Here’s How Locals Recommend Travelers Explore NYC As It Reopens
by Live Locally
By Mid-March 2020 New York City — the city that never sleeps — was forced into lockdown. The lively combination of busy restaurants, bustling streets, crowded subways, packed theatres and fast-talking denizens were stripped of their energy as everyone retreated into a socially distanced hibernation. Some pronounced New York City dead forever.
But, one year later, we are seeing signs of the city coming back to life. While the crowds haven’t fully returned, the restaurants, neighborhood cafes, theatres, delis, parks, street vendors, and local watering holes are beginning to reemerge. All of these constituents form an essential part of New York — and they are often some of the best sources of local knowledge for what’s happening in the city right now!
*Names and pictures have been changed to preserve anonymity*
Valeria
“There’s a tram [cable car] you can take from Manhattan to this cute little island — Roosevelt Island, you got lovely views of the Manhattan skyline from there. I’m from the Bronx. In the Bronx, go to the Yankee Stadium. The Zoo in the Bronx is bigger and has more animals than the one in Manhattan. There’s a lot of Hispanic restaurants there. You can also find amazing Colombian food on Roosevelt Ave in Queens. Union Square is still quite busy these days, even with the cold. Near Times Square there’s a lot of nice restaurants and bars to check out — Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Sugar Factory are recommended. There’s a nice bowling alley in Times Square and Broadway and the theatres are going to open up again soon.”
Marcus
“Not everything has opened up again, but you should still go to The Village and KTown for restaurants. 9th Avenue also has nice restaurants. Theatres are opening soon at 25% capacity, if you are interested in that. The High Line makes for a really nice walk too. There’s a big navy boat from World War II that’s been made into a museum and that’s pretty cool [Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum]. I would recommend West Village and the Meatpacking District for nightlife but everything shuts at around 10pm -11pm these days because of the virus and the cold. But things will open up more by Spring. ”
Luke
“In Manhattan, a walk along the High Line is really nice and the Brooklyn bridge too. Bushwick in Williamsburg is a really trendy place now. I live in Queens so I could probably tell you more about that locality. Astoria park is a nice place to visit if you want to walk around nature and look at views near the water. It’s better than Central Park — it’s less crowded and you can play soccer and basketball too. You could take the N train to get there from Manhattan. Astoria park has restaurants and bars, and it is becoming a trendy place. New York in general dies down a bit after the holidays — when spring comes, more places will start to open up again. Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoom are a nice visit too if you want to go more uptown!”
We at Live Locally believe that a new place is best explored through the eyes of the people who experience it every day — locals! To hear more from the locals of New York City — reach out to us at this link.
This article was compiled by the team at Live Locally. To find out more , contact us through our site and we’ll get back to you.
