A Dozen Things to Do in NY If You’ve Been Before
June 19, 2013 • New York, North America, Travel
My husband and I grew up on the east coast and spent time in NY “back in the day”. Our middle child has been living there for nearly 3 years now, and our daughter just finished her externship at The Modern (blog post about that incredible meal coming soon). So as you can imagine, it’s easy to have a “been there, done that” feeling when we visit New York. But I never find the city dull, and thought it would be interesting to share some things that are worth doing or seeing, whether you’ve ever spent time in The Big Apple or not! Stay at a new hotel. Lots of people latch onto places they like and don’t want to venture to a new place. But Manhattan neighborhoods vary greatly, and it’s fun to stay in different places. When our son lived on the Upper East Side we liked The Franklin Hotel. He’s in Midtown / Hell’s Kitchen now, so this visit we tried out The Shoreham. I love the feel of SOHO and The Village, so plan to stay there on another trip.
Sample some funky and fun bars. New York boasts everything from Irish Pubs to the glitzy bar at The Shoreham. Check them out and see what they are serving.
Go to a movie or concert in a park. This group was gathered on a Monday night to watch “Tootsie” on a large screen at Bryant Park which is in midtown between 5th and 6th.
Visit Little Italy. Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s shrunken to just about a single block on Mulberry St. as Chinatown has grown over the years, and who knows how long it will last. The food is classic Italian American, the portions are huge (share!), and the wine is cheap.
Go out dancing. I can’t believe I just typed that, as never in a million years did I think I’d find myself dancing in a nightclub at Columbus Circle at midnight. But our family was celebrating, and the kids wanted to go, and for some reason they think their parents are great dancers. It actually was a really fun way to end an evening and we worked off some of the calories from our dinner.
Have a cocktail on the rooftop bar at 230 Fifth – best bar views I know of of the Statue of Liberty. In the winter they offer snuggie robes to wear to keep warm.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge…
…and capture some iconic photos of the Manhattan skyline. It never ceases to thrill me!
Visit the up and coming Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO (which stands for down under the Manhattan bridge overpass). There are some cute shops and restaurants popping up, and you basically end up here anyway if you walk over the bridge. To get back into the city easily, take the F train from DUMBO.
Don’t forget to look up at the view. New Yorkers are notorious for walking with their heads down – or today, more likely with their eyes glued to their phones as they text and walk. If you are visiting, don’t forget to take in the sights.
Take a stroll through Central Park. When my son lived on the Upper East Side I liked to enter the park at 90th and walk around the reservoir. Now that he’s in Midtown, I like to enter near the Plaza Hotel on the south side and just wander through a bit.
Walk through the Hudson River Greenway park on the west side along the Hudson River – really pretty, nice and breezy, with some places to stop for a bite or a drink.
Take in the churches. We often marvel at the beautiful churches in Europe, but the truth is that NY is full of really pretty ones, from small ones to grandiose.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have a friend or relative who lives here like we do, and you’ll be able to hang out in their apartment watching golf or football on a Sunday, enjoying fabulous city views that often only locals get to experience. New York is a city that never grows old to me – hope your next visit is as great as mine was!
Comments
2 Comments • Comments Feed
Susan Schneckner says:
As a native NY’er, I appreciate your photos and critique of the Big Apple! Nice to see some great pics from the city!
June 21, 2013 at 9:19 am
The Italian Dish says:
Great post, Michele!
July 5, 2013 at 7:10 pm