The energy of New York City

If you’ve heard anything about New York City, you’ve heard about its unique energy, the buzz, the crackle, and the electricity that runs through the air. Like all the legends about this city, this energy exists, but not as omnipresent as you might think.

I can tell you that the energy of New York City feels different than any other city I’ve been to. Granted, I haven’t set foot in every metropolis in the world, but I’ve been around the block more than a few, and the energy of New York City is as unique and palpable as you’ve been told.

But this unique energy does not exist everywhere in the city. To experience this magical electric magnetic field, you must stay in midtown Manhattan, from approximately 59th Street (the southern end of Central Park) to Union Square, 14th Street, north to south, and 7th Ave to Broadway, west to east. . When people talk about the distinctive energy of New York City, they’re referring to the emotional charge you’ll find within this Big Apple on the city’s central island.

When you leave this energetic place, you will find yourself crossing many different neighborhoods, each with its own tone. The Upper East and Upper West sides feel different from each other. The East Village and West Village contrast youthful exuberance at one end and laid-back sexiness at the other, and in between the two you’ll find the student-focused city blocks that surround New York University’s main campus. Soho feels different than South Ferry, and traveling the island on Broadway you’ll find a commercialized change as Columbia University gives way to Mexican West Harlem, which gives way to the “Little Dominican Republic” of Washington Heights, all within the span of a few dozen blocks.

With that you only covered a fraction of Manhattan. The other four districts of the city are also experiencing their own dramatic changes in tone, ethnic identity and energetic footprint. As soon as you leave midtown Manhattan, you realize that New York City doesn’t feel like one thing. Depending on where you choose to explore, New York City can feel like anything and anywhere you want.

The downside of anything

Unfortunately, this means that while New York City may be an amazing place filled with some of the best experiences the world has to offer, it’s equally home to the worst of it all. Visitors to New York City often ignore this possibility, the potential for evil in the dullest expression of evil. Visitors tend to assume that just because something is in New York City, it has to be grand, unforgettable, life-changing.

This is not true, and the disconnect between the romance and the reality of New York City became apparent to me when a Spanish friend of mine, recently arrived from Madrid, recoiled in utter shock when she bit into a piece of pizza she found on the sidewalk. Midtown and realized. she was inedible.

New York City, home to 10 million, is overflowing with mediocrity, with people who don’t care, who aren’t motivated, who don’t want achievement in the station of life. The city is full of chefs who don’t know how to cook, shop owners with no taste, and artists with no inspiration. Living in New York City in no way guarantees that you are better than anyone else, or that you offer something better than what one could find anywhere else.

However, the ambitious image of New York City is not entirely unfounded. In this city you can stumble upon the best the world has to offer. You will be able to discover incredible restaurants whose dishes are as innovative as they are masterfully executed. You can find select stores with the largest collection of products, be it clothes, shaving creams or antiques, that you have ever come across. You can meet the world’s best artists, comedians, and writers as they put on eye-opening shows for just $5 a ticket.

New York City does No default to amazing, but it’s home to more amazing people and experiences than anywhere else in the world. You just need to do some work to find them.

How to get the most out of New York City

Lose the preconception that you can just walk down the street, be the first store you see, and receive the best of the best. Wandering around New York City with this mindset will lead to sore feet and shattered expectations. Instead, take advantage of the community of bloggers, reviewers, and fans who work hard to categorize and rate everything the city has to offer. Know what you’re looking to experience, and then do your research to find the best in town.

The service I’ve found most helpful in navigating New York City and identifying great places to eat, shop, and relax is “Yelp.” I use the Yelp app for my smartphone whenever I’m in an unfamiliar neighborhood, or a familiar neighborhood, and I find myself with an unknown need to fill.

But to help get you started on your journey, here are some of my favorite places in Manhattan, all of which are worth visiting:

• Housing Works Thrift Stores – Most “thrift” stores in New York City are more accurately labeled “thrift” stores and are filled with clothing that is enormously overpriced and staffed by uninterested club kids who spent their best moment. By contrast, the Housing Works brand offers true thrift stores: their locations are regularly replenished, cheaply priced, well-organized, and all profits go to fighting HIV/AIDS and not supporting the cocaine habit. of some old age scenes. I recommend shopping their locations in the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, including the Upper West Side and Chelsea.
• Grounded Coffee- New York City has endless coffee shops, most of which are underwhelming. Skip the mediocre cafes and head to Grounded, located on Jane Street off 8th Ave in the West Village. Grounded offers all the delicious lunches, shakes, caffeinated beverages and baked goods you could want, all at great prices, plus free Wi-Fi and a cozy interior full of exposed brick and a little jungle of beautiful plants that are allowed to grow. run freely.
• Theater of the Vertical Citizens Brigade (UCB) – There are few entertainment venues as consistently entertaining as the UCB, which hosts live improv events, sketches, and storytelling every night of the week. Almost all shows are just $5-$10 a ticket, including intimate shows with big-name comedians like UCB co-founder Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation).
• man throwing- Sitting in the East Village at easy-to-remember 100 St. Marks Avenue, Dumpling Man offers some of the best value for your dining dollar in town. Choose from a small but delicious menu of dumplings and side dishes that are mass-prepared by a group of short, stocky, well-positioned middle-aged Japanese women. Enjoy a Sapporo with their ample dumplings, all for less than $10 per meal. MUCH better than the hype Rickshaw. Pro Tip: Try their signature dessert: sweet potato dumplings soaked in condensed milk and sprinkled with cinnamon.
• Any gyroscopic car, anywhere – I know I said you should always do your research in New York City so you don’t stumble on overpriced mediocrity, but there is one exception to this rule. I have never had a bad Lamb Gyro in New York City, and I have never paid more than $4 for one of these tasty sandwiches. Walk to the first gyro cart you see and it will walk away smiling.

Depending on whether you’re willing to do a little research or not, visiting New York City will either be a huge disappointment or an incredibly exciting trip. Leave room for spontaneity, but seek outside advice when trying to pick your way through the expensive junk in search of those experiences that make New York City so special.