As I took off this morning for a chilly and shopping filled weekend in Manhattan, I thought I'd make today's Friday Five all about one of my most favorite places in the world. My top 5 favorite things about the city that never sleeps are:
1. The walking. I love that almost no one (even though, you'd never know it with all the traffic) owns a car. Everything is within walking distance. I'm sure living there, it gets a little old when it's snowing or raining but that's what the subway or cabs are for. There's just something about walking to your office in the morning, stopping at the corner coffee shop for breakfast or hailing a cab when it starts to rain that says quintessential New York to me.
2. The food (obviously!). You can find just about any kind of food that you desire somewhere in the city. I searched Yelp earlier for "Manhattan Restaurants" - I got 5322 hits. How amazing is that? You could eat out every night of the week (if that number is to be believed) for 14 years and never repeat an outing. My personal faves have always been John's Pizzeria (located on 44th in an old church with an absolutely stunning stained glass window in the ceiling) and Carnegie Deli (an old staple for everyone travelling to and living in Manhattan, but the corned beef and pastrami are to die for!)
3. The chaos. This is an odd thing to say but I love the hustle, the bustle, the noise and the crowds. It's a little overwhelming at first, but it wouldn't be the New York without it . If you listen closely enough, just walking a few blocks, you can hear accents and languages from all over the world. The eavesdropping is perfection too. New Yorkers are known to be loud so listening to these conversations is fairly simple and a perfect way to spend a few minutes...especially up near 5th and Park Avenues: It's like Lifestyles of the Rich and not so Famous. (On another note, it bugs the heck out of me that in all the times I've been, the only famous people I've ever seen have been on a stage. You'd think I'd at least bump into a Broadway star!)
4. The theatre district. I love the theatre! There's nothing better than seeing a show live and I've never understood people who've said different. Seeing a show on Broadway is about the most perfect way to spend an evening I can think of. My favorites have been "The Producers" (with the original cast), "Wicked" (with the original cast) and "Phantom of the Opera (in the 3rd row). But even when I don't have tickets, being among the crowds in the theatre district before and after show time is just a buzz. I love scanning the crowds for performers and hearing what the audience thought or hearing thetregoers sing the tunes or quote the lines they've just heard.
5. The history. I love that you can walk down pretty much any street and find an historic building, or restaurant or site. I've seen Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, been to the top of Rockefeller Center and walked around Strawberry Fields in Central Park. I have pictures of the Twin Towers and the Empire State Building, and the NY Public Library. NY always seems to be overflowing with new restaurants and construction but the truth is that the buildings that formed the bedrock of the city, still remain, even if some are only in our hearts.
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