Hello! I’m Fernanda, your Local Friend in New York and today I’m going to tell you how would be your Local Experience around here. Everytime you travel anywhere for the first time, it’s default to visit all tourist places of the city and cross them out of your list, after all, it’s cultute. But after fulfilling this obligation that every good traveler has to follow, the curiosity about new and hidden places that only locals know begins. We don’t need to go places where lines are enormous and all travel sites tell you to go, right?
New York is not different! First time in the city? If so, go to the State of Liberty on a Ferry, stoping on the way back in Ellis Island. Go up the Empire State Building and face the 2 hours line, go for a walk at Central Park (or do the carriage ride, if you want), go to the World Trade Center Memorial and get to know the new building (even bigger than the Twin Towers) – the One World Trade Center. Walk by the whooole 5th Avenue and Broadway. Walk through Soho and fin every store and coffee shop of the region. Do the bus ride and seat on the 2nd floor, which is “convertible”.
Go to the Bryant Park to get to know the big lawn where open air movie sessions happen during the summer, cross the Brooklyn Bridge by foot or bike (it’s worth every time, even being so touristic!) and go to Brooklyn Bridge Park and the incredible Jane’s Carousel, and yes, take a chance and go into the crowd at Times Square to see the enormous signs with neon lights and feel the crazyness of those blocks… Buy one or a few tickets to Broadway shows, because yes, you need to see them! My suggestion is the musical The Leon King, but the good shows are inumerous!
The museums, as touristic as they are, are a “must go” in every trip to NY. The MET – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (certainly you will go back because it is impossible to see everything in just one visit), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the MoMa – The Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History (where was shoted the film “One Night in The Museum”, with Ben Stiller, in 2006), the new Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. Go in all of them!
After you’ve done all that, what about getting to know a little the other side of New York? The side where only new yorkers go, away from the city’s touristic scene? Or even getting out of Manhattan, after all, New York definitely doesn’t stick only to Manhattan – a very common mistake.
If you want to stay on the island (yes, Manhattan is an island, even if so few pay attention to this fact), there are a lot of incredible places to visit. Go to “off broadway” shows. Even shows like Sleep no More, a play without cronology about Macbeth (from Shakespeare) which happens inside the 9 floors of McKittrick Hotel (already becoming popular among tourists) are worth it. You don’t watch it seating down, but walk through the 9 floors, wherever you want, in the order you want, wearing masks that make you anonymous inside the crowd… It’s an experience!
People generally leave after the show is over, but Rooftop hotel has one of the best rooftop-bars in the city, top 10, called Gallow Green! Restaurants as Buvette (italian), Via Carota (italian), JG Melon (Burger), Candle 79 (vegetarian), Tijuana Picnic (mexican), The Dutch (american and Oyster Bar), Dirty French (french), Aurora (italian) and Souvlaki Gr (greek) are always a good option and the list of good restaurants is endless.
If you want to explore a little more than the East River (the river that divides Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens), you can go to Williamsburg. Back in time Williamsburg was more of a hidden place, but now everyone is discovering how fast it is to get there from the 14th Street through the gray line “L” to Bedford station, in Williamsburg. The neighborhood is getting more filled with curious people. Nevertheless, explore the streets: Bedoford Avenue, Wythe Avenue, Kent Avenue, walk through the streets that cross these avenues, named as numbers – North and South, take a walk through McCarren Park. The park is located right on the division with the next neighborhood – Greenpoint.
You can eat at some restaurants as Isa (italian), Wild Ginger (vegan asian), Aurora (italian, same as in Manhattan), Sweet Chick (american), Dzivpla (polish), Concord Hill (american), Café de la Esquina (restaurant from the same group La Esquina, in Manhattan) and Juliette (french). Go for a coffee at the famous Toby’s Estate Coffee and shop at cool stores as Space Ninety8 (clothes and lifestyle), Nora Kogan (jewelery), Beam (decor), Rough Trade (cds, LPs and books), Whisk (homeware) and go inside the little local shops that will always have cool and cheap things. Walk a little bit more and go to East Williamsburg, where is also nice to explore. Williamsburg is a neighborhood of artists and musicians, so the atmosphere there is certainly different and notable for everyone that go that way.
Taking the same train, of gray line “L”, you can go to Bushwick. The neighborhood is today considered the “new Williamsburg”. Several artists and ex-residents of Williamsburg are moving there to escape and starting a new artsy and super cool scene. As it is even more far from Manhattan, the hope is that tourists still need a little more time to create courage to go there! Are you hungry going there? Go to the famous Roberta’s Pizza! You’re going to love it! Pizza, beer, salads, etc! The place is very rustic and casual, with several houses attached and little doors gathering them all. Very nice!
I can spend hours writing, writing and writing, but the hidden tips aren’t going to finish! Food, culture, open air walks, day trips to places close to New York (winery, beaches, museums), shopping to all tastes and money conditions and technology tips… This is the magic in New York (after your first time here!) The city reinvent itself frightfully fast, so new tips and places to get to know are never going to miss!
Big kiss directly from the Concrete Jungle,
Fê Paronetto.
Fernanda is also founder of the blog Behind the Scenes.
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