In New York, we ride subways every day.  If you stay in Manhattan, you’re typically underground the entire trip.  I’ve never been a fan of the dark, underground subway tunnels.  Although I admire their reach & efficiency, I would much rather be above sea level. So much of New York is crowded and cramped, that when a moment comes where you get to be above ground and moving quickly through the city on the train, you feel so lucky to “see the light”, literally!

I was inspired to write about above ground subways by this photo of the J Train in Williamsburg at the Marcy stop, taken by my boyfriend, Zeh. The J train is one of many in Brooklyn that rises above the matrix of subterranean tunnels throughout the city.  Typically, if you venture out past the madness that is Manhattan, you most certainly will experience that ground breaking moment.

Aside from that quick breath of relief and melting of anxiety, above ground subway rides are a cheap and easy way to tour parts of the larger city! You will see some great elevated views, often with 360 degree spans of the city, for just the cost of a subway ride!

Some of my favorite trains to ride are:

• Q train to Park Slope – goes right over the Manhattan bride with great views of the Brooklyn Bridge & lower Manhattan.
• N train to Queens – most of the ride within Queens is above ground, providing landscaping views of Astoria & mid-town Queens.  See the Yelp Page for N train reviews!
• 1 Train to Harlem – between 120th and 130th street, the 1 train pops above ground.  If you keep going, it will pop back up for air between Dyckman St and 225th St.

…And there are many more above ground moments on other trains such as the 7 train in Queens, the 4/5 in the Bronx, the 2/3 far out in Brooklyn, and the entire line on Staten Island, I believe.

Although most of my riding these days involves a quick & crowded trip on the underground L train, from time to time I am lucky enough to cross the Williamsburg bridge on the M train, or the Manhattan bridge on my old friend the Q train.

It’s worth it.

I still remember my first trip to the Museum of Natural History.  It was during my first year in New York, sometime in Fall 2007.   My only reference to the museum came from the quirky 2005 film, The Squid and the Whale.  I recall being amazed by the dinosaurs, the planetarium, and this enormous life size Blue Whale suspended above me.

My most recent trip was extra special since I had a guest in town.  My younger cousin, whom I hadn’t seen in years, came up for a visit over the New Year.  On our last day together in the city, we ran up to the museum for just a couple of hours, to squeeze in what we could before the lights went out.

This time I got to pass through the culture halls, and amidst the Hall of African Peoples, I found a similar looking instrument to the berimbau, one of the instruments used in the martial art I train, Capoeira.  Sometimes you stumble upon a connection without even realizing it…

The American Museum of Natural History is located on Central Park West, at the 81st street stop on the C or B train.  Definitely give yourself a couple of hours to explore all the floors of the museum.  Time passes quickly, especially if it is crowded & you have to wait in line for any of the featured exhibits.

I learned something very cool during my last trip.  The museum closes at 5:45 PM.  After 5:00 PM, admission is free.  So if you live close, it is a great place to stop by for a quick 45 minutes – for free!  Nothing like ending your day with the dinosaurs…

Enjoy!

New York is one of those places that you don’t really need to know where you’re going, or what your plan is for the night.  Sometimes you leave the house and return at a very normal time.   Then there are those other random instances where you leave, and you return only after a whirlwind of an evening in which you are left with a few random photos, recollection of a taxi ride or two, and a very large smile.

Shown above are old photos from my first year in New York City, taken in February 2008.  I took them on a night when my camera broke, and every image turned out blurry.  It was a slight disappointment, but in the end I thought that these photos captured both the lights of city and the theme of that blurry night.  You see, we started out at dinner on 47th street.  There were 10 of us.  We slowly made our way downtown to a hookah bar on 1st ave, then finished up bar hopping in the East Village until the early morning, running into different groups of friends a long the way.  It was a mixture of old friends from Vermont, new friends from New York, friends from trips to Brazil and Santa Barbara and other random acquaintances.  In New York, that’s possible.  Isn’t that wild?

There is so much sensation floating around New York at any given moment.  It is easy to get caught up in the energy and the lights while wandering from bars to restaurants back to bars, both dodging and embracing all these people.  Sometimes it really does feel like a blur.

But there are always those moments where you snap back in to it, like when you suddenly recognize that person across the platform…

And that’s enough to remind you of your bearings.  Then before you know it, the night is over.  You wake up the next morning and the excitement from the evening has warn off.  Embrace your blurry nights – they capture adventures unique only to this City.

I’ve always been aware of the NYC Marathon.  It rolls around each November, just as the city starts to cool down.  I used to live on Central Park West, so I would usually run into runners wrapped in aluminum blankets stumbling to their homes on city buses & subways, or desperately hailing a taxi on the upper west side.  One year a close friend of my ran the Marathan (and kicked ass!), so I met her at the finish line.  But I never really watched.  Well, until this year.

The 11th mile of the NYC Marathon runs right underneath our apartment, or, our fire escape to be exact.  This year, the runners were lucky to have a sunny, crisp fall day with a reasonable temperature for running – perhaps even a bit too warm. Lucky for Zeh & I, it was warm enough to sit on our fire escape for hours, watching this amazing event take place below us.

Our block was a water station, which meant lots of spectators, cheerleaders, and live music, all day long!  The first few runners flew past our block.  They were too quick to even capture on film.  Few accepted water and most stayed focused on their ridiculously long strides as they blew past the crowd. I can only imagine the runners high they experienced at the end of all this. Incredulous!

The New York City Marathon is one moment in time, but it is a perfect synergy of all that is wonderful about New York.  New York attracts people. These people come from any where, at any time.  Some come without realizing what they’re about to experience, and others come with enormous expectations – typically that being to succeed.  New Yorkers, like marathon runners, are determined individuals.   They set goals and attempt to achieve them.  Not everyone wins, but they sure learn a shit load about life (and themselves) along the way.  They’re used to being around people.  They don’t mind crowds, but appreciate privacy.

Some runners, like New Yorkers, take it seriously.  Some dress up in costumes and make the most of an otherwise arduous event.  In New York, you’re witness to amazing achievements, like the hundreds of paraplegics who use solely arm strength to blow through 26.2 miles of city streets.

At the end of the day, New York is a small island at the tip of an enormous state.  It is driven by its occupants and the synergy of their spirits, stories, talents, failures, and timelines. It is a place where the old stay young and the young are wiser than their years. It is a dynamic place where multiple moments merge to create a functioning, powerful society where tremendous results are produced – those that otherwise would not be independently obtainable.

Karaoke is one of my favorite group activities to do in New York.  Let’s get this straight – I am not talking about embarrassing bar karaoke where you stand up and sing in front of a room full of random bystanders.  Rather, I am referring to private room karaoke with shiny disco balls & large-screen projectors playing the cheesiest stock-film music videos that will make you wonder, who on earth took this acting job???  Did I also mention a room full of your favorite people – or in some cases, your coworkers – letting out their secret musical obsessions and loving every minute of it.

New York has fantastic karaoke bars.  There is a whole slew of them on 32nd street in Koreatown.  You usually pay per hour, per person and get a full-service waiter who manages your food & drinks throughout the night – I hear some are even BYOB, but you have to call first.  If you’re lucky, you’ll even find tambourines on the table for that extra special touch.

I’ve done lots of karaoke in NYC.  Some of the good ones locally are:

• Duet Karaoke, 53 West 35th Street
• Karaoke 17 – 29 West 17th Street
• Nemo Karaoke – 54 East 13th Street

Most of my karaoke-outings have been birthday celebrations, but more recently, it has become an annual work outing with my coworkers.  One might imagine that karaoke with capoeiristas would be quite different than karaoke with coworkers.  I thought so too.  But really, its not all that different. The beginning is always a bit awkward.  Unless you have a die-hard karaoke’er on your team, its perfectly normal to experience “ice-breaker” anxiety – hesitance to being the first on the mic, resistance to setting the tone for the night, and of course eventual acceptance!

To be quite honest, when you get a bunch of people into a private room, you always get the same outcome.  Just fast forward a couple of drinks and hand them a microphone.   The likely reaction usually includes songs from the last few decades (ballads, pop songs, and oldies),  some unforgettable duets, and stellar performances from those least expected!  Really – it’s just hilarious.

Quick Tips:

1. Do incorporate some great group songs
2. Don’t hog the mic
3. Do dance
4. Don’t overdo it
5. And be sure to pick the right exit song to end the night on!

Happy Karaoke!

I discovered North 3rd Street when I started classes at Kula Yoga.  I love Kula.   I first discovered them through a friend in their TriBeCa studio, but after moving to Brooklyn, I soon discovered (and preferred) their local studio.   As a capoeirista, I know enough to be beyond a beginners yoga student, but not enough to be advanced.  Kula’s basic classics are perfect for the occasional drop-in.  Kula Yoga is rejuvenating like no other Yoga I’ve experienced.  I always leave the studio truly feeling re-energized and healed.

And what better way to cherish your mood after a yoga class than a quick visit to Mast Brother’s Chocolate, Brooklyn’s finest.  Mast Brothers makes delicious chocolate – and they always have free samples just in case you’re doubtful.

North 3rd street is also the home of Radegast Hall & Biergarten.  I’ve been a couple times, although I’m not nearly as much of a beer drinker as I am a wine drinker.   They do have some great live jazz on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  For the non-drinkers, across the street from Radegast is a charming new/used bookstore and right next door is a great cafe with delicious coffee.

I guess my favorite part of North 3rd street is the tall red brick that hugs you as you stroll down its sidewalks.  There a few sections with edgy graffiti on the wall, but most of what you see is old school Brooklyn brick.  There is nothing overly flashy on the street, and it almost feels abandoned until you walk past each and every unique store, cafe, yoga studio….

Perhaps I’m biased because I associate North 3rd Street with pleasurable things such as yoga and chocolate.  Let me know what you think.

Capoeira in Central Park

Each year, I discover more and more urban parks throughout the city.  From large to small, you can’t go far without encountering another fabulous green space.  I lived across the street from Central Park for 3 years and was lucky enough to wake up to the largest Urban Playground I’ve ever seen, every day.

Since moving away, I’ve sincerely missed Central Park.  For a while I thought I wasn’t going to be able to handle living in a real urban neighborhood.  I missed the trees, running the Central Park loop, and most of the all – the peace and quiet that living on the north west side of the Park brought me.  After Morningside Heights, I moved to Brooklyn for a year and began to explore Prospect Park.  Sadly I was still a mile away from the Park itself and didn’t spend nearly as much time in it as I would have liked to.

Zeh & Lola, playdate in Prospect Park

Since I no longer lived at the doorstep of a massive green space, I set out to explore the rest of the parks New York had to offer – something I had never really carved out time to do while living so close to Central Park. Sometimes this meant traveling a bit further than anticipated, for example to the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.  The Bronx Botanical Gardens has new exhibits all the time, and over 50 gardens & plant collections.  Its grounds are beautiful and worth the trek.

Brazilian Orchid Exhibit, Bronx Botanical Gardens

Not all of the city’s parks are green.  One of my favorite spots in New York is Washington Square Park.  Its pretty iconic and seen in films all over, but that’s not why I love it.  I’ve always appreciated how circular the park is, it sends everyone to the same spot as several entrances funnel visitors down the radius of the park to its lively center.  I think part of the allure is how hidden it is among such a bustling part of the city.  As you stumble upon it, it grabs your attention and literally screams, “hey you, its time for a break! Come sit on the steps of my fountain and look at my arch for a while.” And you always do…. as if it appears at precisely the right moment.  Its one of my favorite places for people watching, and lovely at any time of day.

Evening at Washing Square Park

After Washington Square Park, I love The Highline, New York’s newest Urban Park. The Highline sits on an abandoned elevated train line and runs parallel to the Hudson River crossing the neighborhoods of Chelsea & The Meatpacking district.  Its high enough, and so close to the river, that the breeze is light but fresh.  Zeh and I spent one of our very first dates on the Highline and since, I’ve returned multiple times. Over the summer months they tend to have free live music, as I recently learned while dancing Forro on the Highline with the forrozeiros in NYC!  Here’s a map of how to get there, and where to enter: http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps.

Forro at the Highline, (pic taken by Forrozeiros)

Close to my new home is McCarren Park, which is nothing in comparison to the Green space of Central or Prospect Park, but I am always charmed by its amusing dog park.  Yep, parks for everyone here in this city!

Saturday Morning at the Dog Run, McCarren Park

Some other gems:

• Bryant Park – Midtown, Manhattan.
• Tompkins Square Park – East Village, Manhattan.
• Madison Square Park – Flatiron, Manhattan
• Astoria Park – Queens, New York
• Brooklyn Bridge Park -  Under the Bridge, Downtown Brooklyn, New York
• Columbus Park – Chinatown, Manhattan

The thing is, I could keep listing them.  They are simply all over this city.  So if you live in New York and you’re feeling nature-withdrawal, remind yourself of all New York has to offer.  Take advantage of the playgrounds and gardens and those random benches on a triangular patch of green.  It’s all around you, if you just look for it.  Happy Urban Park Hunting!

I went on my first bike ride in NYC in June of 2009.  I borrowed my roommates rusty, vintage 10 speed.  I biked from 107th and Central Park West all the way to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and back.  I feel in LOVE with cycling through the city.

On this day I was able to ride through Central Park, over the Queensboro Bridge, through Williamsburg, and all the way to Prospect Park.  On my return trip I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge in the rain, drove up through the East Village and raced the cars up the East of the city.  It was night time by then.  I felt like I was living a video game.  Along the East Side, as you cross midtown, you pass an array of highrises – all the office buildings that are essentially vacant on the weekends and at night – but still light up.  I biked past the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and many more.  It was pretty fantastic.  I made it back to Central Park.  By now it was after 11 PM, and the park was technically closed.   I wasn’t alone, so I felt safe to venture through it.  I rode through the park in the middle of night – it was black and completely deserted, but absolutely thrilling!  Its a rare thing to see the park so empty.

I’ve since obtained my own fancy road bike (thanks Mom!), a proper helmet, bike lights and cycling gloves.  I’ve braved the traffic and made commuting to work by bike a regular activity.

But one of the most exciting moments I’ve experience as a cyclist in the city was the Annual 5 Borough Bike Tour.  Along with my boyfriend and my parents, I signed up in February 2011 for the 42 mile challenge in May.

We biked through all 5 boroughs of the city (Map of the Route), starting by Wall Street and finishing in Staten Island.  On the ferry ride back, we got a great view of the Statute of Liberty – for free!  Over 30,000 bikers showed up on May 1, 2011 to take on the city.  It wasn’t a race – just a nicely paced day-long adventure.  Its rare that cyclists are given priority in such a busy city.  Although at times the crowds of bikers became obstacles, we were all pretty psyched to finish the ride!

To anyone coming to visit the city, I totally recommend renting a bike for a few hours and exploring New York above ground.  Its a great way to tour all of Central Park within just a couple of hours.  The loop around the park is 6 miles - totally doable by bike, even if you’re not a consistent peddler!

If you’re looking for a bike event in the city, I recommend checking out Bike New York’s website, or signing up for their mailing list: http://www.bikenewyork.org/.  There is always something going on (unless it is winter time, of course)!

If you feel like venturing outside the city, try crossing one of the many bridges into Brooklyn!   The Queensboro, Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges all have individual bike lanes (i.e. closed to pedestrians).  The Brooklyn Bridge is beautiful, but full of strolling pedestrians and at times slightly complicated by bike.  In general, much of Brooklyn has designated & well marked bike lanes.

Check out some of the biking maps of NYC here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikemaps.shtml, or download the PDF to print before your trip.  Whatever you choose to do – please wear a helmet   I used to be an anti-helmet cyclist until I witnessed a terrible bike accident first hand.  That was enough to remind me that any bad hair day was better than a damaged body – or worse.

Happy Cycling!

In my first apartment in New York, I was lucky enough to have a glorious rooftop – an urban secret garden.  My apartment was on the top floor, and it was extremely rare for any of the other tenants in the building to hike up and visit the roof.  It was pretty spectacular.  I would go up to and stare at the city below me all year long.

The apartment sat on Central Park West at 107th street.  Some of the best rooftops in the city are in Harlem, or its bordering neighborhoods.  Harlem sits on the higher end of the park, so you’re often lucky enough to have a panoramic view of Central Park. I loved my rooftop. I found it magical.  It was quiet and empty, but below me sat the bustling city with the incredible skyline.

It’s pretty awesome to look at the New York skyline from the window of an airplane, or across the rivers from Brooklyn or New Jersey – but let me tell you – it is something else to be part of the New York skyline up on these rooftops. I like to imagine 3 levels of distinct energy in New York City: the underground, the ground level, and the rooftop. When you’re on the rooftop level you feel powerful and inconspicuous; hidden, safe and aware.

It was my rooftop that introduced me to New York’s water towers.  To me, they are such elegant and vintage looking symbols of the city.  There is a really cool flickr group site that shows a bunch of water tower shots if you’re interested.

For those that don’t have rooftop access (as I no longer do in my current apartment), try the rooftop of your office building – many of them allow access, or check out some of the places I recommend to grab a great view of the city….

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art Rooftop Bar
• Mé Bar, La Quinta Rooftop Bar in Koreatown
• The Williamsburg Bridge above Chinatown, Manhattan Side
• Barks Hot Dogs on Pier 6 at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, in Brooklyn

Let me know if you have any other secret rooftop spots – I’d love to visit them!