#3 The perks of living in the Big Apple
We have never anticipated living in Manhattan. However, due to my wife's obligation with the federal government in exchange for the full-ride doctorate scholarship she received, she ended up finding a job in the city. Since then, my family began living between the state of Maryland and The City of New York, which is composed of five boroughs (town or district): Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. We found the city very exciting and interesting. It has provided us with many opportunities and experiences that we would not have had if we were only tourists. So far, here are some of the perks we have experienced by living in the city that never sleeps.
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| Moynihan Station |
Navigating the subway and bus systems. The NYC transit system is the largest public transport organization in North America and one of the largest in the world. Approximately 5.5 million people ride the subway daily. We take the subway and/or the bus whenever we get out and about in the city. Riding the subway comes with many experiences - empty to crowded cars, transfer from one train/bus to another, and street shows. Talking about the crowd, we are fascinated to witness human differences firsthand, both physical and personality, by just riding the subway. You can encounter people of different ethnicities, self-expression and styles, and behaviors.
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| Egyptian statue at The Met |
Free public spaces. One of the many things we love about the city is the abundance of stunning, relaxing, and free public spaces. We're fortunate to live in an upscale neighborhood where some of these parks we can access easily, such as Central Park and Riverside Park. You can also reach Little Island by foot through the High Line. You can read my separate blog about Little Island here.
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| The Bethesda Fountain at Central Park |
A paradise for foodies. The city is definitely not short of restaurants. We noticed that almost every block has restaurants serving different cuisines from all over the world. So far, we have tried the famous Filipino restaurant called Jeepneys and other cuisines such as Turkish, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Korean.
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| Ticket for the show |
We know there are many more experiences the city can offer, but we are taking our time. We are not planning to move there permanently in the future. Still, in the meantime, we are exploring and enjoying the city - the most culturally diverse, commercially driven, famously congested, and I think the most attractive urban center in the country.
Do you have other suggestions for us to try or explore? Let us know in the comments section. Thanks!
This is a nice read! As you mentioned Broadway you might also want to try the Free Public Theater in an open-air venue in Central Park during summer time. They shut it down during Covid-19 but I think they plan to bring it back. Also, try to visit the NY Botanical Garden in Bronx if you like the greenery you'll love it here.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in Midtown NY, the Riverside Park is a nice place to stroll too, runs along the Hudson River from 79th to 129th streets, just an FYI try not to miss the awesome community garden (which made a cameo in You’ve Got Mail) around the 91st street mark.
I miss the Deli in NY so If you are in Downtown NY try Katz's Deli most of their sandwiches is good if you're adventurous with food try em' all :)! There's a lot of Deli you can try in NY that's really good. If there's a reading terminal market in Philly, NY has the Chelsea Market, various stalls and shops that might interest your taste buds. Don Wagyu is a must try for Wagyu Beef sandwiches you have to be early to order since they only serve 200 sandwiches per day. The 9/11 Memorial Museum is a good place to have knowledge about the history that changed America. it displays artifacts linked to the events of 9/11 and tells the stories of the victims.
Of course you must walk across Brooklyn Bridge (take photos)!! If you haven't had breakfast grab a Donut at Peter Pan Donuts (Yum!) and after a long walk get some nice cold ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Oh, one last thing if you like biking, you might want to ride the subway going Coney island and enjoy biking along the beach or maybe try their rides too!
Wow! Thank you so much for the tips and suggestions! We will definitely try them!
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