New York

Words Kate Williams

Eight million people (give or take a few, of course) call New York home, and there are just as many differing visions of what makes New York, well, New York! Far from just being a geographical location, it is, you could say, a state of mind—eight million personal, and hugely different, worlds. It’s nothing if not a jumble of contradictions, often thrilling and often annoying, but never boring.

New York is at once the most American and the most un-American place you can find within the United States (as many New Yorkers do like to think of themselves as residing on an island off the coast of Europe.) It’s a melting pot, filled with people from Pakistan to Poland and everywhere in between. There are glittering dance clubs filled with revelers who drop as much money in one night as the hot dog vendor standing beside them makes in a month, lonely millionaires who rattle through empty mansions and families of fourteen who happily share two-bedrooms. New York is a cultural mecca, the place that people dream about moving to for as long as they can remember and where, if they can make it here, they can make it anywhere. This draws the best of everything, and noone benefits from this as much as the traveller, who can do and see it all in one crazy, metropolitan stop.

The people of New York have a reputation that precedes them, and while it is not entirely undeserved, the city would have sputtered and died long ago were New Yorkers really as rude as they’re made out to be. True, time-strapped city-dwellers deplore tourists who block the sidewalk and clog Times Square, but they also love adventurers hungry for unexpected excitement and good food (and the two often go together). Since September 11, 2001, New Yorkers have been in a strange position in relation to the rest of the United States—even though they were most directly affected by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, they remain staunchly liberal, level-headed and fearless. It’s not uncommon to meet someone who, galvanized by the tragedy, moved back into the city to be closer to it, rather than further out to the suburbs and out of harm’s way.

The city is a frequent topic of conversation in a way that other locations don’t bring about. It turns your relationship into a love triangle. It’s the extra roommate always on the couch, and the boss who asks something of you even when you’re obviously overwhelmed. It inspires immediate lust and giddiness (spend a week here, and you will look back and realize you barely slept, yet never noticed you were tired) that deepens to love and often codependence—they are many who swear they cannot leave. The best way to tackle New York is to give in. You will not get to do everything you had wanted to do, but you will do plenty that you’d never imagined.

Sleep

For a city that never sleeps, beds in New York can be quite pricey. It’s doubtful that you’ll spend much time in your hotel room (why watch MTV when you can go and gawk at the studio?) but you’ll still want a cheap and decent place to stay—or one that’s lavish and decadent. Good internet deals can sometimes be found for chain hotels in and around Times Square, but in general these places tend to be bland, overpriced, and filled with visiting high-school groups from Texas. Downtown boutique hotels are often destinations within themselves, with high-design décor, celebrity sightings and bars that are packed until the wee hours. Apartment swaps or rentals are the best budget-friendly bet for anything long term. Or for one night or two, find a local willing to show you a good time and invite you to sleep over after.

Hotel QT
Located right off the hectic heart of Times Square, the Hotel QT was developed specifically to provide a relatively cheaper hotel alternative that was still trendy and high-style. Rooms start from $175 a night and are equipped with flat-screen TVs and free-high speed wireless, but such amenities pale in comparison to the QT’s lobby, which is filled with an indoor pool that boasts a swim-up bar.

Hotel QT, 125 W. 45th St, New York, NY 10036. + 212-345-2323; www.hotelqt.com

Hotel Gansevoort
Have an extra $5,000? Drop it on a swank night in the duplex penthouse at the Hotel Gansevoort. Located in the middle of the club-laden Meatpacking District, the top floor on this lair of luxury comes with floor to ceiling windows, river-view balconies, a Jacuzzi and Andy Warhol prints. Regular rooms can be had for $435, a price that’s no doubt levied by the hotel’s exclusive reputation and rooftop pool.

Hotel Gansevoort, 18 Ninth Ave, New York, NY 10014. + 212-206-6700; www.hotelgansevoort.com

The Chelsea Hotel
A storied spot in New York history, the Chelsea Hotel housed greats such as Joni Mitchell, Vladamir Nabokov and Edie Sedgwick in its bohemian heyday. Most notoriously, the hotel’s room 100 (which has since been incorporated into a larger suite) was where Sid Vicious allegedly murdered Nancy Spungen. It has lost some of its authentic glamour (Ethan Hawke now calls it home, as opposed to Bob Dylan), but is still an intriguing spot that attracts eccentrics from all over for its history and rooms from $195 per night.

Chelsea Hotel, 222 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011; + 212-243-3700; www.hotelchelsea.com

The Hotel on Rivington
The Hotel on Rivington is commonly referred to by its acronym, THOR, but the only way the hotel lives up to the menacing-viking sound of this name is in how it towers over its Lower East Side neighbors. The stellar views from this ultra-modern 21-story building are maximized by floor to ceiling glass walls in the guestrooms, some of which even have a shower-with-a-view.

The Hotel on Rivington, 107 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002. + 212-475-2600; hotelonrivington.com

Craigslist.com
A virtual bulletion board, Craigslist.com is the most oft-used website for New Yorkers wishing to sublet their apartments. Short-term rentals, or apartment swaps, are an economical alternative to hotels, but real estate prices are astronomical in the city, so expect to still pay upwards of $500 per week. The East Village, West Village and Lower East Side are all conveniently located neighborhoods that generally have a good number of places available, for as short as a weekend or as long as several months.

Eat & Drink

In New York eating out is routine more than luxury, but nonetheless it’s approached with a voracious appetite and an eternal willingness to stay and have one more drink. It’s said that there are enough restaurants to dine out three meals a day, everyday, and never return to the same spot, and this is quite possibly true with the number of restaurants matched only by the number of bars. The city offers plenty of cavernous eateries with mind-blowing décor, but the true finds are often standing-room only holes-in-the-wall with tastebud-blowing food. Every type of ethnic cuisine abounds, from Ethiopian to Ukrainian and standard Italian, Chinese and Mexican fares. A sense of adventure, not to mention a willingness to make a complete fool of yourself while trying to order from a menu you can’t read, is duly rewarded. While it is possible to blow a month’s rent on an unforgettable meal, the five boroughs also offer plenty of cheap eats to keep you full and happy.

Tab Tos
A teeny-tiny sushi spot in the East Village, this restaurant does not pride itself on customer service or decor—the walls are adorned with a Bruce Springsteen poster and it’s run by a woman with all the friendliness of a traffic cop. The roll and appetizer combos, though, are delicious and filling and cost a paltry $7-9. They don’t serve alcohol, but you can buy your own Asahis and bring them with you.

Tab Tos, 543 E 5th St, New York, NY 10009. + 212-529-2156

The Spotted Pig
The curtained back room of this West Village gastro-pub is shielded from view, and with good reason—it’s often filled with celebrities, who flock here for the low-key atmosphere and the rich, filling fare based upon seasonal ingredients. Gnudi—ricotta dumplings in brown butter and fried sage—might be the most endorphin-producing dish you’ve ever tasted, and the bar is a cozy spot to while away the—very well-spent—hour or two that you might have to spend waiting, since the Pig doesn’t take reservations.

The Spotted Pig, 314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014. + 212-620-0393; www.thespottedpig.com

Joe’s Shanghai
At this always-packed Chinatown spot, the soup dumplings alone are worth the sometimes-awkward experience of sharing a table with strangers. You’ll likely never figure out how exactly they get the soup inside the dumplings, though different theories abound, but the many neighborhood locals slurping away proves this place much more authentic than anything with a name like Magic Wok.

Joe’s Shanghai, 9 Pell St, New York, NY 10013. + 212-233-8888; www.joeshanghairestaurants.com

Corner Bistro
A hamburger is the most American of all cuisine and the burgers at this West Village bar are arguably the best in the city—giant hunks of beef topped with bacon, melted cheese and onions. Get there good and well before you’re hungry, as lines can be long, but you can always kill time with $2 pints of McSorley’s at the bar.

Corner Bistro, 331 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014. + 212-242-9502

Grimaldi’s
Grimaldi’s is a Brooklyn Heights institution and serves up wood-fired, thin crust pizza loaded with fresh mozzarella and leafy-green basil. After dinner, walk down to the river and the Fulton Ice Cream factory where you can get a breathtaking view of the lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Grimaldi’s, 19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY 10012. + 718-858-4300 www.grimaldis.com

Kum Gang San
It helps to have a sense of humor when dining at Kum Gang San, because really, the white baby-grand piano perched on a ledge on a fake rock wall is truly hilarious. A massive menu comes with helpful pictures of the offerings, and when two or more people order the Korean barbecue, it’s grilled over a fire in the middle of the table.

Kum Gang San, 49 W. 32nd St, New Yok, NY 10001. + 212-967-0909

Freeman’s
Freeman’s is legendary for two things: it’s wait, and the fable that says shortly after George W. Bush was re-elected, his twin daughters showed up at Freeman’s and were told there were no tables and would be no tables for the next four years (though the restaurant denies this, it likely isn’t hurting their reputation). A dining room full of taxidermy and candle light is the perfect spot to tuck into hearty menu full of Irish, English and American traditional comfort foods.

Freeman’s, End of Freeman Alley, New York, NY 10002. + 212-420-0012; www.freemansrestaurant.com

Ruby’s
North of Little Italy is a spot that’s as close to Little Sydney as New York gets. Situated next to the flagship store of Australian denim mavericks Tsubi, Ruby’s is a tiny cafe that seems to be imported straight from Bondi. Staffed with friendly Aussie expats, the vibe is laid back and conducive to lounging, with delicious burgers, salads and coffee, and a welcome respite from the all-too-often uptight air of SoHo.

Ruby’s, 219 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012. + 212-925-5755

El Sombrero
Known simply as ‘The Hat,’ this greasy Lower East Side Mexican diner is recommended for its drinks, not its food. Specifically, frozen margaritas to-go are the big draw. This practice is of dubious legality at best, but makes The Hat a worthwhile quick stop in between barhopping the neighborhood’s multitude of nightspots.

El Sombrero, 108 Stanton St, New York, NY 10002. + 212-254-4188

Passerby
Tucked away in the Meatpacking District, Passerby is a lone dive bar in the midst of a bunch of clubs. The walls of Passerby are soundproofed with foam, and the mirrored bar harkens back to New York’s dirty disco days. The highlight, though, is the dance floor tiled with flashing, multicolored lights, and the D.J.s who play a mix of everything from old school hip-hop to electroclash and keep it packed.

Passerby, 436 W 15th St, New York, NY 10011. + 212-206-7321

Angel Share
In the East Village, up the stairs and through a Japanese restaurant, this hidden bar serves up exquisite cocktails and maintains a strict code of conduct for its patrons. There’s no standing around or loitering at the bar, and groups must be limited to four or less to keep the noise down. Sounds harsh, but they make up for it with lychee martinis and plum wine, and an atmosphere that’s romantic and pleasantly secretive.

Angel Share, 8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003. + 212-777-5415

Max Fish
Skater boys and the girls who love them are drawn to this loud Lower East Side bar. It’s nearly always packed with a boisterous crowd who appreciates the contemporary art on the walls, the pool table in the back and the underground hip-hop on the jukebox—the fact that it’s a notorious hipster pickup spot is certainly a draw as well.

Max Fish, 178 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002. + 212-529-3959; www.maxfish.com

Play

There is no excuse to be bored in New York. There is however, a high-risk of being overwhelmed at the process of having everything you could ever hope to do, see, or hear a mere $2 subway ride away. The city attracts and holds the cream of every artistic and cultural crop. The best way to see the sights is to dive right in, mixing some traditional touristy spots with more low-key pursuits and allowing yourself plenty of time in between. Eavesdropping and people watching are the city’s official unofficial pastimes, and sitting on a park bench or stoop can be hilariously, or shockingly, rewarding. All five boroughs, not just Manhattan, make the city what it is, and neighborhoods have distinct personalities. The one thing they share is an intense, and contagious, pride.

Central Park
New York would be lost without Central Park. On a gorgeous day, city-dwellers make use of every inch of it. You can rent swan-shaped paddle boats on the pond, go to the zoo, party-crash an outdoor wedding, be mesmerized by the disco rollerskaters, see Shakespeare in the park or just lay on the Great Lawn and feel miles away from the rest of gritty urbanity. The best bet, though, is just to wander until you get lost, a task that is not at all hard since the park comprises 843 acres.

Coney Island
A monument to glorious days gone by, Coney Island was built as a playground for the well-to-do after World War II. Today, it’s still glorious, but in a thoroughly trashy way. The amusement park is rickety, anchored by the creaking Wonder Wheel and Cyclone, and freaky sideshows aren’t as absurd as the displays of public drunkenness on the boardwalk. The atmosphere that surrounds Coney Island is at once beautiful and sad. It’s an Americana relic from simpler times, but as real estate prices skyrocket, such faded grandeur will certainly not be around for much longer. Play your skeeball and claim your prizes while you still can.

www.coneyislandusa.com

Museums
New York art museums are some of the most renowned, and house some of the finest collections in the world. The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 St, 212-708-9400, www.moma.org, is, as the name suggests, dedicated to modern art. The Frank Lloyd Wright designed Guggenheim building is one of the city’s most venerated architectural landmarks, 1071 Fifth Ave, 212-423-3500, www.guggenheim.org. The Whitney focuses on American art, 945 Madison Avenue, 800-944-8639, www.whitney.org, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a colossal place with a little bit of everything, 1000 Fifth Ave, 212-879-5500, www.metmuseum.org

Chelsea Galleries
An upscale neighborhood known for its large gay population, Chelsea’s numerous art galleries are often at the centre of the city’s competitive and ever-evolving art scene. It’s easy to wonder from one to the next, since numerous art spaces line up like neighbours along barren streets stretching out toward the Hudson River. Shows vary in quality and genre, but interesting shows by on-the -verge artists can usually be found at Foxy Production, 617 W 27th St, 212-239-2758, www.foxyproduction.com, ATM Gallery, 511 W 20th St, 212-375-0349, www.atmgallery.com, Clementine Gallery, 623 W 27th St, 212-243-5937, www.clementine-gallery.com, and Roebling Hall, 606 W 26th St, 212-929-8180, www.roeblinghall.com. Aperture Gallery, 547 W 27th St, 212-505-5555, www.aperture.org, is also a good spot for photography.

Yankees game
Hometown pride is at its loudest and rowdiest at Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx. New Yorkers take their baseball seriously—Yankee players are the city’s royalty, and a worshipful crowd sports everything from Yankees hats and jerseys to umbrellas and tattoos. As a fun joke, have your friend wear a T-shirt supporting the opposing team. Point him out and start chanting “Ass-hole, ass-hole!” and watch and laugh as the whole crowd joins in with you.

www.yankees.com

Shopping

Soho and Manhattan’s Upper East Side are the city’s two main shopping districts and though there’s a cross over in high-end brands—both have a Chanel and a Miu Miu—they’re definitely representative of the divide between uptown and downtown fashion. In Soho, Opening Ceremony, 33 Howard St, 212-219-2688, www.openingceremony.us, is a trove of as-yet-undiscovered brands and designers, and has a small collection of TopShop upstairs. Steven Alan, www.stevenalan.com for locations, offers a great selection of men’s and women’s brands and has inspired a cult-following with its button-down shirts. The underground, quite literally, Nom de Guerre, 640 Broadway, Lower Level 212 253 2891, offers men’s staples, and A.P.C., 131 Mercer St, 212-966-9685, has simple classics from the beloved French Brand. Lafayette St between Houston and Prince is skate-rat row, with shops such as WeSC, Supreme and Triple Five Soul.

On the Upper East Side, Madison Ave will inspire lots of salivation, with a boutique from every luxury designer imaginable. The department stores, such as Barneys New York, 660 Madison, 212.826.8900, www.barneys.com; Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave, 800.558.1855, www.bergdorfgoodman.com, and Henri Bendel, 712 Fifth Ave, 212-247-1100 make for great, and less intimidating, browsing.

Live Music
Where do you start in a place where the ‘local’ bands are the Strokes and the Scissor Sisters? There is a plethora of every kind of live music nightly, so check local listings and make sure to buy tickets in advance, as shows sell out quickly. For smaller bands, Tribeca’s Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, 212.219.3132, www.knittingfactory.com, has hosted Black Dice and Gym Class Heroes; in the Lower East Side, The Ark and Jose Gonzalez have played the Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey, 212-533-2111, www.boweryballroom.com, and Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St, 212-260-4700, www.mercurylounge.com, hosts bands such as Beirut and The Silversun Pickups. Larger venues include Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, 212-777-6800, www.irvingplaza.com, for shows such as Editors, DJ Krush, Built to Spill; and Sleater-Kinney, Hard Fi and Wu-Tang Clan have played Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, 212-388-0300.

Staten Island Ferry
Skip expensive boat tours and instead jump on the Staten Island Ferry. Staten Island itself doesn’t have much to offer, but the ride’s free and the boat departs every half-hour from lower Manhattan, meaning you can quickly get off and get right back on. The ride takes about 25 minutes each way, offers impressive views of the city skyline and Brooklyn Heights, and goes within a half a mile of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It shuttles around 70,000 people back and forth each day, many of them commuters, which explains why the concession stand sells beer.

www.siferry.com

Diary

P.S.1 Summer Warm-up
July – early September
On Saturday afternoons in the summer, this could be the happiest place on earth. A stellar changing lineup of DJs plays to people who just want to dance in the sun— a jumping up and down, hands in the air, loving your neighbor kind of dancing that makes simply shaking your ass in a dark bar seem depressing. The crowd that flocks to this old school turned contemporary art space is beautiful and diverse and such good times breeds friendliness—it’s a rare spot where you can go alone and feel totally a part of something. www.ps1.org

Siren Festival
Mid July
Hosted by New York’s legendary indie paper, The Village Voice, the Siren Festival is an annual summer free music fest on Coney Island. Showcasing the best multigenre alternative music, the Festival draws enough people that, day-of, hipster-laden neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side and Williamsburg are empty. 2006’s roster included the Scissor Sisters, Tapes N’ Tapes, Art Brut, The Stills and Stars, and it never disappoints. www.villagevoice.com/siren

Halloween Parade
October 31
Halloween is the perfect excuse for a city full of overly-creative exhibitionists to get all dressed up and throw the biggest party of the year. In the West Village, the Halloween parade is open to anyone with a costume but prepare to be shamed if yours is the least bit shabby—crowds don’t line the street 15 deep to see someone wearing just a monkey mask.

The Mermaid Parade
Late June
It’s been called the last true freak show in New York. The mermaid theme is loosely interpreted here, and bodies in various states of undress and body paint dance, sing and frolic down the boardwalk celebrating the mythical mermaid and, even more so, a chance to be crazy, wear costumes and do things that would normally get them arrested. www.coneyislandusa.com

The New York Marathon
1st Sunday in November
Watching the New York Marathon, it’s easy to get sucked in and find yourself cheering for strangers for hours. The world’s largest marathon, people must apply to get one of the 35,000 spots (and 85,000 do). More than two million spectators line the streets and shout encouragement for the runner on their 26-mile trek through the five boroughs.

www.nycmarathon.org

Parties
The New York club scene can be spotty, so go where the buttoned-up types fear to tread: raunchy anything-goes club nights, where the kids get dressed up in all the black eyeliner and the best outfits they can find. The MisShapes (www.misshapes.com) are known to throw the best Saturday night party in town with a revolving-door list of celebrity DJs. As the name suggests, there is nothing subtle about Motherfucker (www.motherfuckernyc.com), where the transsexuals and assorted miscreants reign supreme, and Rated X The Panty Party is a punk-tinged gig that’s all about dancing (www.myspace.com/ratedxthepantyparty).

Read

Here is New York by E.B. White.
In this essay about living in and loving New York, White writes “No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.” Sage advice for anyone who sets foot in, to either visit or inhabit, the taxi-clogged streets.

Disco Bloodbath by James St. James.
A surprisingly well-written account of the early nineties, when the club scene was at its most outrageous and the grisly, drug-fueled murder that eventually brought about the downfall of some of its most notorious stars.

The New York Times
With a bagel and cup of coffee, it’s a worthwhile way to spend a Sunday.

Watch

Downtown 81
A peek into the vibrant early ‘80s New York art scene, Downtown 81 is loosely fictional and follows Jean-Michel Basquiat as he plays an artist trying to sell a painting in order to avoid being evicted. Cameos by notorious scenesters abound, including Vincent Gallo, Fab Five Freddy and Debby Harry as a fairy godmother.

Manhattan
The complicated love triangles in Manhattan are witty Woody Allen at his best. As much as it is a portrait of neuroses-filled modern life, this movie is also an ode to Allen’s love for the city.

Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee is to Brooklyn what Woody Allen is to Manhattan: the quintessential filmmaker. 1989’s Do The Right Thing, about racial tensions in Brooklyn, is one of his best.

Listen

Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt
The first album that showed a glimpse of what Sean Carter, a drug dealer from Brooklyn, would go on to become—a legendary rapper and one of the most powerful men in the music industry.

The Velvet Underground and Nico
Recorded in 1966, Nico was added at the behest of the Velvet Underground’s mentor, Andy Warhol, who even financed the recording session. Though controversial at the time, this is widely regarded as one of the best albums ever.

The Ramones, Ramones
Formed in Queens in 1974, The Ramones were widely acknowledged to be one of the first punk bands, and their performances at CBGB’s helped establish it as a legendary punk club.