NYC: The Epicenter of the Planet
NYC Demographics - Population - 12,000,000 in NYC proper 2.5 million in Manhattan. The island is quite small at 13 miles long and 2.5 miles wide.
Parts of Town - NYC is made up of 5 boroughs - Queens, Staten Island, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Manhattan is broken into about 10 areas. I've listed them in order of my favorite neighborhoods: East Village, Lower East Side (LES) West Village, Chelsea, Tribeca, Soho, Chinatown, Midtown, Upper West Side, Financial District and the Upper East Side. I'd like to note that Williamsburg and DUMBO in Brooklyn are definitive hot spots.
Parks - NYC Parks & Recreation maintains over 28,000 acres of green space, or 13% of New York City's total land area. New York City's parkland includes 14 miles of beaches, four major stadiums and over 1,700 individual parks. Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn are the most notable. Other parks of interest are Bryant Park (movies in the summer), Washington Square Park (search out Bobby Fisher for a game of chess), Battery Park (tours of the Statue of Liberty and close to the financial district) and Tompkins Square Park (hang out and conduct commerce with colorful NYC locals).
Time of year to visit - All year. My favorite time of year is September and October.
What is the city know for - The Epicenter of the Planet, rude people, endless nightlife.
Most commonly used word - Fuck!
Languages spoken - Fucking American
Getting There and Away - New York City's three major airports are Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (NWK). Getting from the airport into the city is easy and doesn't require any forward planning. Either take a taxi/car service ($25 - $50), shared bus/van ($10 - $15), or public transportation ($2 - $7). Islip airport in Long Island is also an option for domestic travel. Buses run into the Port Authority and trains run into Grand Central and Penn Stations.
Modes of Transportation while in Town - Subways and buses work great. Walking is probably the best idea and if you get a chance to use a bicycle go for it. Taxis are available 24/7 and are reasonably priced. You can get pretty far on $10. Avoid bringing in your own car. Parking is a bitch.
Who the Hell is giving me this advice - Joseph Kultgen - www.trekshare.com/members/joseph
Perception of the city? I believe NYC is the quintessential city. Sometimes you need to compromise creature comforts in exchange for endless energy. It is my favorite big city in the world, but I love to go out and do so about 5 to 6 nights a week. I also drink too much.
Where do you live? I've lived in Manhattan for 8 years. First year on the Upper East Side and the last 7 in the East Village.
The NYC Scene - Events/Festivals -
January - If you like watching kids blow their fingers off with firecrackers check out the Chinese New Year Festivities. It's on the first full moon after January 21& before Feb. 19 around Mott Street, Chinatown.
February - I thought Best in Show was funny so if you like making fun of people who spend way too much energy on their dog check out Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It takes place at Madison Square Garden.
March - St. Patrick's Day Parade can be fun if you are completely obliterated and not gay.
April - This year's festival takes place April 21st - May 1st 2005. The Tribeca Film Festival takes place in various locations throughout Lower Manhattan. A full list of Festival venues and a schedule www.tribecafilmfestival.org.
May - Bikenewyork.org holds the 5 borrow - 42-mile bike tour on May 1st 2005. It's not as cool as critical mass, but at least legal.
June - The Delacorte Theater in Central Park presents free performances under the stars with avid Shakespeare fans lining up hours in advance for tickets. - Shakespeare in the Park www.publictheater.org The Belmont Stakes horse racing is an easy 1-hour train ride from NYC. The difficult part is carrying the keg of beer. Admission is $1 - bring alcohol and snacks.
July - Summer Stage in Central Park has ongoing concerts throughout the summer. Check out www.summerstage.org. Once a year Williamsburg invades Coney Island at the annual Siren Music Festival put on by the Village Voice.
August - Held in Lower East Side of Manhattan at some 20 venues, the New York International Fringe Festival features theater, musicals, dance and comedy. fringenyc.org. US Open Tennis begins the last week in August. Ground passes range from $20-$40. September - For all those machismo Italians check out www.sangennaro.org held in Little Italy. For all the queens in da house check www.wigstock.nu.
October - About 30,000 crazy New Yorkers dress up and march in the West Village Halloween Parade. You'll have so much more fun if you march. Line up by 7PM. See www.halloween-nyc.com for full details. CMJ music festival hits NYC venues throughout the city for a week mid-October.
November - Nycmarathon.org - Nov. 6th 2005
December - Check out New Years Eve at Times Square if you are absolutely mad and like to piss yourself. If you can't find anything else to do you don't belong in NYC.
Official Website - www.nyc.gov or www.nycvisit.com. These websites highlight major attractions like Central Park and Coney Island. You can also download bicycle maps of the city and check out highlighted events such as parades and a sports calendar. The links to external websites for hotel booking and restaurants are about what you would expect from a government source - blah!
Local Information Sources - TimeOut Magazine ($3) and The Village Voice Newspaper (free) are the definitive event listings in the city. Both sources have an online component. Zagats has reviews of everything nowadays. We all think they suck but maybe you suck and will like it. Sheckys is even worse and I'll keep saying so until they advertise with TrekShare.
The Inside Scoop - The Onion newspaper (free) lists a few events and their weekly newsletter is always pimping something just right of mainstream. Wisconsin boys drink a lot and the complimentary beer goes fast at their free parties.
Toxicpop.com sends out a newsletter every Tuesday that lists totally cool underground shit in New York City.
Flavorpill.net lists arts, music and cultural events in NYC in a flashy format.
Upcoming.org is a user-generated event posting board set up for a number of cities.
Ephemeroi.com/windchill pimps some of the most exclusive (industry) parties and openings in NYC. A RSVP is needed and usually long lines accompany the soiree.
Clubs/Bars - I'm probably jaded because I hate lines and love beer. If I could choose an area of town to hit up I'd trek over to Avenue C and 12th street and start heading south from there. Ludlow and Orchard Street in the Lower East Side are always popping. I'd suggest Mickey's Blue Room, 7B and Lit for good drinking bars. If you're into heavy cover, djs, blow and long lines check out Lotus and The Coral Room on 28th Street and the west side.
Body and Soul on Sundays and The Motherfucker parties are always a good time.
Best Music Venues - Roseland (231 W. 52nd) and Hammerstein Ballroom (311 W. 34th) are great venues to check out popular acts with 2000 of your closest friends. For bands still in the make check out Bowery Ballroom (Delancy and Bowery), Irving Plaza (15th St and Irving Place) and The Mercury Lounge (Avenue A and Houston St). Smaller venues like Tonic (107 Norfolk), CBGB's (Bowery btw 1st and 2nd Sts.) and the Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St.) have pumping sounds almost every night.
Getting Medicated - For those of you who don't mind spending a night in the clink check out Washington Square Park for ragweed. Currier services exist throughout NYC. All you need is a phone number and they will come right to you. All it takes to find the number is ambition, fortitude and the willingness to fraternize within the seedy underbelly that makes NYC so magical.
Lodging - Washington Square Hotel-A reasonably priced hotel in Greenwich Village. Coffee shop, fitness center. Complimentary Continental breakfast and small gym. $. 103 Waverly Place, New York City. Phone 212-777-9515. Toll-free 800-222-0418. The Hotel Chelsea on 222 W 23rd street is a self-proclaimed rest stop for rare individuals.
Check out New York Habitats. www.nyhabitats.com You can rent a locals apartment from 2 days up to a few months. Prices end up being much less than any hotel you'll find in town.
Eats - Carnegie Deli-This is the quintessential New York dining experience, brisk waiters and all. Have a pastrami or corned beef sandwich, some matzoh ball soup or a piece of cheesecake. Daily 6:30 am-4 pm. No credit cards. 854 7th Ave., New York City. Red Bamboo - best vegetarian buffalo wings that you'll ever taste!!! 140 West 4th Street in the West Village. Enoteca located at 113 Ludlow Street is exceptional Italian food. Creative and fairly priced. Ebisu located on 9th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A has a delicious sunset dinner for $15 between 5-7:30PM. After that the sushi gets spendy.