Newbie Chronicles #7: New York! New York!

New York. A lot has been said about the city. Norah Jones mooned over that it is a beautiful disease while as Alicia Keys described it as a concrete jungle where dreams are made of. The songs are quite true in a literal way that it is concrete like any city and  it is a disease with a different kind of beauty that one cannot feel just be merely standing there in Times Square.

I casually told myself that San Francisco is my kind but then a friend reminded to wait for New York. Okay. Well, it wasn't love at first sight, I guess a smirk which is better than a frown? It was familiar because from where I set foot, it was dingy with puddles of murky water and a horizon of dark alley with steam coming from below. The subway that greeted me was mired with grime and dirt which was the norm from where I came. So this is New York? It felt like Manila minus the squalor and the gates of hell tag. And that was the first impression that somehow lasted in a different direction and much more.

We came there for the last leg of our trip and immediately crashed in Brooklyn area for a nesting place. We are lucky to have stayed in an actual Brooklyn apartment to feel more local. I am liking the whole immersion in Brooklyn neighborhood complete with bus commute and subway. In fact, I have grown fond of Brooklyn, it's so old school cool.

Brooklyn Apartment where we stayed

Times Square

And like this beautiful disease, it slowly caught me, seeped into my bones as the days turned into nights and more nights catching up with it. New York was not met with open arms much like what San Francisco did. The realization hit me when I got back in Manila... it held me all along I was there and now that she's no longer with me, I can feel her absence and it makes the heart seek. and so I began to sheepishly declare that I am in love with New York.

I was in denial until I succumbed to the realization that I did fell for New York and everything else in it.  Perhaps the reason I cannot completely write something about it is that I don't want to leave that New York thing in my body or perhaps because I can't fully explain the mystery, vibe and feel of that place. Somehow, something was left of me there and I couldn't bring myself to it. It took a piece of my heart and it wants another.

How do I love thee New York? Let me count the ways.

1. There is the famed Central Park but then there's Bryant Park. I love it and the people who casually plop down to eat on it and just connect. Amidst the great mass of structure out pops this small piece of green just beside a giant architectural beauty that is the NY Library. There is something about me and bits of green patches in the city. I think I could stay here all day to read and gaze out and take bites of yummy Chipotle fare.

 

 

 

2. I love the cobblestones and brick lined apartments in Brooklyn. The streets and buildings are a character of it's own. It made me feel like I'm in my own old movie since I like to warp myself into that mood hehe. Also I find it really nice for a community to make a barren lot useful by turning it into a small garden patch. My inner Martha Stewart approves of it.

 

 

 

3. Food is a league on its own. The best cheesecake I've tasted in my entire life is from Juniors Cheesecake somewhere in the Broadway area and also one in Brooklyn.  The best hamburger for me is Shake Shack, yes it is. And the best ice cream is from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory very near Grimaldi's also in Brooklyn. Howmaygad. I can feel them in my tastebuds again and my body is in a revolt. And the best place for foodies is the freakin CHELSEA Market!! But I think there's more food haunts to explore in Brooklyn.. at maka-Brooklyn talaga ako no?

Chelsea Market

4. Best touristy thing to do is grab a bike and get lost. Probably, one of the best things I did on a trip is just to let go and flow with the bike. Most of the myths I was told about the city was clearly busted because of that biking trip. Ah and the beauty that is Brooklyn Bridge, very exhausting to go up but very liberating trying to ring your bell bike to get everyone out of your way as you go down. Ha. I'm on a wheel you people!

the long way up the Brooklyn Bridge

wood and steel that is the Brooklyn Bridge

5. Walking is most welcome in the city and could be the cheapest New York minute one can get. With the beautiful architecture and that old vibe feel walking is such a delight! Do away with the heels and get on with comfy shoes if you're up for it. Based on my experience, the best place to walk around in apart from Brooklyn is Chelsea. Stroll around The Highline, a long stretch of rail tracks put up high that's been turned into a park. Imagine MRT from Trinoma to Boni station, discard the train and plant flowers and trees on it, that's the Highline! You get a great view of  Chelsea.
But I have yet to see Williamsburg which a friend told is also a good place to walk in.

The Highline

A view of Chelsea from the Highline

6. And of course, the main reason why I came is the arts and theater scene. The home of Broadway! One of the best shows I have seen is the Book of Mormons. It is not for the religiously faint of heart but it is a belly busting laugh out loud musical that I feel every bit of my dollar is worth it. Interesting straight plays are shown off broadway and some casts are known Hollywood actors that have theatre roots like Nathan Lane. Tom Hanks did an off broadway show some months back. The museums are of a wide variety--- Museum of Sex anyone? MOMA houses the classics and the moderns like Monet, Cezanne, Kahlo, Pollack, Schnabel and the likes. 

curtain call during the Book of Mormons

6. And what I liked about the city is that no one gives a damn what you wear and look. You can be anything you want to be and nobody bats an eyelash. No one will give a  hoot if your skirt is hiked up there or if you have too much puson going on. I had my fair share of a Carrie Bradshaw moment walking in heels in a tube dress with hair sweeping behind my sun kissed shoulders. I love it and it loves me too. The feeling is mutual I guess... so wait for me New York. As in wait the hell out for me honey,  I'll be back and I hope to get to know you more.