New York, NY

New York has been my favorite north American city for much of my life. From the time I was 12 I spent my teen-aged summers up there; by the time I was 14, I spent them relatively unchaperoned.

Lincoln Center and Central Park West was “home” for 4 of those summers. Lincoln Center is home of the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard and the School of American Ballet. Talk about a list of residents!!!

Follow Broadway south from there and you’ll find yourself in Times Square – some natives hate this area of town but I LOVE IT. I love the tourists, I love the energy, I love the lights, I love the kitschy souvenir shopping. Granted, an hour in and I’m good for the next year, but Times Square is this hub of energy and now that they’ve blocked some of the streets from vehicular traffic and turned it over to the walking public I like it even more.

And then the shows! Oh, the shows! Don’t be fooled – “Broadway theaters” aren’t all on Broadway (but they’re all near it). The name instead refers to the size of the house and the fact that there are so many enormous venues hosting an exceptionally high grade of talent within a single area of a single city, THIS is the biggest reason I love NY! You have to go to New York EXPECTING to drop $100 or more on a single ticket to a single show and then see your options for discounted tickets at the TKTS stand (also at Times Square) on the day of the show. In this way you can spend less than the expected $100, but since things can happen or they sell out, you can expect a higher price for the show you want at the theater itself. And IT’S WORTH IT. Live theater is incomparable and Broadway productions are usually an amazing display of talent and collaboration – spectacle, amazing voices, amazing production numbers…. Do your research before you go – the shows are constantly changing and you can see everything from Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business to a cast of legendary performers, including Bernadette Peters, in a limited-run (and Tony nominated) version of Follies.

Upper scale shopping can be found on 5th Avenue. Here you’ll find Bergdorfs, Barneys and Bloomingdales, Tiffany’s and FAO Schwartz (which was recently bought out by the conglomerate Toys-R-Us but still retains many of its original features that made it a unique toy shopping experience) and more.

For medium range shopping I typically head down to 34th Street where you’ll find Macy’s, the Manhattan Mall and an evolving range of stores that most recently included H&M and Victoria’s Secret.

The museums in New York may only be surpassed by the Smithsonian in Washington DC – you can’t beat the national collection or the fact that it’s free! However, in New York, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is hands down my favorite educational destination and I try to go there every time I visit New York (this was the first museum I ventured to visit alone). If you like dinosaurs, animals, rocks, history, space…. basically anything and everything “natural”…. you’ll love this museum! It’s a “pay what you can” destination so, while the “suggested” entrance fee may be around $20, you should still be able to visit for $1 if need be.

The Metropolitan Museum (The Met) is pretty incredible as well. This is almost directly across Central Park from the Museum of Natural History and, though I don’t recommend it for everyone as it can be a bit of a hectic day, we have been able to visit both museums in the same aftrnoon. The Met is also a “pay what you can” museum.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) has free entrance certain days of the week but it’s been years since I visited. The best advice I can give you is to click here or, if that link breaks, google search “free museums in NYC” and you should easily find a good list.

Coney Island isn’t a typical destination of mine (mostly because I’m from Miami and I’m only there for a couple months at a time, so I don’t typically feel the need to head to NY’s beach), BUT it’s great when you can get out there. It’s a bit of a subway ride but worth it if that’s the kind of afternoon you’re desiring.

Other touristy type stops include traveling up to the top of the Empire State Building – it’s a fairly pricey ticket and they have it streamlined like it’s Disney World, but the views are breathtaking so take your camera and take as many pictures as humanly possible.
The last time I visited the Statue of Liberty was before 9/11; I heard that it was closed for a while, either security reasons or for renovations, but if it’s open and you’re not afraid of a hike up a narrow flight of stairs, that’s pretty cool too.
South Street Seaport is a unique shopping experience.  Then there’s China Town and Little Italy – you can make a day and shop and eat in both.

I know I’ve left out quite a bit of other destinations but these are my favorites. I remember one summer, waiting for the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty, the waiting line was entertained by a troupe, working for tips, that called themselves the “Blue Man Group.” Fast forward a couple years and they’re no longer working for tips in the hot sun. You just never know what “next big thing” New York can present you.

More pictures to come.