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In old New York
So, because I am apparently not capable of writing anything if it doesn’t have to do with Oprah, American Idol, or the environment, I thought I would ask for help, by guilting people into giving me topics. Estimating by the tally of people who “follow” me on Twitter and Pownce, I should have close to 200 topics to pick from!
Yeah, I don’t see that happening, either.
In any case, I did get a few responses, and so, here we go.
The Princess of Power is coming to New York City for a few days and wants to know what non-touristy things to do. While it’s true that I live within fifteen miles of NYC, I don’t take nearly enough advantage by exploring. I go to concerts, and I visit touristy places with visitors. What is wrong with me?
Let me start by explaining what I consider “touristy” - the things that everyone does when they go to the City. Not the museums. Not the zoo. You know - the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square. So what I’m going to suggest may actually be what y’all consider touristy, but to me, they are things that people here for a short time don’t bother doing. I know when I go to Boston or Philly for a couple of days, I never make it to the museums.
So, I’ll start there. The American Museum of Natural History is one of my favorite places to go on my birthday (I say this as I’ve done it twice, and the only thing I do multiple birthdays is eat, drink, and take off of work). I love The Butterfly Conservatory and all of the exhibits, but my favorite thing to see is the dinosaur bones. The eight-year old in me never grew out of her fascination with the giant lizards-I-mean-birds.
I guess that Central Park is touristy in that everyone likes to go there, but most of them are headed to the zoo, or the carousel, or Strawberry Fields. I like to wander around and people watch. You never know what you’re going to stumble across, and it’s kind of fun to navigate yourself into the thick of the park and that back out into the City.
I find that most people go to NYC and hang out in the vicinity of Times Square. Venture elsewhere, people! Take the subway out to Coney Island - they have an aquarium out there that’s pretty cool. The oldest shark in captivity died recently - she was at that aquarium. Take the Staten Island Ferry - it’s free! Check out the Bronx Zoo - the gorilla exhibit is freakin’ awesome.
Honestly, if I were only here for four days, I’d worry that I wouldn’t have time for any of the non-touristy stuff. As someone who’s lived within commuting distance for the past eighteen years, I tend to fail because I haven’t explored nearly enough. One of these days, I’m going to hop a bus, camera in hand, exit the Port Authority, and just venture out, into the urban jungle…
Discussion
3 comments for “In old New York”
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You know, I have the same problem, Diz. I live within commuting distance of Washington, DC, but when people ask what’s good to do or eat or see - I’m all - well, uh…
I’ve been to a bunch of the museums - there are a ton. In fact, the two sides of the mall are LINED with different museums - I’ve walked past the White House. I’ve been to Constitution Hall (Just cool on the inside. Really.) But do I know much else? Meh. I should get my guide book out.
What’s WRONG with me?! I could take the Metro in! No car! Yeeesh. >_<
@Pandora - I’m so glad I’m not the only one who is ignorant of their surroundings! I haven’t been to DC yet, and I wanna go. I’ll just make sure not to ask you for suggestions ;)
Diz :: When I go to NY I’d like to do both the touristy and the not so touristy things. I need to find me a New Yorker willing to take me places because going alone or with another outsider is not the same. Thanks for the info. You have helped more than one person with this post. ;)
Pandora :: *winks*