How To Experience the Real New York City

  • October 7, 2009
  • 258 Views

Rosemarie_Lennon from Rosemarie_Lennon

Howcast Original

Break away from the fanny-packed masses and experience the authentic New York City by visiting these native haunts.

You Will Need

  • A willingness to venture outside
  • Manhattan
  • A sense of adventure

Step 1: Go to top of Rockefeller Center

Forego the top of the Empire State Building for the 30 Rockefeller Plaza observation deck. You’ll be 70 floors up (as opposed to 86) with an amazing view of Central Park and the Statue Liberty, but without the long lines.

Step 2: See an off-Broadway show

Manhattan offers dozens of off-Broadway (and off-off-Broadway) shows for a fraction of what you’ll pay for a Broadway show. And many are every bit as good.

Step 3: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then enjoy some time in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), home to art galleries, cafes, and a riverfront park with stunning views of the New York skyline.

Step 4: Go to MOMA at night

The hip people visit the Museum of Modern Art on Friday night, when it’s open until 8:00 pm.

Step 5: Eat street food

Go ahead, have a vendor hot dog. But don’t miss the more exotic street fare: For $5 and under, you can enjoy an Indian lamb platter, German bratwurst, or goat-meat tacos. End your meal with a freshly cracked coconut.

Step 6: Visit Queens

Visit the borough of Queens, home to some of the finest ethnic cuisine in New York City (Chinese, Columbian, Korean) thanks to the fact that nearly half the residents are foreign-born. While there, visit the Museum of the Moving Image.

Step 7: Frolic in Prospect Park

Everyone loves Central Park—including tourists. Instead, head to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park—designed by the same landscape architect as its more famous cousin—to jog or stroll with the natives.

Step 8: Book a table at Café Carlyle

Book a table at the Café Carlyle; it’s where you’ll find old-style cabaret.

Go to the Café Carlyle on a Monday night and you’re apt to see Woody Allen playing his clarinet. He’s there whenever he’s in NYC, which is most of the time.

Step 9: Shop at Century 21

By all means, browse through beautiful Bergdorf’s and Bloomingdale’s. But then make like a savvy New Yorker and spend your money at the discount designer haven, Century 21.

44 million people visit New York City every year.

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