I know it’s cheating a little bit, but this week and next, I’m going to cover New York. It offers so many choices that I could cover the city for many, many posts in a row, so I think I’m on fairly firm ground.
I’ll concentrate this week on “insider surprises” to be found in the city—i.e., things that the natives like to do when the tourist hordes become too much to bear. Next week, I’ll focus on some fun day trips out of New York.
Many people—myself included—forget, among its many attractions, that New York is a river city, in some ways even more so than our own twin towns.
On the west side of Manhattan, I’ll start with a great picnic spot: Dyckman Fields. Grab some to-go food from La Fonda Poblana’s stand near the entrance of Inwood Hill Park, and soak in great views over the Hudson and into the Bronx.
Speaking of food, Covo Trattoria offers a Tuscan-inspired dining room and a neo-Victorian lounge upstairs. The barese (mini pasta with spicy sausage) is worth a visit on its own, plus the place is one of the more reasonably priced restaurants in the city.
For entertainment, consider “the Other Free Shakespeare in the Park,” AKA Hudson Warehouse Shakespeare. While Central Park’s Public Theater is featuring Shakespeare (and Anne Hathaway!), this option offers better opportunities for seating, combined with river views. Hamlet is playing in July.
For the sportier types looking for something to do, try kayak polo. It’s like water polo, but without the swimming. I have never actually partaken, but it looks like great fun, and less strenuous for those of us of a certain age. Players push off from Pier 66; contact the league’s organizer, New York Kayak Polo, for information.
Finally, out-of-towners normally don’t visit the Wagner Pavilion, but from the roof deck you can enjoy nearly picture-perfect views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. And down below, you can enjoy the west side’s only white tablecloth-dining option right on the river.
On the east side—on the cusp between the east and west sides, actually—is Indian Road Cafe. It offers a nice list of craft beers, and the lobster mac and cheese is a revelation. A couple of other places in the neighborhood also are worth a visit:
• Yorkville Creperie offers some great choices; my favorites are the savory varieties because they’re a little unusual.
• Paris Cafe is fun primarily because it’s one of the oldest bars in the city, and very Irish . . . in spite of the name.
For east side views, you can take a ranger-guided tour of Highbridge Tower, which is nearly 200 feet tall. Built in the mid- to late-1800s, the tower features a cool (and slightly spooky) spiral staircase that leads you to a viewing platform at the top, and the rangers are very knowledgeable. Or buy a MetroCard and take the Roosevelt Island Tram; the ride can be a little unnerving because it travels high above the East River and feels slightly rickety, but the mobile views are worth the queasy stomach.
If you plan to take in a Yankees game (with the new stadium, tickets can be hard to come by, unless you want to spend $2,500 for a single-game ducat!), you can take the Yankee Clipper up the East River to the stadium, which is an impressive way to arrive in style. Pick it up from the East 34th Street Ferry Landing.
Finally, regular readers will know that I am a sucker for any sort of public market, and you can get local and other delicacies, while wandering the numerous stalls of Fulton Stall Market. Shop like you’re a native!
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