A guide to your city! Share some of the hot-spots and hidden gems of where you live.

If you’ve read even a single post on this blog, you know that I love my city. It’s my favorite city in the world. I went through hell and high water to get here, and frankly, I go through it every day just to keep living here. It’s worth it.

My city is New York City.

The view from Hudson River Park

I’ve only lived here for six months, though (almost to the day!) so I’m still learning myself. I think I could live here forever and still be learning. I sat next to a family on a flight Monday that was going to visit NYC for the very first time. Every time they told me something they were planning to do (Phantom of the Opera, a helicopter ride over Times Square, the Statue of Liberty…) my response was, “Oh, I’ve heard that’s so fun! I haven’t done it yet, though…”

So, what have I done? These are some of my very favorite ways to spend time in NYC:

• Sit in a park with a book. My favorites are the High Line, Hudson River Park, Central Park (of course!), Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
• Smorgasburg. Every weekend local restaurants set up at a riverfront park in Brooklyn (East River State Park on Saturdays and Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays) so you can stuff your face and stare at the city’s skyline.
• Eat. Nearly all of the food here is phenomenal, whether you’re getting a fancy dinner at DBGB or a slice of dollar pizza at a corner shop.
• Drink coffee. Visit local coffee shops instead of one of the 8 trillion Starbucks. Trust me – you get not only fantastic coffee, but the owners are always great fun to chat with. My favorites are Happy Bones and Two Hands.
• Sit on rooftops. As much as I love admiring the skyline from across the East River, sometimes it’s fun to be in the middle of Manhattan and rise above the madness. I love the Empire Hotel for drinks (bonus: It’s Chuck Bass’ hotel on Gossip Girl) and Rockefeller Center for views.
• Wander aimlessly. If I want to explore but don’t want to plan, I take the subway to a random station and explore that neighborhood. There is so much to see and do here, and that can be a really low-key way to do it.

The view from the Empire Hotel

What’s your favorite thing to do in NYC? I’m always looking for ideas!