1. Visit A Lesser-Known Museum
The Met, Guggenheim, and MOMA are cultural icons, but smaller museums give insight into other subcultures or less-known aspects of the art world. The Museum of Moving Images in Queen’s enables visitors to make animations, select sound effects from classic movies, create flipbooks of themselves, and play vintage arcade games. This museum will be re-opening in January, 2011 with an expanding gallery devoted to digital interactive art.
The New Museum has renewed The Bowery with the vibrancy of Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s Hell Yes! installation on its front facade. Moreso, it is Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum, featuring exciting exhibitions like “The Last Newspaper,” which discusses how artists use and abuse the medium in their art practices.
An extension of MOMA is the P.S. 1 gallery located in Brooklyn (with another outpost in Queens), an exhibition space of contemporary art located in a refurbished public school. The acclaimed dance party, Warm Up, which happens every Saturday in the summer merges music, architecture, and art for a memorable experience.
2. There is More than One Bridge in Manhattan
The Manhattan Bridge, ugly stepsister to The Brooklyn Bridge’s Cinderella, doesn’t ignite much discussion, as noted by Robert Reid, Lonely Planet Authour and host of The 76-Second Travel Show , who decided to give the bridge some fanfare by celebrating its 100th anniversary last year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7sSnh7RP4E&feature=player_embedded). It is however, home to the gentrifying hipster-dome of the area known as DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), and is a great spot to photograph The Brooklyn Bridge, or a quicker route to the boroughs, should you head there by bike.
3. Find a Mission (and Unexpected Discoveries)
On my last trip to New York, I inquired where my friend got her beautiful Sari-inspired shirt, which led me to New York’s Little India. I had no idea of the cornucopia of Indian restaurants and clothing shops abound on Lexington Ave. between 26th and 30th. Note: there are two Saree Palaces and you’re more than welcome to haggle with Hakim. Similarly, during another stay, our hosts wanted to take us to karaoke, which led us to Chorus, a lovely karaoke bar in the heart of Korea Town and a tone deaf rendition of Guns And Rose’s “Welcome To The Jungle.” Missions make trips much more fun giving you fodder for interesting stories upon return.
4. Get Weird
New York encompasses bizarre experiences and there are many bars and restaurants that are the locales of unforgettable travel memories. For instance, at Ninja restaurant in Tribeca, its not everyday that your waiter performs magic tricks table-side dressed in a Ninja outfit. At Mehanata (The Bulgarian Bar), the Ice Cage is inebriated fun at sub-zero temperatures. For $30 is the opportunity to drink 6 shots in two minutes geared in Russian military uniform. You can always make an excuse, saying that you are educating yourself in Slavic culture (even though you just wanted to drink with a furry hat on).
5. Hang Out In A Hotel
Manhattan boasts close to 426 hotels alone. It’s no wonder that its culture would centre leisure time there. For instance, the Ace Hotel’s lobby is a work of art itself and its bar/restaurant The Breslin is where trendsetters congregate midtown. Hotels are also some of the best places to get spectacular vantage points of Gotham. Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District has gorgeous views of the Hudson River; the Standard Hotel’s bar is underneath the High Line (with delicious mojitos), and Ink 48 has views from midtown in Hell’s Kitchen (post-Broadway show). Nurse the hangover at popular brunch spot Norma’s in Le Parker Meridian.
6. Attend an Event
During Fashion Week, maybe you can peep on Kelly Cutrone cackling profanities at her minions; or admire swing dancers jumping, jiving and wailing at A Midsummer Night’s Swing at Lincoln Centre in June; or perhaps, a close friend is getting married in the city, giving you an excuse to extend your stay. Attending unique events add texture to your travel memories and stories.
7. Get Thee To Another Borough
Everyone thinks Manhattan is the cat’s meow, but its the boroughs that purr with a cornucopia of activity. Brooklyn feels like another extension of the city, with trendy restaurants in Park Slope and DUMBO (in addition to the infamous Grimaldi’s pizzeria and Brooklyn ice cream factory). Blogger Andrew Hickey, whose alias is The Brooklyn Nomad, lists New York as his specialty. As a local resident, he recommends visiting Prospect Park, an ideal place to picnic and free views of the city via water taxi departing from the Ikea at Red Hook.
In Queens, the Queens Museum of Art features the Panorama, a replica of every single building (895,000 structures) constructed prior to 1992 in all five boroughs. Flushing is home to the second largest Chinatown in New York City, reached by the 7 subway line. For a quick bite, recommendations stem from Spicy and Tasty to Little Pepper for authentic Sichuan-style Chinese cooking. Or you could concoct your own tour based on the movie Julie and Julia, and pinpoint Queens resident Julie Powell’s favorite eats and shops. These are just a few highlights of the five boroughs but indicative that there is more to New York than Manhattan.
8. Do Nothing (Gasp!)
In the city that never sleeps, it can be hard to turn off the switch of “go-mode.” That being said, leisurely strolling around different neighbourhoods like the Lower East Side with no map in hand and seeing what happens can be just as exhilarating as the Amazing Race-like whirlwind adventure you planned six months in advance.
9. Underground Culture
New York is the easiest place to find counter culture. iOne way to find it is to listen to a poetry slam (a competition of spoken poetry). Nuyorican’s Poet Cafe hosts weekly slams on Fridays (http://www.nuyorican.org); Bowery Poetry Club hosts Urbana poetry slams every Tuesday. Locals might flock to see fun indie acts at places at venues managed by The Bowery Presents (http://www.bowerypresents.com/) or the infamous CBGB where Blondie and the Talking Heads got their starts.
10. Eat out of a Food Truck!
Street food has expanded beyond the typical shoddy hot dog and bagel carts to ethnic fare from tacos, dumplings and schnitzel. These cheap delights have become so popular, the awards ceremony “The Vendy Awards” has been dedicated to them. The Vendy’s is a great way to research popular and tasty treats, savory and sweet. Gregory Andres, a New York chowhound, regularly tweets and blogs about his food cart experiences on @culverlake says “food trucks are a culinary adventure that keeps lunchtime fun and fresh. The timing is perfect for my hectic work schedule because, usually, I can also get to and from the trucks within a half hour to forty minutes.” Once in New York, many of the carts update their twitter accounts to inform customers on specials and whereabouts. Its a cheaper alternative to dining in a fancier restaurant and a great option for a hearty lunch.
Need more information? I recommend these publications to assist on finding your New York:
Time Out New York – has updated listings on weekly events (timeoutny.com)
New York Magazine – a trusted source on style and culture in New York. (newyorkmag.com)
NewYorkology.com – a quintessential guide to New York for beginner and seasoned travelers to New York.
nycgo.com -New York’s official tourist website which lists some fun itineraries like Don Draper’s New York or NYC secrets.
Eater – This gastronomical themed website highlights new trends in New York restaurants as well as other popular U.S. cities (http://ny.eater.com/)
BlackBook Magazine – an underground guide to the city’s hot-spots and interviews with insiders. (http://www.blackbookmag.com)