Another opinionated native with tips
Written: Oct 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Completely unlike any city in the world.
Cons: Okay, it is pricey. But this can be overcome.
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| etain's Full Review: New York City |
Review Topic: Overview
Yes, yes, I know that many other people have already written with "I live here and there are some things to be aware of" tips. A lot of these, though, I've seen visitors stumble over repeatedly, and some of these are things I've told travelers and heard them say, "I never knew that!"
This is going to be fairly random, so:
1. TRANSPORTATION: If it's a fairly nice day, consider walking before taking a taxi. Especially in Manhattan, New York is amenable to see on foot. Also, you get to see a lot of the rich architecture in the city that way. Yes, I know every guide book cautions you not to gawp upward at the skyscrapers, but if you go too far to the other extreme when you're walking around, you miss an awful lot too.
The subways are also definitely viable options as well; they're cheap, they get just about everywhere. They're also much safer than the movies make them out to be -- as long as you're not standing there with a wad of cash hanging out of your pocket, you're fine.
If you are determined to take a taxi, the best way to hail one is simply to stand on the curb with one hand raised. I have seen people wave, jump up and down, and jump into the path of cabs trying to hail them. What the cabbies are looking for is a person with one hand raised, like you're in school. Also, be sure the cab you're hailing is actually on duty; you'll note that all cabs have a sign on their roofs, bearing the cab's 4-character ID, and the word "Off" on one side and "Duty" on the other. If the cab is available, the light with the ID will be on. If there are no lights on, the cab already has a passenger. If the ID AND the "Off" and "Duty" lights are all on, the cabby's shift is over and they're heading home; but don't be surprised if sometimes they pull up to you and ask where you want to go anyway. If your destination is on their way, sometimes they will take you along for the extra fare. Don't be alarmed if the cabby asks you which route you want to take -- many cab drivers are used to people who take cabs regularly and have a favorite route. If you just say you don't know how to get there, he'll take care of you fine. (Be watchful, though, that the cabby isn't taking a really roundabout route; one or two cabbies have been known to take meandering paths to destinations to rack up the fare. But by the same token, especially in the West Village, you can't NOT take a roundabout route sometimes.)
2. CHEAP FOOD: You'll get a wide range of opinions as to whether the hot dogs in the carts are edible (some people don't trust them), but even if you do indulge, that's not the best hot dog you can get by a long shot. Instead, if you're looking for a quick and dirt cheap lunch, keep your eyes open for restaurants named either "Papaya King" or "Gray's Papaya." These are mini-chains within the city that sell nothing but hot dogs and sausages and tropical-fruit juice smoothies. A hot dog with the works and a papaya shake costs about $1.50.
3. FOOD YOU MUST HAVE: If you live on the other side of what some in New York call "The Lender's Line" -- an invisible line around the city past which one cannot get an authentic bagel -- you owe it to yourself to sample the genuine article. Happily, you can find one just about anywhere; but if you stop in at a place that says they have bagels from a bakery named "H & H," you will be having the ne plus ultra of bageldom.
A stop at Katz's Deli is also a must. It's classic deli food -- massive pastrami sandwiches, knishes, soup -- I think they even have egg creams. (Egg cream: this is a soda fountain drink involving chocolate syrup and seltzer. No eggs or cream are involved.) Movie buffs will note this is also the place where a very memorable scene from the movie WHEN HARRY MET SALLY was filmed. They have a sign on the table where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal sat. Try and find it and have what Sally was having.
4. SHOPPING AND STORES: You will no doubt notice that there are familiar stores in the city: The Gap, Starbuck's, and the like. I swear to you that they are just the same as the Starbuck's and the Gap in your hometown, with the exception that in New York they will probably charge you more money. It would be far more worth your time and money to seek out more original establishments: if you're looking for an upscale coffee house, skip Starbucks' in favor of one of the many old Italian coffeeshops in the West Village, where such people as Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, or Walt Whitman may have hung out. If you're looking for shopping bargains, try Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Sunday afternoons, which for over a hundred years this has been a bargain hunting paradise. You're in New York, after all, so you owe it to yourself to find something that you can only find IN New York.
5. STREET ENTERTAINMENT: In the parks and sometimes on the sidewalks and in the subway stations you will note various entertainers setting up shop. The quality on this varies; although Washington Square Park seems to draw some consistently good talent. Usually they will just start up their act, and then pass a hat when they're nearly done.
One sidewalk diversion to be wary of, though, are the three-card monte games; usually you'll see a guy with a couple cardboard boxes stacked atop each other tempting people to place their bets and guess where the ace is or some such. THESE ARE ALL FIXED. About half the people in the crowd watching him are in on the scam with him, including the lady that you see winning the game right before you put your money down. Just say no.
6. MUSEUMS: When you're at some of the major museums, check the sign on the ticket window carefully. Many times, the admission listed is a "suggested" donation. By all means, if you really can afford what they are suggesting (usually between $7-$10 per adult), you are encouraged to do so and appreciated if you do. But you would also be let in if you paid less. So if paying $5 per person would make the difference between you going to the Musem of Natural History and you NOT going, you may do so.
Also, if you are visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, don't forget the Cloisters; this is a LOVELY spot where the bulk of the museum's Medieval collection is kept. It's a bit of a distance from Midtown, but the Cloisters is smack in the middle of Fort Tyron park, a lovely park at the very north end of Manhattan, and housed in a recreated monestary that was imported stone by stone from the French countryside. Nelson Rockefeller, who it is said arranged for the building's transfer, also bought up a chunk of the land across the Hudson River from the museum, expressly so it would remain undeveloped and would continue to provide an unspoiled view from the Cloisters. It's a beautiful visit in the fall when the leaves are turning.
7. GREEN SPACE: Yes, it's here. You all know about Central Park; as a refresher course, though, some of the things you can find in this one park are: a zoo (the penguin house is a must-see), a carousel, free theater in the summer, a small pond devoted to motorized model boats, a bigger pond where you can rent rowboats and paddle about, gondola tours, two restaurants, a formal garden, ice skating, bike rentals, sketch artists, carriage rides, and wooded paths to wander in.
There are a number of other parks as well; one of the best is Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The same urban planners who developed Central Park did Prospect as well, and preferred it. Prospect Park is bigger, and like its more famous sister also has a lot of "perks" (a zoo, paddleboats, skating...); but Prospect Park has more of a relaxed, we're-hanging-out-in-the-backyard feel than Central Park; while you probably won't be able to find a place in Central Park where you can avoid the sight of skyscrapers completely, there are many places in Prospect Park where you can look about you and forget you're in one of the world's biggest cities.
Also, a short walk from Prospect Park is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; admittedly smaller than the main New York Garden, but REALLY lovely. If you are in the city in the spring, keep your eyes open for the Brooklyn Garden's annual Cherry Blossom festival; the garden features a Japanese section, and an additional huge grove of cherry trees. The garden holds a two-day Japanese culture festival at the peak of the cherry blossom season, but the grounds of the Japanese Garden are lovely any time.
8. THEATER: If you must see Broadway, be aware of the TKTS booth: this is a first-come, first-served same-day discount ticket booth in Times Square. You won't be able to get tickets to shows that just opened, but tickets to some of the established shows can be had here for half-price the day of performance.
You will hear the terms "Broadway" and "Off-Broadway" bandied about; the distinction is not only due to location but to size of theaters. Off-Broadway shows tend to be slightly cheaper, and in cozier seats; the production values aren't as flashy (no flying chandeliers or the like here), but the acting is on the same par. Another even more inexpensive option is "off-off-Broadway" -- these are even cozier "theaters," which frequently are just a handful of chairs shoehorned into a basement. The quality can vary widely -- you could see a performance presented by a sublimely talented but poverty-stricken company, or you could see a production by people with a lot of cash and little else. When it's good, though, you'll be seeing what happens when people need to rely on creativity instead of cash to solve problems, and the results can be positively electric. For only about $12 a ticket. You also will probably have no trouble whatsoever getting tickets.
9. THE NATIVES: We're mostly harmless. Really. (smile) Seriously, though, New Yorkers have an interesting reputation; we're supposed to be rude and abrasive and dangerous. Okay, we may not necessarily make eye contact with you and smile on the street, but that's more a self-defense thing than anything else -- about 12 million people live here, and trying to say hi to everyone we see on the street would drive us nuts. But if you do ask us for directions, we usually are happy to help you out. Even if we have safety pins in our ears and blue hair are hanging out with people who refer to us as "Smurfette" or something.
Sometimes someone may approach YOU to make conversation; about half the time this will be someone selling something. Particularly if you're in a college area; at a certain point each year, it seems that the campuses of the colleges draw a collection of people canvasing for different religious groups.
But the other half the time, if you just have a regular guy on the street saying something to you, you may be in for one of the best or most unusual conversations you've ever had. I have held discussions with a Wall Street broker about how neat motorized scooters were. I have been approached by a woman outside a store called "House of Gems" who was amused that she had at first thought it said "House of Germs," and she just wanted to tell somebody. I have heard a dissertation a homeless man gave on the proliferation of drugs in this country; a theory that somehow involved John Gotti, Richard Nixon, and Nadia Comenici. I have gotten travel tips from cabbies on the best restaurants in Copenhagen. I have heard from a ferry boat operator about the state of disrepair the Ellis Island facility was in before it was renovated. I have traded jokes with a guy who was amusing himself for an entire afternoon by sitting on a streetcorner with a rubber duckie waving it at people and shouting, "Look out! Duck!" I got a pretty good casserole recipe from a jeweler who was repairing one of my rings. I've had a doctor share a thought-provoking quote he'd just read in the newspaper with me. New Yorkers are also all people, and there are some things in the city that amaze them as much as they amaze you; if you get a chance to speak with us, take it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
etain
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
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