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Here 2 There | Traveler's Mentality P3 |
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Written by Ricardo Perez-Gonzalez
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Part 3 | In this column, we'll be discussing what to do once you get there, that coveted, far-off destination. Though our sample destination will once again be New York City, remember that this column is meant to help you plan an itinerary for any city. Use these suggestions as inspiration to kindle your wanderlust.
Any list of "Things to do in [Insert Name: New York City]" should always begin with both free and budget options. Not only because some such activities will surely reveal the heart and soul of your destination, but also because it can help you save enough to splurge on a fabulous evening enjoying the decadent side of your city of choice.
For starters, wherever you go the physical makeup of the city will offer you worlds to explore. New York is no exception.
Start by walking the Brooklyn Bridge and take in the breathtaking view of Manhattan. When you reach other side recharge at Grimaldi's, one of the city’s most famous pizza joints.
On your walk back from Brooklyn (or the subway), go for a ride on the nearby Staten Island Ferry from the southern tip of Manhattan to Staten Island and back again. The ride is free and you get some amazing views along the way.
After your ferry adventure, try strolling up the West Side through the Battery Park City Parks (named by New York's Department of Redundancy Department) along the Hudson River. You can see lovely riverside landscapes and such sites as the Irish Hunger Memorial and the Esplanade, a lazy stretch of green along the river, all the way up to Chambers Street.
Moving farther north on the island, though technically not free, the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 83rd St. and 5th Ave., along with the American Museum of Natural History across Central Park, is run on a donation basis. You can give a quarter and be admitted, so long as you can withstand the withering glares of Metropolitan docents. The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) also has a pay-what-you-wish policy from 4:30 pm - 8:15 pm on Fridays. The lines can be long, but giving those modern art docents a quarter for entrance is almost as satisfying as calling a block of uncut granite a sculpture and selling it to city hall for a cool million.
Most of New York's major museums border along Central Park – called the Museum Mile -- which is a wonderful destination year-round. If you have time and energy after all your museum walking, pack a picnic lunch (or pick up a few dirty water dogs!) and traipse through the park. If you start at Columbus Circle on the southwest corner and walk up to the Harlem Meer on the northwest corner, you'll land on the edge of Spanish Harlem, just up the street from El Museo del Barrio on 104th and 5th Avenue and around the corner from some of the best cuchifritos you can get outside of Puerto Rico over on 116th St. Alcapurrias and free art, anyone?
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