So today I got asked by one of my mates if he could rack my brain about the best things to do and places to experience in New York City. He is leaving in February for a 6 week trip to New York, LA, Montreal, and Cabo. (Cabo is definitely one of my next travel destinations!
Whilst he said he would of course check out a few of the touristy things, he like myself occasionally likes to go off the beaten track. Now i need to let you in on a lil secret. New York City and I have kinda have a love/hate relationship. Kinda like the some times tumultuous love/hate relationship i have with my Anerican husband....But never the less I definitely wanted to try and give an objective and informative view of one of the most amazing cities in the world. The only trouble is...I've never actually travelled or sight see'd there. I defiantly didn't think that I had any so called 'experiences' worth telling. On every trip I ever took that landed me in NYC, I always sort of lived like a local there, just slipped into an american life. Living in a 5th floor walk up apartment with boiling hot furness pipes that ran down the wall and a Rear Window vibe where you could see into the lives of all your neighbors by way of the windows facing inwards to a courtyard. But then there were my experiences of the midnight runs to the bodega or McDonald's on the corner of broadway and 170th st, or when i jumped on a train late at night to take our Mac back to the apple store to be fixed, or stepped outside a place i was staying in Bay Ridge for a smoke in the snow and got locked out and had to run across to the Verizon store and use one of their cellphones to call for keys. Or even the the millions of trips to Best Buy near the Lincoln Centre for an American TV series which were always months ahead of being released in Australia.
So trying to think of experiences to tell someone who has never built a relationship with the city, defiantly required a bit of research bi-way of photos and old journals.
So research done...From memory this is the best experiences I have:
1. Walk through Central Park and then maybe brunch or lunch at the boathouse....I always wanted to take a horse carriage ride through central park??
2. A visit to the Apple Store opposite the Plaza Hotel and Fao Schwartz toys
3. A meal or drink at ESPN Zone Time Square
4. Of course the Empire State Building, maybe at sunset?
5. Grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte or a hot Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks and wander through 6. Greenwich or East Village or Chinatown, Little Italy...lots of stores, galleries and amazing food and culture
7. Maybe a Knicks game at the Garden
8. Check out the 911 remembrance gallery and memorial
9. Sushi shop near Lincoln centre or the out door farmers markets on the corner of Lincoln centre.
10. Defiantly a visit to the MOMA (including the shop for quirky bits and pieces) or the Met or the Guggenheim
11. A little ice skating in central park or at the Rockefeller Centre
12. An off broadway show or off off broadway show
13. If its cold while out wandering around and you need to refresh the west village is great for a cup of soup and a nice roll or the Corner Bistro for a hamburger, the Spotted Pig for a ale/beer and even that bakery that got made famous by Sex and the City for its cupcakes Magnolias Bakery
14. Bowery Ballroom or it's other venues for all the touring band acts
15. Browse the street art vendors near Columbus Circle or Time Square for a unique cityscape drawing.
16. A little outta the city is a visit to Ps1 gallery in long island city
and if your really pressed for things to do, there are a million people in time square selling tickets to a million comedy clubs.
Whilst he said he would of course check out a few of the touristy things, he like myself occasionally likes to go off the beaten track. Now i need to let you in on a lil secret. New York City and I have kinda have a love/hate relationship. Kinda like the some times tumultuous love/hate relationship i have with my Anerican husband....But never the less I definitely wanted to try and give an objective and informative view of one of the most amazing cities in the world. The only trouble is...I've never actually travelled or sight see'd there. I defiantly didn't think that I had any so called 'experiences' worth telling. On every trip I ever took that landed me in NYC, I always sort of lived like a local there, just slipped into an american life. Living in a 5th floor walk up apartment with boiling hot furness pipes that ran down the wall and a Rear Window vibe where you could see into the lives of all your neighbors by way of the windows facing inwards to a courtyard. But then there were my experiences of the midnight runs to the bodega or McDonald's on the corner of broadway and 170th st, or when i jumped on a train late at night to take our Mac back to the apple store to be fixed, or stepped outside a place i was staying in Bay Ridge for a smoke in the snow and got locked out and had to run across to the Verizon store and use one of their cellphones to call for keys. Or even the the millions of trips to Best Buy near the Lincoln Centre for an American TV series which were always months ahead of being released in Australia.
So trying to think of experiences to tell someone who has never built a relationship with the city, defiantly required a bit of research bi-way of photos and old journals.
So research done...From memory this is the best experiences I have:
1. Walk through Central Park and then maybe brunch or lunch at the boathouse....I always wanted to take a horse carriage ride through central park??
2. A visit to the Apple Store opposite the Plaza Hotel and Fao Schwartz toys
3. A meal or drink at ESPN Zone Time Square
4. Of course the Empire State Building, maybe at sunset?
5. Grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte or a hot Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks and wander through 6. Greenwich or East Village or Chinatown, Little Italy...lots of stores, galleries and amazing food and culture
7. Maybe a Knicks game at the Garden
8. Check out the 911 remembrance gallery and memorial
9. Sushi shop near Lincoln centre or the out door farmers markets on the corner of Lincoln centre.
10. Defiantly a visit to the MOMA (including the shop for quirky bits and pieces) or the Met or the Guggenheim
11. A little ice skating in central park or at the Rockefeller Centre
12. An off broadway show or off off broadway show
13. If its cold while out wandering around and you need to refresh the west village is great for a cup of soup and a nice roll or the Corner Bistro for a hamburger, the Spotted Pig for a ale/beer and even that bakery that got made famous by Sex and the City for its cupcakes Magnolias Bakery
14. Bowery Ballroom or it's other venues for all the touring band acts
15. Browse the street art vendors near Columbus Circle or Time Square for a unique cityscape drawing.
16. A little outta the city is a visit to Ps1 gallery in long island city
and if your really pressed for things to do, there are a million people in time square selling tickets to a million comedy clubs.
