"I'll Take Manhattan" is a wonderful song written in 1929 by Rogers and Hart and a book by the same name written by Judith Krantz and both have been inspirations to movies and probably almost everyone including me who ever dreamed about living in New York City.
There is no other place on earth that compares to New York... for me I fell under it's spell long before my first visit from reading books and watching movies like 'The Best Of Everything" and dozens of others... Many film makers use the landscape as a backdrop to their cinematic stories of love, careers and adventure... which is what you will find here and much, much more. I have to start by saying if you are thinking of moving to NYC it takes about a year to find your way and your place and groove where you fit in ... and to be a real New Yorker you will find that in the span of the same day you can love and hate living in what has is commonly referred to as "The Big Apple"... but mostly you will love it, that's what made you move here in the first place and that is what keeps you here. The one thing I'll say it that real New Yorkers have manners and are helpful but are often depicted as rude and loud oafs... and unfortunately many people who move here think that they have to act that way to fit in... The fact of the matter is New Yorkers the people who call it home are matter of fact yes and no people... there is no time for games and there is very little wiggle room for maybe; the essence of understanding this is the easiest way to spot an out of towner pretending to be a New Yorker. One of the things I'm always asked is "Is living in New York just like the way it is in the movies ( Sex And The City... Seinfield... etc) or any other book television show or film someone has seen... but I'll get back to this...
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| Simulation of New York City Now & 600 Years Ago |
New York is about evolving and growing... back in 1626 when Manhattan was called New Amsterdam the tallest building was a two-story windmill on land purchased from the Lenape Indians called Lenapehoking. New York City covers over 300 square miles and consists of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The over 8 million people who live here speak about 100 different languages and practice as many religions as exist... it's the center of the world of finance, music, theatre, art, publishing, advertising and fashion... and the melting pot of cultures, ideas and creativity is what drew me here in the first place.
I think anyone who lives here will agree that Central Park is their favorite space in the city... we have come to think of it as our back yard where we have picnics and take walks and dream our dreams and plan our plans... The park was conceived by Calvert Vaux and Frederic Law Olmstead and roughly 10 million cartloads of soil and vegetation were hauled in and out to create what it has become; they wanted to create a park for the people and it has something for just about everyone two ice skating rinks, a theatre, horseback riding paths, a zoo, baseball fields and restaurants.
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| Bethesda Fountain |
More than anything else Central Park offers a respite from the noise and crowds and a quiet place to convene with nature and gather your thoughts.
From the pagoda style buildings in Chinatown all the way up to the Empire State and Chrysler buildings that crown the skyline of New York the architectural wonders in the city are up and down every avenue and just around every corner you turn... in addition NYC is a city of schools... Columbia University stared out as King's College in 1754 in a church school house and Barnard College the Columbia woman's school affiliate began in a rented brownstone in 1889. Today both schools boast about 23,000 students. New York University was founded in 1831 and has been regarded as a more modern and middle class alternative to Columbia the countries largest private university. City College began in 1849 (originally tuition free) was a stepping stone for immigrants and working class students. The New School was created as an informal college for adults with no degree offering adult education... New York has too many schools to list here but they offer in-depth and world class knowledge and training for medicine, law, art, music, design, theology, fashion and probably anything else you can think of.
Manhattan is divided up into distinct districts...
My first apartment was on Minetta Lane in Greenwich Village... at the time nine out of ten cab drivers had no idea how to get there.... if you ever have to go there tell them to take you to 6th Avenue and Bleecker Street. I've also lived on East 52nd Street where I would sometimes catch a glimpse of Greta Garbo... and Sutton Place where I did not know any of my neighbors... the Upper West Side on Riverside Drive and now on the Upper East Side.... the beauty of it is that each neighborhood offers something unique and interesting and/or you have easy access to one of the cities landmarks or attractions... I also lived briefly in Brooklyn Heights between Cranberry and Pineapple Street.
Probably one of the best known buildings in NYC is The Dakota...
The luxury apartment house probably best known as where John Lennon lived and subsequently was murdered is on West 72nd Street was built to resemble a stately home... it was used as a location in the films Diary Of A Mad Housewife and Rosemary's Baby. At the time it was built it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere... most well-to-do New Yorkers lived below 59th Street and/or on Park Avenue. When The Dakota was built it was primarily a pied a terre for most of it's residents. The building boasted seven stories of apartments artfully constructed with wood panelling and marble floors... the eighth and ninth floor were where servants were housed and the tenth floor was a children's playroom and the basement boasted laundry facilities and it's own generator since electricity was not available that far north yet. It's other notable residents over the years have included Gilda Radner, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall and Leonard Bernstein.
Times Square has been called "The Crossroads Of The World" it most certainly is on New Year's Eve and if you are ever there on a busy weekend night you will understand why... it's the first place that many people visiting NYC identify with as being quintessential New York. By the 20's about 80 theaters and related businesses had located themselves in the neighborhood giving the name the area known today as "The Theater District"... someone had the brilliant idea of putting light bulbs on the marquees to advertise the shows that gave way to to this section of town to be referred to as "The Great White Way"
Here are the larger theaters...
Just to clarify many of these houses are on the side streets and not actually on the street named Broadway... in this area you will also find some of the venues for "Off Broadway" and "Off-Off Broadway" that is in no way indicative of the quality of the production but rather the size and seating capacity of the the theatre.
I just love this part of town... One Fifth Avenue is where 5th Avenue begins and I used to have a friend who lived there who had the most amazing view of Washington Square Park... it was once a burial ground for paupers, criminals and victims of yellow fever. When gracious homes started being built it became a park and a wooden arch was erected in 1889 for the 100th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration and the center of the centennial festivities and a permanent marble structure was built to replace it. Today it's a beautiful park with a playground, dog runs and chess tables... Greenwich Village is where Manhattan's street grid goes a little haywire because the roads have been around since they followed the Algonquin Indian tracks that meandered streams like Minetta Brook. The area was once very Bohemian and affordable but the buildings were very charming and served as the home of many artists and writers and radicals of the era... it's retained it's charming atmosphere but has subsequently become more desirable and expensive. I will also add it took me about three years of living here not to get lost or turned around... so don't beat yourself up if you get lost a few times.
Getting around New York can be a bit tricky and exasperating at times because of the volume of people needing get someplace... the easiest and most economical way is walking and taking the subway... for $2.75 you can get and go anywhere in town... In my opinion it's one of the easiest subway systems in the world... but I also find it easy to use in Tokyo and London too... with the help of a map or just using your smart phone with the MTA app you will be a pro in no time at all... the thing to remember is you have have a sense of humor to make NY work for you... if you don't you are going to be one of the many people who say they hate New York City...
One of the things I love best about living here is you never know what you will see and who you might run into... I had a brief conversation with Catherine Deneuve in Bloomingdales and have spoken to Bernadette Peters on the subway... the beauty of NY is you can see and experience so much more if you keep your mind and your eyes open... and accept that everyone and everything here has a story behind it...(usually one that is really very interesting)
Living and loving New York and making it work for you is a master class of thinking outside the box... I think of Gwenn Verdon and this photo every time we have a heat wave...
There is so much about this wonderful city I have not shared with you... just like the actual city there is too much to experience with one trip so you have to come back again and again... maybe sometime soon I'll continue the tour with the world class museums... the shopping... the restaurants and food... nightlife... sporting events...Rockefeller Center and Radio City and how to audition to be one of the Rockettes ...the Statue of Liberty... just to name a few things on the to-do list.
If you are planning to visit NYC for the first time or the 100th time... remember to leave your attitude at home and bring comfortable shoes to walk in and remember the weather is unique here just like everything else... so dress accordingly...
So back to when someone said to me... "Is living in New York exactly like it's portrayed on Sex And The City?"... my answer is no it's not... It's better!
See you next time!
