goods. (In the warmer seasons we sometimes get Bread Alone - heaven!) All of the vendors are nice, knowledgeable, and invested in helping you choose the right stuff. The honey guy is particularly outgoing and friendly. I love this market. I rarely need to visit the grocery store. They have everything I need. -
Tempest’s 4-star review: Good local car service for the Inwood and Washington Heights area. I call them when I know I'll need a car even though I could go hail a livery on the street. it just feels safer and these guys usually give me good service. They offer airport service as well at not bad prices. Certainly comparable to all the other neighborhood places. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: Great, great pizza. I really love it. The delivery version doesn't quite acheive the crispness of in-restaurant, but not many can. Unlike some other reviewers, I got my delivery in good time. Maybe they're just on the ball tonight? Who knows. I'm making this my new staple pizza place. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: There was a time when you couldn't find a cute cafe like this in the neighborhood. A place to drop in after work or on the weekends after a stroll in the park with good food and a nice atmosphere. Mostly it was fast food, Latin food, pizza places and 24 hour donut and coffee joints. That's one of the reasons the Garden cafe is so great - our neighborhood went too long without a place like it. That's not to say that I love it just because it's here. Being the only such place for several blocks, it would be worse if the food wasn't great. That's not the case, thankfully. The food is really awesome, the service is great, and the atmosphere laid back and beautiful. The back patio is awesome. During the cold months it has full windows, lots of natural light, and heat lamps to keep you toasty. When the warmth hits they open the patio up completely so you can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine (under an umbrella, if you want). Prices are not exorbitant but more than the usual Inwood fare. Still, I can see myself popping in here two or three times a week to have a nosh - even it's it's just the hummus plate (so good). If you're in the neighborhood to enjoy Inwood Hill or even to visit Fort Tryon/The Cloisters, make a point of visiting this place for lunch or dinner. It's less expensive and better than the Leaf cafe thing near the Cloisters with just as much charm. -
Tempest’s 3-star review: So deCafe went away and has been replaced by this place called Beans & Vines. It's a wine bar/restaurant that serves coffee and tea, but it's definitely not a cafe. That's right. Gone is the free wi-fi and the cafe feel, but at least they added more seats and decent chairs. Not that it matters as it's no longer a place to bring your laptop. Had some tea here which was decent and a nibble of food that smelled good but was dubious. I may return, but hardly tempted to do so. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: This place is amazing. Any kind of alcoholic drink you could want (besides beer) can be found at PJ's. It's huge, it's varied, and the staff is very knowledgable. They're truthful, too. They won't try to steer you toward overly expensive wine if a moderately priced one is really good. Their recommendations rock. I have a roommate who is part French, and she can't walk in here without buying a caseful of stuff. Definitely recommended, even if you don't live in the neighborhood. -
Tempest’s 4-star review: I have some deep feelings about this Starbucks location. Not because I love Starbucks, but because there are changes afoot in this neighborhood and this place is a metaphor for many of them. Let's start with the fact that it exists here a all. Whenever a Starbucks comes to a neighborhood in NYC it's a sign not of impending gentrification, but of solidly underway gentrification. Starbucks is not showing up in the hopes that gentrified folks are around, it shows up when gentrification is solidly underway. And looking at the people who live mostly on the west side of Broadway? It's clear. So Starbucks isn't a harbinger, it's a confirmation. It's also here because other cafes have paved the way. In the last 10 years we went from having no cafes to having a burst of a ton of cafes to having fewer cafes because many of them didn't make it. Why? There are a lot of reasons, but the biggest is because it's an expensive business. You have to balance a lot of things. And you need a clientele willing to pay certain prices to keep you afloat. Even in a gentrified nabe like this one there are still a ton of people who are concerned with authenticity and local-ness (as long as those things are made to feel comfortable and welcoming to THEM and not necessarily the people who lived around here before them). So I can see them eschewing the Starbucks in favor of Darling Coffee down the road. Those people can keep that place. After having spent several days in this Starbucks writing, working, and people watching, here's what I've noticed about it: a true mix of people come in here. Yes, you have the white folks, the hipsters, the yuppies, and the baby carriage pushers. Those aren't the only people who come in. There are plenty people of color, especially Dominicans, who drop in for coffee or stay to work or hang out. This place is pretty hoppin' on weekend afternoons and on some weeknights. The people who work here are mostly brown, and as a brown person i appreciate that. Contrast this with the very white clientele and staff of Darling Coffee or even Taszo down in Wa-Hai. Curious, that. A chain coffee shop draws a more diverse clientele than the "local" shops not so far away? How is that possible? Maybe because Starbucks isn't only here for the gentrifiers. Maybe because the people of Inwood are a bit tired of "local" places that aren't so friendly toward what we consider local people. One of the biggest drawbacks to this place is how few seats there are. A communal table int he center seats 6, bar seating by the window seats maybe 4, tables in the back corner can fit up to 8 if everyone is willing to get snug. I usually find a seat, even if I have to wait for a bit. It's worth it. There are outlets, there is free wi-fi, there are good drinks (chai latte, come to mama), there are friendly people. I would spend all my days here before I spent an hour in certain other cafes. I wish that they'd gone for a bigger space with this location. I wish that the other cafes in this neighborhood hadn't disappeared or made themselves unfriendly toward certain people. I wish we didn't need chain cafes to make other places step up their game. I wish hipsters and yuppies hadn't discovered Inwood. I wish a lot of things. -
Tempest’s 3-star review: It's funny how you can tell who has been in this neighborhood for a while and who came in with the wave of gentrification. Just look at any recent review of this place. As I said in my years-ago review, i was never that impressed with this place. But as a breakfast/brunch joint it was reliable and the service good. Now they've upgraded the look to something straight outta Brooklyn. And while I appreciate the aesthetics of it, I'm not so down with the other changes this hath wrought. The food is more expensive but not tastier. A few staff members are nice, but service is overall poor and yeah, I've also witnessed the staff having friend time behind the bar while ignoring the folks waiting for food or attention. Even when it's not that the service is slow and the servers inattentive. The place also seems to have an identity crisis. It's like they want to be a cool cafe that slides effortlessly into gastropub when the sun goes down. So there are coffee drinks and espresso and tea and wine and beer. But then the prices are all over the place. they have pastries, but also a sit down menu. And the sit down menu is reminiscent of the diner-type place it was before. Also: Cash Only? Really? Can y'all not afford Square? Also, don't even think of coming in here with a laptop if your battery life isn't good. No outlets. none. Yet it looks exactly like the place where you would come with a laptop and have a latte.... I can't explain it and it's not my job to try. I give it an extra star because I have had some nice writing sessions in here and it's good to get away from the Wi-Fi for a while. -
Tempest’s 2-star review: It's tearing me apart to rate this place so low, and with the first review, too! But my initial impression of them was SO low, I just have to be honest. Mama Sushi is new, and I understand that they're just getting on their feet. Maybe in a few months' time I will try them again, because the menu is intriguing. Plus, we need nice places in the nabe with food that isn't the same old, same old. Now, as to why I'm giving this place 2 stars. I ordered for the first time this evening and had a hard time deciding what I wanted because everything on the menu looked so good! Beyond the regular sushi fare they also have some tempting house rolls with combinations like chicken tempura + bacon + cream cheese + plantain and shrimp tempura + eel + mango. I was very tempted by the Miso sea bass even though it's a whopping $20 entree. I ended up ordering that plus a roll plus 2 cans of coke. My total? $37 and change. 20 + 9 + 6 (for the cokes...) + tax. After getting over the sticker shock from the cokes, I eagerly tried the food. The roll was pretty good, but not extremely flavorful. I don't think I tasted the mango, and I was trying. The roll wasn't bad, but it wasn't $9 great. The sea bass was a HUGE let down. Flavorless, uninteresting, SMALL, bleh. At least the cokes tasted good. Now, I was prepared to splurge a bit on my dinner tonight as a treat, but at this point I feel completely ripped off. It would take some convincing for me to try Mama Sushi again anytime soon, and one of the pre-requisites will be that they change their pricing. I'm sorry to be so harsh on the place, like I said. But there ya go. -
Tempest’s 4-star review: I've been here twice and will be coming a lot more in the near future. On a recent trip to check out the great sangria other Yelpers keep writing about, Iliana P and I discovered a sweet slice of sangria heaven. Yum yum. It's tasty and strong, which is exactly what you want from the stuff. Had a little food, too, which was also tasty. Prices aren't too bad. I'd only been here once before on a hookah night and found the hookah experience somewhat lacking, but I was alone at the time. I'll have to give it another shot. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: I'm reluctant to give another glowing review of this great museum because I like the fact that it's not overrun by tourists and New Yorkers alike. Consider it too far away? Fine with me! That means I get to enjoy this quiet, beautiful museum without too many other people. Not only is the art and architecture inside fabulous, but the views of the river, park, and GW Bridge are so, so fabulous. I often come here to just sit and look out over the world. Since this museum is part of the Met, the admission is by donation, so you can pay whatever you want. If you're a tourist, I suggest you pay the full price. But if you're a New Yorker and plan to come a lot, then go ahead and pay what you can. -
Tempest’s 4-star review: I've never set foot in this restaurant, only ordered delivery. So all of my impressions are based on that. Overall, I love Guadalupe a lot. Every time I order food it is delicious, they never let me down. I've tried about 50% of the menu and not once have I wished I hadn't ordered. The delivery can be a bit slow, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. But when it does arrive, the food is hot. And delicious. This is the best Mexican place in the nabe. It's sad they don't have more competition. Still, as long as they stay in business I will hit them up when I get a craving. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: This Duane Reade is clean, somewhat new, and the staff is friendly so far. The best thing is that the Chase ATM inside doesn't charge a fee! Yes, it's true! I've used it twice and checked my account, no fee. And it doesn't say it's charging a fee (ATMs have to tell you and get you to agree). I have no idea why there's no fee but I'm not arguing. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: Usually I would subtract one star because they don't deliver. However, the pizza is so damn good that it's worth walking 5 blocks in the cold to go get. What more do I need to say? -
Tempest’s 5-star review: You can tell from the name that this place specializes in sangria. I counted something like 6 different kinds on the menu. Sadly, I was alone and did not feel like getting drunk without help home, so I did not try any. Next time, though! I did have some food and it was really, really great. I saw lots of people from the neighborhood in there clearly enjoying the fabulous food, so I feel safe recommending it to everyone. Definitely try the steak with yuca fries... I never knew fries could be so good! It's lovely to have a nice, upscale restaurant in the neighborhood that is FOR the people in the neighborhood, you know? I just hope they get enough business to stay in business. Five stars for my first trip. Come on up and join me for the second, third, fourth... -
Tempest’s 4-star review: This place recently came under new management so they have new prices. 60 cents/pound for laundry isn't bad at all (though I still long for the .50 I used to get elsewhere) and they washed and folded my clothes no problem. I was annoyed that my clothes came in many small plastic bags put into one big bag - it seems a huge waste when they could just put everything in the big bag, arranged nicely. I will definitely give this place another chance. -
Tempest’s 3-star review: I used to drop my laundry here all of the time. The workers are nice (though they speak very little English, which isn't an issue for most of the people who live around here, but is for me :) ), they do my laundry well, and it always comes back smelling nice and well-folded. The place is very clean and they have a TV if you want to do your own laundry on site. I love that they are open 24 hours and always get my laundry done in a few hours instead of the half a day most places make you wait for. The only reason this palce gets 3 stars instead of 4 or 5 is that, up until 2 months ago, the price per pound for drop-off laundry was 50 cents, now it's 70 cents. Sure, it's not as bad as downtown where $1/lb. isn't unheard of, but I really liked the .50 deal. I started sending my stuff to the place down the street that has .60/lb service and is just as good so far. -
Tempest’s 4-star review: There's not much I can add to Christine's review, but I wanted to put this on my Inwood list and to second the pleasant surprise in finding some organic stuff here. When the store that was in this space shut down last year I despaired of having a good grocery within short walking distance. I'm very glad that these folks opened up a better, cleaner store with a selection that allows me to buy food and not feel i have to trek all the way down to Whole Foods EVERY time I want some decent stuff. Granted, I'm still going to have to go elsewhere for more exotic fare, but Antilliana has my back for the staples. -
Tempest’s 5-star review: An excellent park - second only to Inwood Hill. If you're looking for a beautiful mixture of landscape and wildness, wander the paths of Fort Tryon Park. The path to the Cloisters will take you through plenty of beauty. But take the time to explore the side paths, or walk up the back way (from the A station at 200/Dyckman) to get some different perspectives. There's a lot to explore in this little patch of wilderness, and plenty of peace and quiet to be had. If you live in the neighborhood, this is a good place to go walking at night or at dusk. It's safe because there's always a police presence (due to the Cloisters and the Park Dept. stuff) and there are a fair # of people who walk their pets at this time. -
Tempest’s 2-star review: Now that I've been here more, I must lower my rating. There are some great things about Taszo, but they're overwhelmed by the negatives. There aren't a lot of good cafe-style coffee places in Inwood/Washington Heights, especially of the indie variety. I wanted Taszo to succeed, I really did. I love the ambiance. Taszo is a well-sized place with plenty of room and plenty of seating. I love the big, all-glass front since it lets in plenty of light and makes the place seem bigger. The design is certainly open and friendly. None of the chairs in the place are super comfortable. Fine for an hour or two, not great for all day. Except the leather ones. But there's no table by them. The décor itself is very eclectic and fun and funky. This place definitely doesn't feel like a Starbucks clone. Their coffee is really good -- and I don't drink much coffee. If you're like me, there are other options, including some yummy teas. They now have a wider selection of food--not just pastries but sandwiches and quiches and such. These are overpriced for the portions, sadly. That's not usual, even for this nabe. So far that all seems great, right? Now for the disappointments. Unfortunately, Taszo does that thing where part of the cafe is no laptops, relegating working people to the back part. The communal table there at least fits a good number of people, and there are leather chairs off to the side as well. I just think the whole idea of banning laptops from the front tables at all times is dumb and doesn't actually create the community vibe it's supposed to. It would be better if laptops were allowed everywhere during slow times and they encouraged patrons to share tables like the do at Birch down on Columbus. (Birch even has little signs, it's so cute!) The laptop section I can live with since it's not uncomfortable, But then Taszo adds insult on top of that. I found out that at 7pm the employees ask the laptop users to leave (literally) or at least "put your laptops away" since at this time the beer and wine come out. What? Do people who use laptops not drink beer or wine? It's one thing to want to create a community vibe in a place--I'm all for that--it's another to poop on the exact clientele that love cafes like this. There are dozens of ways to ensure that laptop luggers don't take up space without paying some rent (i.e. buying things) and build loyalty at the same time. The owner isn't interested, I guess? Speaking of the owner, I read some reviews on Yelp that called him out on being somewhat weird. I was a little worried after reading reviews on Yelp. My first time there I took a picture of the storefront to add to any review I did. When I came in the first thing he asked me was: what was the picture for? Okay... Then when I said I was taking pictures to put on Yelp he got a little weird on me. I had to explain that I don't work for Yelp, I just use the site, and I have a thing about making sure places have good pictures. At one point, the woman behind the counter had to say to him, "She's a CUSTOMER. We should be nice." Okay... Other than that he was pleasant to me and left me alone once I settled in. I don't think he even remembered me when I came back. The folks behind the counter can be nice. Some of them are abrasive, using overly fake cheerful voices as they act jerky. It's a mix. One other thing that bothers me about this place: it's smack dab in Washington Heights, which is a majority Dominican neighborhood, and yet the majority of people I see in there are white. It just makes me wonder who this cafe is for. The hours also rule it out for me most times. An 8pm closing it a bit early for me. Shave another hour off since I can't use my laptop after 7. Bottom Line: I wouldn't recommend this place except for the actual coffee. I hear a cafe bene is moving in right next door. GOOD. I'll come down to try that out for sure. -
Tempest’s 3-star review: It's Target. It's crowded and over hyped and sometimes overpriced and generally not really where you want to be at any given time. In places that are not NYC Target is a good place to go when you need something. Here in NYC Target is where you go when the places in your neighborhood are unreliable and you just need 24 rolls of toilet paper STAT. I actually don't mind having a Target in the city (even if it's technically in the Bronx) because it is reliable. I particularly go for clothing that doesn't need to be fashionable. Jeans, sweatshirts, tees, socks, undies, etc. I know how much that stuff is going to cost and I know they'll have what fits me. I hate having to go to a bunch of different places for such simple, basic needs, so Target fits the bill there. And hey, they have 24 rolls of toilet paper! But, honestly, Target is not the place to go if you need nice things, or anything beyond the basics. Even if your neighborhood doesn't have all that you need, some neighborhood does. This is New York, explore a little. Weekends = crowded. Hell, anytime after 5 on a weekday is crowded, scarily enough. And people drive here, making the traffic on Broadway HORRID. If you can get there are other times (or very early on a weekend) then it's not too bad. But, compared to other Targets (including the one in Brooklyn), it's kinda small. the selection reflects this. Target fulfills some specific needs. I'm glad it exists nearby. But when I need something, I won't automatically think "I need to go to Target for that." I hope this doesn't change. -
Tempest’s 2-star review: Aside from the fact that this is a chain restaurant in New York and that it's IHOP, the international standard for sub-par food people just can't stop eating, this particular location is the pits. Don't do it! It's too small, for one thing. A fact that becomes abundantly clear on any weekend whent he people of Riverdale who don't know any better flock here for their diabetic rush. It's open 24 hours, though, and the evenings are usually fine as far as I can tell. The other problem is that the service has never been particularly good. Every time I've come here there's been a problem. To top it off, the food just isn't that good. Remember the Funnel Cake promotion from last year? I'd hardly call those things funnel cakes. Sugary ropes fried in lard is more like it. Real Funnel Cake is ambrosia. The only thing that saves this place is the 24 hours thing. If I really need a pancake at 3am I can go here to get it. then again, the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins right around the corner is also 24 hours. And an ice cream/glazed donut sundae at 3am may be better than pancakes. What wrong with me, you ask? I'm obviously high on sugar...
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