If you’ve never been to NYC, you must go! It’s an exhilarating city with dazzling skyscrapers, and lots of people everywhere. New York is magical, electrifying, and intense. But it’s also a city of dichotomies, so you may love it or you may hate it. It’s a city that never sleeps but some call it “an urban jungle”. I myself love New York.The energy, the glimmering lights, and the delightful architecture capture me whenever I’m there. I love the diversity, the collection of cultures and people, and the rich history of the city. Even though I’ve been to the Big Apple 6 times, I never tire of it. In fact, I love exploring New York City’s neighborhoods.
Exploring New York City’s Neighborhoods - UPTOWN
We made Upper Manhattan our base for exploring New York City’s neighborhoods. We stayed on the Upper East Side just blocks away from Central Park.
Central Park is, by the way, one of the best urban parks in the country. There are lots of sights to see and you can easily spend a whole day in the park. My favorite sights are Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the Ramble, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, and the nearby Strawberry Fields. The whole park is magnificent, though, with lovely trees, winding trails, and lots of quiet spots. It’s a great place to escape to after a hectic day in New York.
If you stroll along the eastern edge of Central Park along 5th Avenue, you will walk along what’s known as the Museum Mile. Many great museums are located here, among them the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and others.
Morningside Heights and Harlem
We spent half a day exploring Morningside Heights and Harlem, and unsurprisingly, we greatly enjoyed it. Our first destination was Columbia University, one of the eight Ivy League schools. We absolutely loved walking around the campus. Both, the grounds and the buildings were lovely.
From there, we headed into the heart of Harlem and 125th Street. Harlem is commonly associated with African American culture, jazz music, dance, and theater. One of the more historic sights to see is the Apollo Theater. Great artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown as well as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder started their careers here. Other famous musicians who performed at the Apollo were Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson. The significance of this place is huge. There are several other historic sights in Harlem worth checking out but even if all you do is walk the streets without a guidebook in your hand, you’ll still enjoy the stroll. Harlem abounds in great coffee shops, eateries, and nightclubs, so it’s fun to sit down somewhere and enjoy the atmosphere.
The Bronx
After crossing the Harlem River, we headed to the Bronx. The Bronx is actually one of five boroughs of New York, next to Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. The goal was for us to see the Yankee Stadium and the area around it. The place is certainly historic for baseball fans, so it was great to see it.
Exploring New York City’s Neighborhoods - MIDTOWN
Midtown Manhattan is probably the most touristy area of NYC. Even if you’re not officially exploring New York City’s neighborhoods, you will inevitably find your way to Midtown.
Times Square is located here and so is Rockefeller Center. The famous Empire State Building and Chrysler Building are here and so are other notable structures such as United Nations Headquarters, Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and many others. If you want to see a Broadway show, you’ll come to Midtown. You will also come here if you choose to shop along one of the most expensive avenues in the world – Fifth Avenue. This part of town never sleeps and the energy here is contagious. I love going to a show- last time we saw Miss Saigon and loved it. If you get a chance, definitely see a show on Broadway. It’s an amazing experience, indeed.
Exploring New York City's Neighborhoods - Chelsea and High Line
High Line is an elevated park situated on a site of former train tracks. It is an example of an out of the box urban planning. We thoroughly enjoyed walking above the busy NYC streets for a 1.5 mile stretch. Chelsea market runs underneath the park, so it’s fun to check it out as well.
Exploring New York City's Neighborhoods - LOWER MANHATTAN
You can easily spend a day or two exploring Lower Manhattan. In fact, this is the area where the city of New York was first created. We started the day by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, which was a fantastic thing to do. My husband loves walking across bridges, so every time we’re in San Francisco, we walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite being in New York many times, we had never walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. So, needless to say, we were excited to finally do it. Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world. It was built in 1883 and is now on the list of the National Historic Landmarks. There is an elevated pedestrian walkway with benches above the car lanes, so it’s a very enjoyable walk. The views of the city are stunning from here. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to actually explore Brooklyn. I hear, however, that Brooklyn is definitely worth a visit, so next time we’re here, we will have to check it out.
Little Italy and Chinatown
Both Little Italy and Chinatown are fun to explore. Considerably smaller than in San Francisco, both neighborhoods are full of history, wonderful eateries, and specialty stores.
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village is a charming neighborhood with pretty red-brick buildings and lots of history. Many Beat Generation writers frequented the cafes and bars in the area. In the heart of Greenwich Village is Washington Square Park. It’s is a lovely park where you can relax on one of the benches and watch people passing by. The neighborhood if full of great places to eat, so you can easily spend a couple of hours here.
Financial District
As the name indicates, the Financial District of Manhattan is where the most important financial institutions are located. The New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street are typically the first things that come to mind. But if you know the geography of Manhattan, you know that this is where the two Twin Towers once stood. That area is now devoted to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the 1,776 ft high Freedom Tower dominates the landscape. Due to the long lines, we decided not to go into the Observatory but instead walked around, paying tribute to those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Memorial Plaza with the two memorial pools are beautiful. It is a very solemn place. The historic St. Paul’s Chapel has a a little exhibit dedicated to the 9/11 rescue workers, firefighters, and volunteers.
Exploring New York City's Neighborhoods - the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
If you’ve never been to NYC, I definitely recommend going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We didn’t do it this time around but have done it several times in the past. It’s a wonderful feeling to walk around the Statue of Liberty taking in the significance of what it represents. If you get a chance, try to climb up to the crown. It’s a great experience. Regardless of whether you do go up in the crown or not, the views of Manhattan are spectacular from the island. It’s also fun to be on the boat although the tours are pretty crowded.
Ellis Island is also worth a visit. I loved the museum, the history of immigration, and the archives.
You can get to both islands from Battery Park but it’s important to have reservations ahead of time.
