BootsnAll Travel Community

So I'm coming to New York next month. Primarily to meet up with friends.

Now the first time I was in NYC, do not get mad but I hated it however I always said I'd like to go back one day. With a little more money and try and see the side that so many seem to rave over.

So here is what I am wondering, particularly from any locals who may be on the boards. What/where is the one place that is New York to you? Why? What is that one place that you would take an 'outsider' to if you wanted them to see your city? What is the place that just breathes the heart and soul of NYC to you?

I'm not necessarily asking about the 'touristy' things. We can look those up and do them all by ourselves. I was just wondering about a locals perspective.

I've visited there three times in three years, so I'll consider myself an honorary local.

Places in guideboods underrated(in my opinion)

Ellis Island. The statue of liberty is a big copper statue you can climb in if you get a time pass. You can get off on the liberty Island Ferry, walk around it, and then get back on the boat to Ellis Island, which has a stunning view of the city and the statue of liberty. All the necessary information on the statue is given by a federal guide for free outside the the statue.

Ellis Island is free, and shows the immigrant spirit of pre 1920's USA, when the statue and the city was a real welcoming center for refugees.

American museum of natural history. Free or practically free, since they want voluntary contributions for all but the special exhibits. Could spend days there.
If you like anthropology at all you'll know what it means when I say that Margaret Mead was curator for the antropology department. It shows. I've seen details in the exhibits I haven't seen in the museums of the countries the cultures have come from. Iffstuffed animals disgust you, just pass them by, but the whale IS pretty impressive. I thnk its plastic, and very real looking.

NOt in books I've seen

1. Standing by the 'fulton fish market' (now a shopping and restaurant area) and looking at the brooklyn bridge. Breathtaking and a restaurant seat will cost you a few bucks , and you get a coffe with it. or you can just sit on the docks for free like I did.

The Brooklyn tour at the International youth hostel.
The staten Island tour at the International Youth hostel.

Central park. Its big, beautiful, and more or less safe during the day.

The brooklyn museum of art. I keep on meaning to get there. Hear great things about it.

Walking on the Brooklyn bridge.

Audrey Hepburn. her ghost haunts me every time I go there, I expect to see her jaunty profile wherever I go, and sometimes in the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse. Then I realise its often just another high fashion model sitting i a cafe between modeling jobs.

Theres more.

There is a very good "Cheap and Free New York City" guide written by Christina-in-Brooklyn. I believe there is a link at the top of this forum or do a quick search.

There are a ton of topics on NYC that I am sure you will find helpful. A quick search will bring these up.

quote:

Originally posted by cmw1:

So here is what I am wondering, particularly from any locals who may be on the boards. What/where is the one place that is New York to you? Why? What is that one place that you would take an 'outsider' to if you wanted them to see your city? What is the place that just breathes the heart and soul of NYC to you?

This is a great question. I'm not a local, so I'll abstain from commenting, but there are enough New Yawkers here that you should get a variety of answers. (Haci's post alone should prove interesting. )

As mentioned, Christina's posted an excellent guide, which I imagine reflects her view of NYC's "heart & soul." BnA also has its guide available for download here (somewhat buried under a hundred and two clicks of the mouse.)

The "one" place that says New York? That isn't a great question, that's an unfair question. At any rate, now that the Buddy Booths have been relocated away from Times Square , I'd have to say The Strand at Broadway and 12th.

Walking around the east village. Sure, yuppies and trust fund kiddies have invaded the nabe and the landlords now mostly cater to that tax bracket, but the East Village is still a defiantly funky, artsy corner of New York in the form of used record stores, clothing stores that don't belong to a chain, dozens of ethnic and fusion restaurants, music venues, band posters glued to walls, and bars that cater to local punk rockers (what's left of them). I lived there for twelve years, and it was much more happening in the 90s, but the East Village refuses to go down without a fight.

quote:

Originally posted by cmw1:
So I'm coming to New York next month. Primarily to meet up with friends.

Now the first time I was in NYC, do not get mad but I hated it however I always said I'd like to go back one day. With a little more money and try and see the side that so many seem to rave over.

So here is what I am wondering, particularly from any locals who may be on the boards. What/where is the one place that is New York to you? Why? What is that one place that you would take an 'outsider' to if you wanted them to see your city? What is the place that just breathes the heart and soul of NYC to you?

I'm not necessarily asking about the 'touristy' things. We can look those up and do them all by ourselves. I was just wondering about a locals perspective.

First off, I'm not a local, nor am I an NYC expert (anything but). BUT from my own experience, I recommend that when you visit New York, you go out into the outer boroughs for a day and check out an "authentic", un-touristy ethnic neighborhood. One of my favorite experiences in New York was Brighton Beach - a little slice of Russia right in Brooklyn. Definitely worth the long subway ride. Unlike Chinatown, it isn't on many tourist itineraries, and walking around the neighborhood, eating at one of the Russian or related (such as Uyghur, Western Chinese) restaurants, visiting some of the very Russian shops, and taking a stroll by the beach (something I unfortunately missed) is enough to keep you occupied for at least a couple hours.

Another place I can't strongly enough recommend, even though you'll find it any guidebook, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I wouldn't call it touristy - locals go there too - and it is truly amazing, probably my favorite museum. You don't have to be "artsy" to enjoy, since its collection spans basically every culture and time period. Be sure to get the audioguide, I think it's $5. It's very informative and a great number of pieces are covered.

Also, if you want to escape the hectic rush of the city without going too far away, I recommend Fort Tryon Park. A perfect place to rest. It certainly doesn't have the people-watching potential and simply unmissable vibe of Central Park, but it's much less visited, and much more peaceful. You can make a day (or half-day?) by visiting the Met, then taking the bus up to The Cloisters, run by the Met and included with your admission (which is on a "recommended price" basis).

NTF Travis - I googled the strand, its a book store... my travel buddy is looking concerned, I have over 1000 books on my bookshelves.

My reaction when I looked it up 'oh. wow...'

her reaction when I explained 'oh. god. I'm never going to get you out of there...'

omnivorous_t - the history of the east village sounds amazing, its decline sad.

Jacob G. Norlund - I'll take the outer boroughs into consideration - even though you are not a local I get your point! Although I've never really been a 'Chinatown' kind of girl, um, unless I'm in China. I guess the same applies in this case with the whole 'slice of Russia' thing. I'd rather go to Russia. As for Museums - imagine me shuddering. I spent the better part of 9 months in Europe. It kind of cured me of the whole museum thing. That and cathedrals.

Fort Tryon Park sounds interesting.

Ta all. Surely there is more that 2 people on the boards who come from NYC? Or do people just kind of end up drawn to the place?

Hey cmw1!

I live in NYC and I always get mad when I hear what the average tourist does while in NY (ex Times Square commercial madness or canal street shopping!).

NYC is 5 boroughs! Check out Astoria queens for some great Greek food and the Bavarian BEER Garden. You can head to the Beach on a or Long island railroad. They are clean and depending on the day, you may even get some surfable waves at Long Beach (Long island railroad from Penn station) or Rockaway (via the A train on the subway). There is a FREE ferry to Staten Island that you can take a bike on. You can take a gondola out to Roosevelt Island.

When I have friends visit me here in Manhattan, I always love to take them long boarding (skateboarding) or bike riding along the west side in Hudson Park ( http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/index.asp ) . The park runs from the downtown tip of the island up to you would never believe that you are in NYC. There is FREE kayaking, a skate park, helicopter rides, open lawns for sun bathing and Frisbee, tennis courts. Chelsea piers, on 24th street and the west side, has bowling, a brewery, and a driving range.

Hit up south street seaport for happy hour or the maritime museum.

For Night life, go to the lower east side or DUMBO (Brooklyn) for live music and low key bars. Go to the Meat Packing district for swanky clubs or SOHO for fine dinning.

Get a Time Out New York magazine to see about all the local happenings. Central park has concerts all summer on the SUMMER STAGE ( http://www.summerstage.org/index.aspx?lobid=844 ). If you don’t get tickets, take a blanket and a bottle of wine and sit outside the venue with hundreds of others on a hot NYC evening!

NYC is a fantastic place and has something for everyone.

Thanks for your input Jasontocz, and welcome to bootsnall by the way!

The summer stage sounds particularly interesting.

oh and you so do not want to see my efforts on a skateboard! Or maybe you do it might provide some entertainment.

quote:

Originally posted by Not the First Continental Op:

This is a great question. I'm not a local, so I'll abstain from commenting, but there are enough New Yawkers here that you should get a variety of answers. (Haci's post alone should prove interesting.

I'd recommend getting a ticket to either of the baseball games that may be in town. Both stadiums are beng torn down at the end of the season.

If you're just looking for a bike ride, or (long) walk around the city, PM me (I don't have a spare bike.).

I am not a New Yorker, but to me Manhattan is all about walking. I think it is the best walking city in the world. When I go there, I walk for hours. I like starting at Central Park and walking all the way down to Chinatown. You really can't get lost. I have never had any safety issues.

Walking over the Brooklyn bridge.

Eating a hot dog at Gray's Papaya. (There are several locations; I go to the one at 72nd and Amsterdam.)

Walking, cycling, picnicking, or otherwise hanging out in Central Park. (Check out the schedule of summer concerts and plays.)

Likewise for the Hudson River park. (Without the concerts and plays, but sometimes you can catch the trapeze artists practicing.)

Jogging around the reservoir in Central Park.

Going to the Chelsea art galleries on a Saturday. (They're free.)

Eating Korean food on West 32nd Street.

P.S. 1 in Long Island City, Queens.

I'm going to be making my fourth trip to NYC in September. I'll get in on a Saturday afternoon (the 13th) and have no commitments until I need to be in Norwalk CT Monday evening. I'm trying to focus on things I haven't done before so want to hit the afternoon Mets game on Sunday (saw the Yankees 2 years ago), walk the Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park, World Trade Center, and Staten Island Ferry. Seems like Brooklyn or Queens would be the place to stay or the very end on Manhattan, but don't think that will be affordable. Any ideas on places to look for in these areas?

Last time I was there was with a group of friends and half the time was spent arguing on what to do. The time before that I wandered by myself without a clue where I was going. I think I missed out on a lot doing it that way, although I did find The Strand and end up with a few books.

Right now I'm thinking the DUMBO area Sat night have a beer listen to a band. Prospect park Sunday morning, Mets game in the afternoon, maybe the Astoria beer garden afterwards. Then do the bridge walk, WTC, and ferry on Monday before heading to Conneticut. Does this seem reasonable to you locals?

Also, any ideas on how to get up to Norwalk do trains go up there? At that point it will be a business trip so I could get a car, but not my first choice. I should be able to get a ride back to the airport since it is a company seminar that others are traveling in for also.

If anyone is interested in meeting up or suggesting something else chime in.

Plate 'o shrimp! I will be there on that weekend as well.

Even though I loved my two trips to NYC, I'm still a little puzzled by why you are going back when you HATED it the first time!

That said... out of everywhere I went in NYC, my favourite place was the East Village! (Echoing a previous poster). It still has enough of that punk charm.

quote:

Originally posted by static:
Plate 'o shrimp! I will be there on that weekend as well.

The upcoming trip was already worth it just because it made me look up where "plate 'o shrimp" came from, mmmm shrimp.

Sounds like people may have to dust off their party pants!

quote:

Originally posted by jessus:
Even though I loved my two trips to NYC, I'm still a little puzzled by why you are going back when you HATED it the first time!

I think that would be the visiting friends part. They live in New York....

I may not have liked the city they live in the only time I was there but that doesn't mean I'd refuse to visit when I had the chance.

I figure its just not me to sit around and whine about not liking a place. I might as well get out and see more of NY than I did last time. One never knows the place may make more of an impression on me. I thought perhaps asking some locals who love there city for there impressions. Those quirky little things that they love about their city. Might make a difference.

Or maybe I'm just odd.

joe, your going to be in new york that weekend? ill be getting there on wednesday the 17th. are you still going to be in town?