nyc: {day.03}

Dec 9, 2009 by Monica Danna    3 Comments    Posted under: travel

If you’re just joining us for the nyc recaps, read nyc: {day.01} here, and nyc: {day.02} here.

Every time I visit NYC, or any other large city for that matter, the city gets more and more demystified. I remember my first trip in 2003, and I feel like the city was a thousand times bigger. The more and more I’ve traveled there, I’ve learned my way around the city, pride myself on my subway knowledge, and continue to develop my list of “How to Get Mistaken for a Local in Any City.”

Tip #1 is walk with a purpose. I always try to figure out where I’m headed before I leave the hotel. I’m not directionally challenged like a majority of my friends, so this is a little easier for me. There’s nothing more embarrassing than standing on a street corner with a folded out map and a confused look on your face. I will say, the iPhone’s GPS has made this a helluva lot easier to do.

Tip #2: Yawn. Yeah, yawn. You rarely see people who are not relaxed yawn. Yawning gives an impression of familiarity and comfort. So, you wanna look like a local? Yawn on the subway. ;-)

Tip #3: Dress the part. Sure we can’t all afford a designer wardrobe. And I’ve never touched a Jimmy Choo, much less had one touch my big toe. However, I always make it a point to hit up a few local boutiques the first few days I’m in town. We did plenty of shopping this trip, and it didn’t break the bank. You just gotta know where to go. And Google can help with that. Or awesome iPhone apps like Not For Tourist.

Tip #4: Go at it alone. Don’t be afraid to wander around by yourself. Many travelers travel in packs and can easily be targeted as visitors. One of my favorite things about traveling, even when I’m traveling with others, is to take a half day to myself to wander around. I imagine to myself what it would be like if I were to live in this city. What would be my route to work? How would I get to my favorite restaurant, or best friend’s house?

So Friday morning, our third day in New York, I took off on my own to explore the West Village, Greenwich, and Chelsea.  My previous stays in the city had most been on the Upper West Side and Union Square. Our hotel, The Jane, was in a fantastic neighborhood, the West Village, just south of Chelsea. I did some shopping in Greenwich and Chelsea, and ate a slice of pizza on Carrie Bradshaw’s stoop on Perry Street. Ok, ok. Very touristy, but couldn’t resist.

I walked up and down Bleecker window shopping, it was a beautiful day, nearly 60 degrees and sunny. We actually lucked out on weather the entire trip. Got a little snow on Saturday, but other than that was perfect!

Tim Burton Exhibit, MoMA

About 3pm I headed uptown to visit the MoMA {11 West 53 Street}. I had read about a fantastic Tim Burton Exhibit that was showing, and wanted to check it out. And, hello. It’s the MoMA. The design store alone could entertain me for hours. After a sweep through the exhibits, the book store and the design store across the street, I walked over to Rockefeller Center to meet up with Maggie to check out the Tree and Holiday Decorations.

Jimmy Glenn, Jimmy's Corner, Midtown

We had BIG plans of ice skating at the Rock, but after we saw the tiny rink and the forever-long, cluster of a line, we bailed and opted for window shopping at Saks and a dive bar on 44th called Jimmy’s Corner {140 W. 44th}.

We had multiple beers at this shotgun bar in midtown, owned by Jimmy Glenn, a retired boxing coach. We learned all this, of course, by reading the hundreds of articles and pictures covering the walls in old glass frames, before we glanced over and spotted Jimmy sitting next to us. Of course we asked for a picture with him. It was too hard not to. ;-)

Company Bar, East Village

After a few beers at Jimmy’s we headed to meet Chester and some colleagues for happy hour at Company Bar {242 E. 10th} near Union Square in the East Village. New York happy hours are one thing I wish Houston had more of. Very common to find 2 for 1 drinks, and Company bar obliged.

We chatted with a few of Chester’s friends, and even met a girl from Mississippi who was starting a dating website specifically for Southerns in New York!

Next, we headed to dinner with Julie Gomez, our delightful and willing host for the evening. I met Julie at the Caroline Collective in Houston last year when she was working for Boo Town. She’s since moved to Manhattan and is enrolled in NYU’s grad program for Arts Administrators. On Wednesday, while we were setting up for the Kirtsy party at Meet, I got an email from Julie who said she had seen in my eNewsletter that I was going to be in town throwing a party and that she was going to stop by. She did, and I’m so glad she did! She offer to take us to an Italian Restaurant in Chelsea, which we soon learned had since closed. But being the trooper she is, she steered us right to another fantastic Italian joint, Pepe Giallo {253 10th Ave. & 25th}, whose proud slogan was “No Diet Coke, No Skim Milk, No Decaf!”  Maggie learned this the hard way after she ordered a Diet Coke. The pasta and wine was delightful, and we wrapped up dinner and headed to China Town’s Apotheke Bar, a spot Julie wanted us to check out. She promised cute bartenders. She didn’t have to twist our arm on that one.

We were greeted by a few of Julie’s friends, and also a velvet rope and line. It was pretty cold out, so I was relieved when she suggested we head to the East Village instead to meet up with her boyfriend, Tim. Because, you know, I don’t do lines. Not any kind. Well, unless it’s the checkout line at TJ Maxx.

The Library, Alphabet City

We walked over to Alphabet City to meet Tim at The Library {7 Ave. A}, a very divey bar that reminded all of us (Tim also from Houston) of Poison Girl. We ordered a few beers, plopped down in the back, listened to extremely loud metal music, while watching Sixteen Candles projected on the back wall. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip, even though sleep deprivation was probably showing all over my face. Chester and a friend met up with us as well and we laughed as 5 Houstonians sat around a table in the Lower East Side drinking Tecate and watching Molly Ringwald.

Coming up: More Puck Fair Fun, Shopping in Soho, snow! The New Museum, Taxi Cab Counselors, Hoboken, yummy sushi, and Brendan + Cory. And that’s only Day 4. Whew.

polaroid image: flickr user [toy box]

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