Index
A. New York, New York, It's a Helluva Town
(overview/hints for getting around and getting settled)
B. East Side/West Side, All Around the Town
(brief descriptions of neighborhoods in and near NYC, apartment rental information, hints on how best to find an apartment)
C. The Neon Lights are Bright
(food, drink, culture, sport, recreation, play)
D. All the News That's Fit to Print
(publications)
E. I Love New York
(Alumni Contact List)
F. You Mean You Haven't Been There Yet?
(Alumni Favorites)
A. New York, New York, It's a Helluva Town
Welcome to New York!
New York City encompasses 300 square miles and is the home to over 7 million people, representing people from almost every country in the world. It is divided into five very distinct boroughs that have completely different personalities. These are: Manhattan, which is right in the center; The Bronx, which lies north/northeast; Queens in the east and southeast; Brooklyn in the south/southeast; and Staten Island to the south. Each borough is headed by an elected borough president. New Yorkers do not describe themselves as just New Yorkers. Most are fiercely loyal to the borough and neighborhood in which they live and describe themselves as "from the Bronx" or "South Brooklyn" or "I'm a Manhattanite or "an Upper Eastsider," etc. In fact, I've met people who have lived in New York City their whole lives, yet have never been to Manhattan - and they're proud of it!
GETTING AROUND
Airports
LaGuardia - The closest airport to the city, in Queens, about 25 minutes from midtown, a cab costs approximately $25 including toll and tip. Primarily domestic and Canadian flights.
JFK - In Queens, about 45 minutes to 1 hour from the city. When arriving at JFK, there is a flat fee of $30 for a cab from the airport to Manhattan, not including toll and tip. Domestic and international travel.
Newark - Located in Newark, NJ, approximately 40 minutes from Manhattan. Taxis are expensive, as they charge extra for traveling outside NYC.
LaGuardia and Kennedy airports have bus transportation to/from midtown Manhattan. It's $10 from LaGuardia one way ($9 if booked online in advance). Busses also go to/from Kennedy for a bit more.
Pick-up at the airport is very easy and drop-off in the city is at Grand Central, Penn Station, Port Authority or a number of hotels. Fabulous! www.nyairportservice.com
Newark Airport can be reached by train from Penn Station.
Port Authority 42nd Street and 8th Avenue
The main bus terminal in NYC - for out-of-town trips and commuting to New Jersey.
There is a smaller terminal - the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal - at 178th Street and Ft. Washington that has bus service to northern NJ suburbs.
Penn Station 34th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues
Amtrak train station, commuter trains to Long Island and New Jersey
Grand Central Station 42nd Street between Park and Lexington
MetroNorth trains to Westchester, Connecticut, upstate New York
Subways are the best way to get around - they're fast and usually convenient. One-way fare to anywhere in the system is currently $1.50: this includes one transfer to bus or subway that is valid for 2 hours after the first ride. MetroCards are available in the stations which allow you to purchase passes good for unlimited rides for 1 day ($4); 7 days ($17) and 30 days ($63), or you can buy the cards and pay on a per ride basis.
I have never felt unsafe on the subways. Most likely you will be traveling routes that are fairly populated and you will get a sense if you feel uncomfortable in a certain location or at a specific time. Generally it is quite safe to take trains up to midnight, at least. But use caution and if you feel uncomfortable, wait near the token booth until you hear a train coming.
PATH trains are subways that connect Manhattan to New Jersey. They run on an on-going basis and connect with select subway stations.
Busses operate with the same MetroCards as the subway. They are about the only public transportation you can use to get cross-town when you're above 57th Street. There is good bus service but it can be slow. Note that you have to have exact fare for NYC busses, or a MetroCard.
Ferries run from mid- and downtown Manhattan to various Jersey locations and there is also a ferry that runs from the upper east side to Wall Street. And, of course, the Staten Island ferry operates from Battery Park.
Taxis are usually readily available, except when it's miserable weather, which is when you really want one. Also, between 4:00 and 4:45 in the afternoon can be a tricky time, as that is when lots of drivers change shifts. A cab is available when the white light on top of the cab is on - it says "TAXI." If it is turned off, the cab is occupied. If the TAXI light is on, but the two lights on either side of it that say "Off Duty" are on as well, you're out of luck. There are no taxi stands - just be aggressive and stand on the curb (or close to it) and wave your arm. There is a base fare of $2.50 and the fare goes up 30 cents every eighth of a mile. There is no additional charge for bags, extra passengers, or more than one stop.
Cars are generally more trouble than they're worth, especially if you live in Manhattan or other heavily congested areas. Street parking can be a pain, because of the street cleaning and alternate side of the street parking rules, so you often spend a long time driving around looking for a place to park. And renting a space in a garage is expensive - often $500 a month or more. Plus, traffic in the city can be awful, so why bother? This is a place where public transportation is by far the best option.
HOME FURNISHINGS/SUPPLIES
There are several mega-stores in the city that are great for home supplies and furnishings: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Gracious Home, Pottery Barn, and Kmart. There is an IKEA store in New Jersey, near the Newark Airport - you can either drive there or take a free IKEA shuttle bus that leaves from Port Authority every half-hour on weekends.
List other Alumni suggestions for getting started
B. East Side/West Side, All Around the Town
FINDING AN APARTMENT
Finding an apartment may be one the biggest challenges you'll face in New York, so be prepared! Unlike other cities, where you can walk the streets and find "apartment for rent" signs, or simply call in response to an ad and have a place by the end of the weekend, an apartment search in New York can be much more grueling and time consuming. There are agencies that help identify places for you - and you pay them a finders' fee. There are also agencies that conduct roommate searches, also for a fee - you can find these by doing an internet search. Web site and newspaper listings are also options, but often by the time the ad appears in the paper, the apartment is already rented. Perseverance and a good sense of humor are key components of apartment hunting in New York. It helps to be as flexible as possible, but also to have a good idea of your absolute essential requirements. Proximity to public transportation, convenience of neighborhood shops and restaurants, what the area is like at night, and what services are included in your rental fee are important considerations. When you find something you like, don't hesitate. In the time it can take you to get your roommate to come see the apartment, it can be taken by someone else. Usually upon signing your lease, you will be asked for first and last months' rents and a security deposit.
Tell everyone you know that you are looking for an apartment - and if there's a particular building you like that a friend lives in, ask them to talk to the building's super and see if there are any rentals or sublets becoming available.
Putting up flyers stating that you're looking for an apartment is another possible method of finding a place. Pick the neighborhood you're interested in and go for it. It's best not to put your name - and never your address - on the flyer.
Another way to find an apartment, or a sublet, or to find a roommate, is to check the backstage bulletin boards at Lincoln Center. There are often notices put up there by performers who are in (or out) of town for a season and need to either sublet their place or find a place to stay. Universities are also a good source of information, as are community bulletin boards at your favorite yoga studio or arts center. Be creative and advertise your search wherever you can.
THE NEIGHBORHOODS
There are literally hundreds of neighborhoods in and around the city that are worth exploring, and you should definitely buy the New York guidebook that best suits your interests once you arrive. Below is a very selective list:
MANHATTAN
Downtown/Financial Center
This area has certainly been in the news since 9/11. The west side of downtown combines residential buildings with offices to a greater extent than the east side. It tends to be quieter here at night as a lot of the stores and restaurants still cater to the business crowd. Some new designers are opening stores in this area, as high rents in Tribeca and SoHo force them to change locations. Battery Park and the area along the Hudson River have been developed into a beautiful park and gardens. On the East River is the South Street Seaport, a big mall with waterfront shops and restaurants.
Tribeca/SoHo
Just north of downtown on the west side, this former industrial area is now home to some of Manhattan's most exclusive and expensive real estate. Designer stores and art galleries abound, as do restaurants and clubs and several small theaters.
Chinatown/Little Italy/Lower East Side
Just north of downtown on the east side is Chinatown, which then leads into Little Italy and the lower East side as you head north. Chinatown is crowded, full of small streets with great, cheap restaurants and markets full of fresh Asian vegetables, fish, etc. The lower East side is what Greenwich Village used to be - the stomping grounds for young New Yorkers, and the home of funky boutiques, restaurants and clubs and more avant-garde theaters. It includes Alphabet City and Tompkins Square Park, areas that until recently were very dicey, but now provide some reasonable housing and great night life.
Greenwich Village
One of the most picturesque parts of Manhattan, the West Village deviates from the east/west street grid and has narrow, curvy cobblestone streets and definitely feels like a village. The Village includes the old meat market district, now a home for chic restaurants and stores, including the all-night diner Florent; the shops, restaurants and jazz clubs around Bleecker, Hudson, Abingdon Square and Seventh Avenue South; the piers on the Hudson River; Christopher Street, one of the city's gay meccas and site of the Stonewall conflict; the New York University area between 6th Avenue and Astor Place; Cooper Union, the Public Theater, and to the east, St. Mark's Place and a variety of shops and restaurants on 2nd and 1st Avenues. The East Village and the lower East side were originally the homes of hundreds of immigrant families, and the areas still contain a diverse mix of ages, cultures and lifestyles. Rents in the West Village are high and availability is low.
Chelsea/Flatiron District
In the past 15 years, this has become one of Manhattan's hottest neighborhoods and the area that used to consist of warehouses and light manufacturing is now filled with trendy restaurants, furniture and design stores, upscale and discount clothing stores and smaller boutiques. Chelsea is home to a large gay population and has lots of clubs, bars and restaurants. Apartments are expensive here.
Midtown
Covers Manhattan from 34th to 59th Streets. The area is very commercial and business centered, and there is little "neighborhood" feel here, especially in the areas between 7th and 3rd Avenues. On the East side are the United Nations and Beekman and Sutton Places, which are very expensive, upscale neighborhoods. The West side is home to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), the Garment District, Macy's, and the Jacob Javits Convention Center. With the revival of Times Square, the area to the west of 8th Avenue in the 40s is being developed, and new housing and theater buildings are being built at a rapid rate. Hell's Kitchen, the area west of 8th Avenue in the upper 40s and 50s, is experiencing a revival as well, and 9th Avenue is full of ethnic restaurants, bakeries and stores. This used to be a very iffy neighborhood, full of drug dealers and somewhat rundown, but now it is a great place to live. It is also a great central location.
Upper West Side
Runs from 60th Street and Central Park West up to around 116th Street, where Columbia University is. Long known as a gathering point for performing artists, thanks in part to its proximity to Lincoln Center, in recent years the UWS has become home to a large number of families and you're much more likely to run into baby strollers than street musicians. It still has a comfortable, laid-back feel, and the 90s still have more of the old-time West Side ambiance. Around Columbia, there are good, reasonable restaurants, good book stores that aren't Barnes & Noble, and some good places to hang. You can still find some good housing deals here, but they're not easy to come by.
Upper East Side
Just across Central Park from the UWS. This is the area where the established rich live in the city - very proper, very toney - especially along Fifth, Madison and Park Avenues and in the townhouses on the cross streets. As you head toward the river, Lexington, Third and Second & First Avenues are less expensive and are home to lots of more casual restaurants, bars, clubs, stores, etc. Madison Avenue is home to a bevy of designer and upscale stores.
Harlem
Runs from approximately 116th to 165th Streets. Harlem is a great neighborhood to explore and is also becoming an easier place to live, as more stores and services open up in the area. Apartments are often still a good deal here, transportation is convenient, and there are some wonderful neighborhoods and buildings that have been renovated. Even though you're still in Manhattan, in Harlem there are wide streets and low buildings, so everything feels more spacious and open. This is one of the last good real estate markets in Manhattan, although already it's not as great a deal as it was a few years ago. East Harlem begins around 3rd Avenue at about 110th Street and is primarily Hispanic.
Washington Heights
Upper Manhattan, from 165th up to the tip. This is the highest and hilliest part of Manhattan. It is near the Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park, and is very neighborhood-y in its feel. Apartments are a good deal here - many musicians and performers moved up here in the 80s and 90s and have changed the neighborhood from one that was primarily the home of Dominican and Eastern European immigrants. The subway ride to midtown from here is approximately 30 minutes when express trains are running, 45 minutes when it's only local service.
BROOKLYN
A major city in and of itself, Brooklyn is home to a variety of museums and performing arts venues, boasts some great beaches and beautiful vistas, and some lively and fun neighborhoods, restaurants and nightlife. Neighborhoods include fashionable Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope; the artsy DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass); Williamsburg, home to a large Orthodox Jewish community and in recent years becoming an enclave for artists and performers; Coney Island and Brighton Beach, home to Eastern European immigrants; Atlantic Avenue, known for its great middle Eastern and Arabic restaurants, and many more. Brooklyn is a very diverse borough and has a large African-American and Caribbean population.
For information about specific Brooklyn neighborhoods, visit www.brooklynonline.com/bol/neighborhoods/. For cultural and tourism events, visit www.brooklynx.org.
QUEENS
Queens is New York City's largest borough - it's bigger than Denver, bigger than Pittsburgh, and bigger than San Francisco and Boston combined, and is the most ethnically diverse county in the country. Home to NYC's two airports, the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, the New York Mets, it also boasts over 196 miles of waterfront on Little Neck Bay, the East River, Flushing Bay, Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and nearly 10 miles of beaches in the Rockaways. Among the many neighborhoods are: Astoria, named after John Jacob Astor, known for its thriving Greek community; Flushing, with its large Asian and Asian/American population and a fabulous array of shops and food stores; Long Island City, with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and a mainly industrial area that is also home to a variety of artistic communities and educational institutions; Woodside, densely populated with many of Queens' immigrants -- Irish, Korean, Chinese, Dominican and Indian; Corona, where the Lemon Ice King ruled and jazz great Louis Armstrong hung his hat; Forest Hills, with a quaint English countryside ambiance, due to its tree-lined streets and distinctive architecture; Jamaica, the geographic center of Queens and one of the oldest towns in the borough; St. Albans, a primarily African-American community and the former home of jazz superstars Lena Horne, Count Basie and Fats Waller; and The Rockaways, beach communities and home to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
Good Web sites for information about Queens are www.queens.nyc.ny.us and queenstribune.com/guide2001/index.html.
THE BRONX
Neighborhoods include the Arts & Antique District (Port Morris, Mott Haven), a neighborhood that is increasingly drawing artists to its lofts and studio spaces; Little Italy (Belmont-Arthur Avenue), an enclave of colorful shops, cafes and top-notch Italian restaurants and cultural vitality; City Island, a picturesque nautical village that is home to great seafood restaurants and a good place to charter fishing, diving and crusing boats; Grand Concourse, the borough's most famous boulevard, stretches for 4½ miles and features the world's largest assemblage of Art Deco residential buildings; Hunts Point, a peninsula in the South Bronx where hip-hop, rap, break dancing and salsa are all said to have been born and a fertile ground for up-and-coming trends in music and visual and performing arts; Norwood, perhaps the borough's most ethnically diverse community and home to a mix of environmentalists, artists and advocates for issues affecting the borough and city. Norwood is an urban community surrounded by green spaces, including Bronx Park, the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx River and Van Cortlandt Park; and Riverdale, a beautiful residential community on the banks of the Hudson River, filled with tree-lined roads and grand estates. The community's crown jewel is Wave Hill, a natural preserve with breathtaking views of the Hudson River and special events year-round. It's a great place to spend an afternoon with a good book.
For more information, visit www.ilovethebronx.com.
STATEN ISLAND
This 13.9-by-7.5 mile island feels more suburban (almost rural in places) than the other boroughs. Among the hilly streets of the Hamilton Park neighborhood, with its rows of gingerbread-trimmed Victorian mansions and shingle-style homes erected during the Civil War era, are two huge Tudoresque homes that appeared on screen as Casa Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's 1971 classic, The Godfather (look for Longfellow Street). On the other side of the island is Todt Hill, at 409 feet, the highest point along the Atlantic seaboard south of Maine. It's great to take your bike on the Staten Island Ferry and bike around the island for an escape from "city" life.
South Beach, a beach with a beautiful view of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, has a 7,500-foot-long boardwalk - the fourth largest in the world - as well as a playground, bocce courts, roller hockey rink, shuffleboard, ballfields, and picnic areas. Staten Island has the biggest collection of Tibetan art outside Tibet itself at the cliff-hanging Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, which is one of only two Himalayan-style, monastery buildings in the Western world, and the only one in the United States. Other highlights include the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the beaches, trails and nature preserves of the Gateway National Recreation Area, part of the National Park Service.
For more information, visit statenislandusa.com and www.nycvisit.com.
NEW JERSEY
There are a number of towns just across the Hudson River from Manhattan that are an easy commute from the city and are becoming popular places for people to live who are looking for better deals. Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, Hackensack, etc. are just a few. If you're interested in Jersey life, it's good to talk to people who live there and do some exploring.
C. The Neon Lights are Bright
FOOD AND DRINK
There are literally thousands of good restaurants to choose from, and you'll discover lots of them by exploring the neighborhoods, reading Zagat's and other reviews, and by word-of-mouth. Generally, there are more inexpensive restaurants outside of Manhattan and around New York University and Columbia University; in the East Village and Alphabet City, and above 125th Street. A list of alumni favorites is included below.
One great thing about New York is that almost every place delivers, especially in Manhattan - not just restaurants, but grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, etc.
Boat Basin Café: outdoors, overlooking the Hudson River in Riverside Park at 79th Street. A great place for casual food, drinks, scenery and people-watching.
FOOD SHOPPING
Zabar's - a New York classic on the Upper West Side at 81st Street and Broadway. The downstairs section has a great cheese market, a huge selection of prepared foods, smoked fish, coffees, olive oils, and other delights; upstairs is a great place to buy all sorts of kitchen supplies as well as vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, etc.
Fairway - another West Side classic on 74th and Broadway. They have a great selection of well-priced fresh produce as well as a good cheese counter, meat and fish market, prepared foods, and regular groceries. Upstairs is an organic produce market. Fairway also has a store uptown at 125th Street by the Hudson River, which is even bigger and fun to visit.
Greenmarkets - there are farmers' markets throughout the city, on varying days. Visit www.cenyc.org for a listing of locations and times. One of the biggest ones is at Union Square, four days a week.
There are lots of specialty and ethnic markets throughout the city. Zagat's publishes a New York City Marketplace guide which will give you updated information on how to find just about anything. Gourmet Garage has branches throughout the city, and there are two Healthy Pleasures stores, one in the Village and one in SoHo. Smaller markets and health food stores abound.
MUSIC/THEATER/DANCE
Major performance venues are:
Lincoln Center
63rd Street and Broadway
Houses the Metropolitan Opera House, New York State Theater (home of New York City Opera and New York City Ballet), Avery Fisher Hall (New York Philharmonic), Alice Tully Hall, Juilliard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater
Carnegie Hall
57th Street & 7th Avenue
Symphony Space
94th & Broadway
Presents plays, music, world music, dance, kids' programs, literary readings, and film
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Atlantic & Flatbush Avenues, Brooklyn
Presents opera, plays, films, the New Wave Festival; consists of The Opera House, The Majestic Theater and the Ha
City Center
55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues
Presents dance, musical theater
Merkin Hall
66th Street between Broadway & Amsterdam
Town Hall
44th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues
Radio City Music Hall
50th Street & 6th Avenue
The Joyce Theater
7th Avenue & 19th Street
Presents contemporary dance companies
Of course, this is just a beginning as there are hundreds of performances in churches, at colleges and at other venues all around town, including Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theaters.
MUSEUMS (this list is just to get you started)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fifth Avenue between 81st & 86th Streets
Museum of Modern Art
Temporarily relocated to Long Island City during construction
33 Street @ Queens Boulevard, Long Island City, 212-708-9400
The Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, 212-570-3676
Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue @ 89th Street, 212-423-3500
Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
Museum of Natural History/Rose Center Planetarium
Central Park West @ 79th Street
Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W. 125th Street, 212-864-4500
Museum for African Art
36-01 43rd Avenue at 36th Street, Long Island City, 718-784-7700
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue @ 103rd Street, 212-534-1672
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
90 Orchard Street, 212-431-0233
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue @ 104th Street, 212-831-7272
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway (near Grand Army Plaza), Brooklyn, 718-638-5000
Museum of Television and Radio
25 West 52 Street, 212-621-6800
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street, Queens (in Flushing Meadows Corona Park), 718-699-0005
American Museum of The Moving Image
35 Avenue @ 36 Street, Astoria (Queens), 718- 784-0077
Clubs The publications listed below will give you information on clubs and the current schedule. Word-of-mouth is the best way to stay up to date on what's hot and what's not.
FREE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
The city is full of free events, year-round. Things are liveliest in the summer when - among other things - the NY Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera give concerts in the parks, The Public Theater presents Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, there are SummerStage concerts featuring jazz and world music in Central Park, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors offers a month of programs in Damrosch Park, Bryant Park, on 42nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues in back of the Public Library, offers free movies one night a week, and Battery Park and the World Financial Center present a variety of outdoor performances. There are also a variety of street fairs, usually at least one per spring or fall weekend, throughout the city: one of the best known is the 9th Avenue Food Festival in the spring. Also, Little Italy has its San Gennaro feast in June. The Caribbean Parade takes place in Brooklyn on Labor Day, and other ethnic parades occur throughout the season. Of special interest is The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island during the summer and the Halloween Parade in the Village.
PARKS
Don't be afraid of NYC parks - they're wonderful. Central Park is great in all seasons, for walking, biking, running, rollerblading, sunbathing, baseball, soccer, etc. During the summer there are lots of free concerts and plays in the park, and you can go rowboating in the lake. There's a great zoo as well, plus tennis courts and a good jogging path around the reservoir, and up north, the Conservatory Gardens. There's nothing like visiting Central Park on a weekend afternoon to get a sense of the energy and diversity of the city.
Prospect Park in Brooklyn is built on the same plan as Central Park, and is also wonderful, as is Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. In Queens, Flushing Meadows Corona Park was the home of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs and is a great place to visit on a weekend afternoon to enjoy New York in all its diversity. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens are located in Prospect Park, just off Grand Army Plaza, and are a wonderful place to visit, especially in the spring during lilac time!
Riverside Park is along the Hudson River in Manhattan, starting at 59th Street and extending north past the George Washington Bridge. Also uptown is Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters. The entire west side of Manhattan, from Battery Park up to 181st Street, is now connected by a bike path that runs along the river. It's great!
SHOPPING
You can shop any time, anywhere in New York. The Village and the Lower East Side have more funky stores, and 6th Avenue in the 20s has some large department stores - Loehmann's, TJ Maxx, etc. Orchard Street, in the lower East Side, is great for bargains; SoHo, Tribeca and Madison Avenue are known for their designer stores. Century 21, near the former World Trade Center site, is a great place for discounts on designer clothes of all kinds. The book "New York’s 100 Best Little Places to Shop" is a great guide to small shops and boutiques throughout the city.
Major department stores include Bloomingdale's (59th Street @ 3rd Avenue); Macy's (34th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue); Barney's (60th and Madison -- they have wonderful Christmas windows); Saks Fifth Avenue (Fifth Avenue @ 49th Street); Henri Bendel (57th Street @ Fifth Avenue).
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Chelsea Piers
A mega-sports complex on the Hudson River, between 19th and 23rd Streets. Facilities include roller rinks, ice skating rinks, batting cages, driving range, gymnastics equipment, rock climbing, swimming pool, and more. Memberships are available as are day passes.
New York Road Runners Club
NYRR is an "outdoor health club" that focuses on running and walking. In addition to almost weekly road races and fun runs, NYRR holds classes, group runs, safety programs, and clinics and sponsors the NYC Marathon. www.nycrr.org
New York Cycle Club
NYCC is an educational and recreational organization for bicycle enthusiasts in New York City. They organize weekly rides, weekend trips, training programs and special events - and it's a great way to get to know the city and explore some of the most beautiful routes in the tri-state area. www.nycc.org
Gyms
The following gyms have locations throughout Manhattan. There are lots of others, as well.
Yoga Studios
BEACHES
Jones Beach
On Long Island, it's a 6.5-mile stretch of sand, ocean and dunes that feels totally removed from NYC. You can get there by car or by buying a Jones Beach pass at Penn Station and taking the train to Freeport, then catching a bus at the station that goes right to the beach. Travel time is approx. 50 minutes each way.
Long Beach
Closer to the city than Jones Beach, but also on Long Island, Long Beach is an urban beach. You can take the train directly there from Penn Station, and there are lots of shops and restaurants on the main street of town, which is only a couple of blocks from the beach. Travel time is also approx. 50 minutes on the train.
City Beaches
Brighton Beach, Coney Island, and the Far Rockaways can be reached by subway (A Train). In the Bronx, City Island and Orchard Beach are like a small fishing village in the city. Word has it that sometime soon there will be a beach on the Hudson River in lower Manhattan!
Jersey Shore
A variety of shore towns can be reached by train from Penn Station or by ferry.
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Madison Square Garden
Home of the NY Knicks, NY Liberty, NY Rangers
Yankee Stadium
Home of the NY Yankees, in the Bronx
Shea Stadium
Home of the NY Mets; in Flushing, Queens
US Open at Forest Hills, Queens
The Meadowlands
Home to NJ Nets, NY Jets, NY Giants, NJ Devils
D. All the News That's Fit to Print
E. I Love New York
(Alumni Contact List)
F. You Mean You Haven't Been There Yet?
(Alumni Favorites)
NYC & Company publishes an array of guides to New York that are fun and informative, including guides to shopping, quiet spaces in the city, how to live like a NY VIP without a VIP salary, etc.
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