What's up in Madrid these days?
 

My wife and I are a couple of aging (36, no kids) hipsters in NYC. We are decidedly Spanophiles and we'll be in Pamplona and Madrid in July.
We were in those same cities last July as well (also, Rome in November, L.A. in March...).
In a nutshell: we're not old/not kids, well-traveled, speak Spanish & Italian, have some disposable income, travel with semi-serious photographic equipment, love food/wine and are willing to travel 3000 miles to get the good stuff.
All large tourist destinations (Museums, the Royal Palace, etc.) aside, what do you recommend in Madrid?
Food/wine/photo-op recs are always welcome.

Thanks, all.

I'd recommend that you check out Maribel's Guide to Madrid (http://maribelsguides.com) to get some idea of what you'll find. At least it will give you a start. One other thing. Madrid is not the liveliest city during late July and August. Most of the better restaurants are closed for the season, but the museums, etc., are still open to accommodate the tourist.

July will be hot, so plann your outdoor
activities morning or late evening, leave the afternoon for relax or museums which are all well a/a
Your question is interesting because is the kind of question I frecuently ask myself when traveling.
I cannot take more than 3 or 4 hours per day of art and culture.
The other things to do are sports,gourmet tourism, shopping and
FN ( Fare niente)
For the food and wine part check
www.guiadelocio.com or www.lanetro.com
shopping , the Salamanca district or Fuencarral, chueca (gay zone).perfectly safe and fun.
sports, at that time of the year a swimming pool could be a good choice so try a hotel with one for your hot afternoons.
The more precise your questions are the more accurate answer.
Rgds

Thank you.
Our hotel (H. Emperador) does have a rooftop swimming pool. We stayed there last year and that's why we chose it again.
It is near Chueca, which we found to be a fun neighborhood.

Did you see the recent NYT article on top Madrid chefs?

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/06/0.../05tables.html

The first one mentioned is Arosa's La Broche. I've seen mixed reviews for it though. But it has two Michelin **.

I liked Terraza del Casino when I ate there last October.

I've not read the article carefully yet.

You know what?
With all due respect to all the uncommonly talented chefs of Spain, I find the most common of foods of the country every bit as enjoyable as the Michelin-starred places.
In the past few years I've been to El Bulli, Arzak, Akelare and others. They were all wonderful, I assure you.
But honestly, I can really do without all the pomp and circumstance of haute cuisine and the price tag that goes with it.
Give me pintxos. Give me paella and fideuá. A glass of house wine in a bodega in La Rioja and I'm in my glory.

Anyone with me?

I'll have to agree with you ciaony regarding your dining experiences, especially when it comes to dishes prepared in Navarra, the Basque Country and La Rioja. We have the good fortune of knowing two of the chefs whose restaurants you mentioned, friends of a friend as they say, and they would agree with you since they often dine at some of the less prestigious restaurants.

ciaony, I agree with you :)

I haven't eaten in any of the "big chefs" places, way too expensive for me. But I know, well, I think everybody knows here in Spain that they are not the only ones who cook really well :) I mean, Arzak will ask himself if I am stupid if I go to his restaurant and ask for a paella :) He probably sent me back home , hahaha.
People says that the best places to eat well and cheap in Spain are the ones where you can see a lot of trucks and trailers. Maybe they are awful to the view, but the drivers know where they eat, great gourmets !!! :)))

Hi Ciaony, my husband and I are 41 year old East Villagers (no kids) and were in Madrid last May. We really liked the area south of the Plaza Mayor and had some great tapas and meal experiences there...just out of curiosity, where do you go for Spanish food in NYC?

We go to La Nacional almost exclusively. It's on 14St between 7th and 8th.

And you?

try this link for a wealth of info:
http://www.madridman.com

Thanks Ciao. La Paella is right near where we live on 9th Street, so we go there sometimes. La Nacional must be great. Anything particular that they specialize in that you love?

Re NYC Spanish restaurants -- have been to Pintxos and Marichu and enjoyed both.

Also Xunta (on First Avenue).

What's up in Madrid? CRIME
Seems to be, along with Barcelona, Europe's worst city for pickpocketing and muggings. A friend of mine was mugged on a Sunday morning around 8am near Atocha station and the thief wanted her day bag, wrestled her to the ground and tried to get it off - she tried to let him get it as it had nothing of value in it but the struggle lasted a minute or so - she got bruised. The things was shopkeepers opening shops nearby did nothing. I know of many more reliable such reports - be very careful in Madrid - even in Plaza Mayor there have been such incidents.

La Nacional serves, by far, the best paella in the city.
It is truest to the Valencia classic dish as I've had outside of Valencia.
I've had paella in Madrid that wasn't nearly as good.
Aside from that, the gazpacho is remarkable and everything else is just plain great.
You can't go wrong.
You just have to get over the (lack of) atmosphere.
Buen Provecho

Great food is the important thing, I can roll with minimal atmosphere (especially if I'm drinking a nice Rioja!) Hell, I live in the East Village... We love paella and will have to check it out. Thanks. 111op, I live near Xunta but haven't been there is a long time. As to the Madrid crime comment above, when I was in Barcelona and Madrid last year we had no problems. It was the same thing with Prague this year - I heard a lot of discussion about pickpocketing and petty crime, but had no problems. Maybe we were a bit more careful with those warnings in mind.
Ciao, are you beer drinkers too? Do you love Mahou (I think I spelled it right) as much as I do? Great beer...

Does that mean that Xunta has slipped, R? Not that I was ever there that often.

I go to Soba-ya every weekend (or nearly) -- also in your neighborhood.

Didn't mean to imply that, just haven't been there in a while. I've heard that Soba-ya is great, there are always lines...

Hi Ciaony,

My husband and I are going to Madrid in July and we're staying at the Hotel Emperado- I quess you like it because you're staying there again.
Isn't it on the gran Via?
Tell me--do you know if they have hairdryers there??
natjgc

Hey Ciao -- here's a fun article from Sunday's NYTimes (maybe you saw it)about handmade espadrilles at Casa Hernanz in the Plaza Mayor http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/tr...aging.html?8br

It will be hot for sure, but that just means you take a good siesta, then hit the terazzas and stay out late!

I would also second the suggestion of Maribel's Guide to Madrid. Husband and I ate at wonderful little spot in May we otherwise wouldn't have found w/out the guide. Don't have it in front of me now, but it was between Huertas and the Thyssen, just off Paseo del Prado. Served Northern Spanish (Asturian?) style cuisine. Nice meal, excellent value.

Used her guide in Sevilla too and was never steered wrong. We found a few sub-par places all by ourselves (too hungry, thirsty, or tired to do better), but never struck out with her suggestions.

Maribel also has a Pais Vasco guide on her site. Are you running with the bulls? :-) Fun site for that: http://www.sanfermin.com