I wasn’t unfamiliar with New York City before I moved here nearly 10
years ago. My family and I visited about once a year throughout my
childhood, but I don’t think I ever really understood the hype. I
thought NYC had some cool attractions, lots of lights and tall
buildings. I also thought it was crowded, dirty and smelled a lot,
especially in the subways. But then in college I became interested in
film as a hobby and decided to take a semester off to come to NYC to
attend the NY Film Academy. And that was when I fell in love with this
crazy place.
Don’t get me wrong- NYC is still crowded, dirty and it can definitely
smell in the subways. And our buildings are really tall. But what
really differentiates this city is our unique approach to day-to-day
living. You always hear that NYC has a very specific energy, and it’s
true. You can’t help but be taken by it even as you’re crying over the
rude people and intense pace of life. In NYC, it’s important who you
know and what you do. But more significantly, it’s how you do it. To
understand the style and approach to life here is to really understand
NYC.
Here are five things that you must do in New York if you really want to learn and experience what this city is all about:
ONE: Go somewhere that used to be something else. NYC
is a place of transformation and reinvention. And space issues. So as
the years go by and things fade away, fail, or go out of fashion, they
are repurposed into something else. But the history and layers still
remain and New Yorkers love to use them as bragging rights. Pre-war
details in your apartment? You’re golden. Living in a loft that used to
be a factory with a gritty past? You’re a super star.
- Shop at Limelight Marketplace,
a church turned mega-club turned ultra-chic shopping mall. And
apparently now the mall isn’t bringing in the sales it had hoped for, so
it may soon be changing again.
- Eat at John’s Pizza (one of the very few restaurants in Times Square you should bother with) a church turned pizzeria.
- Visit the continually expanding High Line, an architectural masterpiece of a park built atop old railroad tracks.
The High Line
TWO: Beat out the competition by being first or waiting longest.
New places, events, and opportunities crop up in NYC everyday. Contrary
to popular belief, they’re not all expensive, and in fact, many things
are free. Money is not the problem. The problem is knowing about it and
getting to it first (or not giving up until you get it). New Yorkers
deeply want for extraordinary things and experiences and have the
passion and stamina to fight for it.
- Watch a free movie in Bryant Park
in the middle of Manhattan. Get there four hours beforehand and stand
around the perimeter of the park. When the officials say “the lawn is
open,” sprint like a maniac, elbowing anyone who crosses your path, to
your perfect spot and spread out your blanket to stake out prime real
estate. Spend the next few hours shooting people dirty looks when their
blankets dare overlap with yours.
- Wait for at least an hour to get a burger or custard at Shake Shack, a tiny.. shack (they’re so literal, aren’t they?) in the middle of Madison Square Park owned by über-restaurateur Danny Meyer.
- Go to the hipper than thou Brooklyn Bowl, and wait at least 2-3 hours for a lane. In the meantime, feel free to grab some of the amazing food catered by the famous Blue Ribbon restaurant group- oh wait, no, you’ll have to wait 3 hours for that as well.
THREE: Geek out. NYC is where everyone who didn’t
fit in growing up come to be accepted (or flaunt their non-conformity).
We are a city of freaks and geeks, and in NYC, it’s very cool
to be a geek. New Yorkers value talent, passion and intellect. Geeks no
longer need to hide in their basements playing Dungeons and Dragons.
There are plenty of opportunities for them geek out in the real world,
among the masses, blurring the lines between learning and socializing.
- Grab a beer and listen to quirky lectures by quirky people at Nerd Nite.Topics
have run the gamut from the history of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
ride at Disney to enigma machines to fun facts about the census.
- Grab a beer and play trivia against NYC’s brainiacs. Go to Crocodile Lounge on their Wednesday trivia night and get a free pizza for every beer that you buy. Bonus: skeeball in the backroom.
- Participate in a Watson Adventure (a walking tour meets scavenger hunt) to learn more about the history of NYC, or participate in a serious scavenger hunt and spend 12 hours wandering through NYC in the dead of night solving cryptograms. And then grab a beer to celebrate.
A scavenger hunt puzzle that needed solving at 2am
FOUR: Let your inner man- (or woman) child run free. It’s
a well-known fact that New Yorkers are in no rush to grow up.
Commitment? Noo. Reliving your childhood? Hell yeah! New Yorkers
recognize that just because you get older doesn’t mean that you aren’t
still interested in games and silly things, and have no qualms about
indulging their inner child.
- Join in a sing-along at a local bar like the Bellhouse
in Brooklyn. No children here; just a bunch of adults swigging beers,
throwing confetti, dancing around in costumes, and bellowing along to
The Little Mermaid or Moulin Rouge while clutching at their hearts with
great emotion.
- Challenge others to a Pillow Fight, Light Saber Battle, or Arm Wrestling Competition.
Flying a kite on Governor’s Island
FIVE: Immerse yourself in a theatrical performance. New Yorkers aren’t content to standby and observe.. they do.
And so while the city does offer a bevy of “traditional” Broadway,
off-Broadway, and nowhere-near-Broadway shows to satiate any
theatergoer, if the very thought of sitting in a theater for 3 hours
makes you drowsy, try one of these more interactive experiences:
- Wander through the city as an Accomplice
in a story. Along the way you’ll meet different characters who will
provide you with clues and challenges to help you solve the mystery.
- Get some exercise as you watch a Shakespearean play by the New York Classical Theatre.
The performances take place in parks and move to a different location
every few minutes. Why would you pay to run after a play, you ask? You
don’t- they’re free!
- Don a Venetian mask and wander through a hotel in Sleep No More,
a Shakespearean production that plays out in various rooms
simultaneously. It’s your responsibility to explore and piece it all
together throughout the evening.
- Experience a dance performance blindfolded as part of Unseen Dances,
a performance that plays to all of your other senses. Don’t be
surprised if you’re moved from your original location and completely
turned around by the end.
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