Why I Love NYC
Ok, I’m leaving New York. I’m very sad. I have loved being here with my family for three and a half months. We lived next to Washington Square Park, which is my favorite park in NYC. And they don’t have horse-drawn carriages.
Bear conquered the park. He danced with people, wandered around saying hello to everyone, spent some quality time with Hari Krishnas drumming and chanting and made a friend named Scotty, a man in his 50s or 60s who is a great musician with a beautiful voice. Scotty just hangs out in the park and plays, and his different friends come around and play or sing. Bear and Christopher spent a lot of time there. He met a grand piano guy, a trumpet guy, and just so many bands. He loved it, everyday!
This, of course, is not my first time in NYC. I have been coming here since I was 14 almost 3-4 times a year, depending on the year. But this time really got to me again. There’s a wonderful spontaneity I feel there. I love how I can feel maybe a bit off one moment and start to walk and immediately feel better just walking and being amongst people. I feel much more flexible with my plans… there is such a sense of play there.
I have always loved the subway and walking everywhere, oh yes, and the food!! I will miss the aesthetic in the restaurants and in the streets. Places like The Butcher’s Daughter and Pure Food and Wine are just so swanky.
I’m working on my ultimate guide to dining in New York! It includes tons of yummy places so be sure to check it out before your next adventure in NYC.
What do you love most about your city?
Share in the comments below.
Photo source: flickr.com / Leo Newball, Jr.
Category
Alicias Life
29 comments
-
Thank you for this blog.I Love NYC too.Very much. I ve been there a few times and there's just something about that city...I always miss it when I m not there and I cannot wait to go back! I can go on and on and on about so many things.....there's absolutely NO place like. -
I have never been there, but I long to visit (or hopefully live) there someday! It feels like it'd be a place that is very pulsing with life, creative, magical, etc. I think it would be a great place to live and dream and work and play. -
I love this city!!! I live in Brooklyn and I feel blessed everyday to be here. It is interesting, open minded, full of diversity, and fun!!! Come visit us!!! We have a two month old who would love to play with Bear! Love your website!! -
You make me want to live in New York City, Alicia. God bless all the people you mentioned there. Have a nice day, Kind Life peeps. -
"I love how I can feel maybe a bit off one moment and start to walk and immediately feel better just walking and being amongst people. " > A sentiment also captured in these song lyrics:
"When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go, downtown
When you've got worries all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know, downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk, where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose? The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go
Downtown, things will be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure
Downtown, every thing's waiting for you
Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows, downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go
To where they never close, downtown
Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with 'em too before the night is over happy again
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go
Downtown, where all the lights are bright
Downtown, waiting for you tonight
Downtown, you're gonna be alright now
Downtown
And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand
To guide them along so maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares
So go
Downtown, things will be great when you're
Downtown, don't wait a minute more
Downtown, everything is waiting for you
Downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown" -
I am a New Yorker. I was raised on the upper west side. I lived there until my son was 7 years old, and loved having a child there. I live in Portland Oregon now, which is great, and VERY Veg. friendly, but nothing like NYC. I love Curlys on east 14th. If you have not eaten there, you should. Then walk over to east 6th for Lulu's apothecary for some vegan ice cream. Yumm! Bear is beautiful! -
Hey Kind Lifers!
I love this post. Anytime you can connect with a city and its vibe is a special thing. I used to live in Kansas City, MO and I absolutely loved their farmer's market, the tons of fountains everywhere and also the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum. Now I live in Birmingham, AL and it has been a love/hate relationship. Ultimately, I feel like there is good and bad everywhere, and I have decided I'd rather focus on the good. One thing we do have here is some veg friendly restaurants (a few, but they are REALLY yummy and hopefully we'll get more soon!). -
Your kid is cute no doubt but are you ever going to respond as to why you are taking money from Trop 50 a non-veg, totally processed food?
-
Bear is darling. It is great that he can be exposed to so many different people, sights and sounds!
-
I live in California, never been to New York but close. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of days one time and enjoyed the night life. Lots of people out and lots of places to hear music, etc, so I am sure I would LOVE New York!
I am glad to see you mentioned the Horse Carriages. I heard about this a while back and have supported them trying to get the horses out of NY busy streets to replace them with the cars.
Your son is so gorgeous! :) -
Thank you for sharing this Alicia. I wish you happiness when you get home. I know what it feels like to be in a place that you call "home" but not actually feel that way. I always feel like I want to get away from home but there's no place I can go that the negative feelings wouldn't follow.
Bear is getting big. I think if I was in that park playing my guitar and he came up to me, I would be so honored I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I would probably crawl right inside my guitar ;o}
Anyway, I thought I would share a video that I saw on MPT/PBS on organic farming. Jeff Moyer, farm director of the Rodale Institute presents "Organic Solutions to a Broken Food System" at the Maryland Extension's 7th Annual Organic Grain, Forage, & Vegetable Production Meeting in Queen Anne's County. I also share this in the forum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kamrtDXl-to
Peace and Happiness to you and yours. -
Hi Alicia, Glad you & your beautiful family had a wonderful experience in NYC! Hope you loved your time on B'way as well. I'm sure noting compares. I'm sorry the show had to end so soon.
Washington Square Park is definitely an original experience. I have great memories of being there, also. Hope you were able to get to "the park"- Central, that is.. I know they still have the Horse Carriages, (which, we're working on eradicating) -but besides that, it's an Oasis. When you enter, it's as if the whole world around you disappears & It is huge! One of my favorite places to be. I also love taking a day & visiting the mind-blowing Museums...taking in all the Art. Witnessing other people's visions, is so inspiring.
There are so many things to do & see. NYC is the best City in the World. The incomparable energy, people from all walks of life, the noises, smells, wind-from whipping around a corner to the feel of an oncoming train, then there's the vibrating, motion feeling of being on the train, it's so calming to me, the shadows from the Skyscrapers, lol....am I being melodramatic enough? I can't help it. When reflecting about the City, I get a bit...um, romantic. It brings out so many descriptive feelings & memories for me. Grateful I live in NY.
The food is undeniably delicious & incredibly fantastic, but you do have to know the right Spots. I'm looking forward to your new book. Hope it'll pin-point some new interesting places I don't know about :)
Until Next time! :) -
I LOVE NYC! You give up a lot to be there, ie, nature, so those of us with another place to go to on weekends, etc are very lucky. It can often be a $15 walk, by the time you walk to like a destination with coconut water and then back. :) I've given a lot of my money to pure food and wine take away! I can't wait for your nyc guide though alicia. great idea. Please send it! also i'm sure most people know but Natural Gourmet Institute is an awesome place to learn to cook veggie. I highly recommend the basics 1-4 class which includes food theory- also very important! :) P.S. Bear = so totally cute!
-
-
Awe, Bear is so cute!
I want to go to New York so bad! Unfortunately, financial-wise there are many other more important things but I'm still young. :) -
-
New York is my dearest geographic love!! It's where I was born & raised up until I relocated to Los Angeles a year and a half ago. It's truly a magical place, and I'm thrilled to be going back in March for a visit. It's not quite the Mecca of vegan dining the way LA is, but it's getting there...
People-watching and Italian food (outside of Italy) can't be beat! New York is so glamorous, yet somehow un-pretentious at the same time. It can help you build your dreams. [Sigh]...best city in the world, hands down. -
-
You're leaving just as I'm moving back to the city after several years in Arizona! Returning home, I'm also in the middle of updating my favorites list. I've written about a lot of restaurants in NYC. Counter is gone, but there are vegan places popping up all over town -- not to mention the Candle Cafe and Blossom empires :) Here are a few other favorites. Definitely add the Korean vegan haven Hangawi to the list. And John's, next door to Angelica, is offering delicious vegan, too. More to follow soon... http://bit.ly/gVWEtV -
NYC is my new city! Moved here four months ago and love it :) Also, the Kind Life is my new lifestyle. I chose to go vegan roughly a month ago after reading your book and the more I learn I can't believe I didn't make the choice sooner! Can't wait to see what your ultimate NYC guide looks like
-
I would love to visit NYC someday. I grew up in Chicago and now live in South Texas. Big change, but use to it. Glad you and Bear had a great time. -
Winston-Salem, North Carolina!! Moved here from Seattle 12 years ago and counting. I LOVE they way the old reynolds tobacco buildings with the faded brick and smokestacks have been converted into offices or even eco-offices (e.g., Wake Forest Univ, BEAerospace), pubs/music halls (Garage, Finnegan's Wake, The District), and restaurants (El Camino, 6th and Vine, Mooney's, Mary's Of Course my fav!). The city has done a great job turning a negative to a positive and making downtown a great place for it's citizens.
-
I love NY, but I am partial to Boston which has been my home sweet home for the past 12 yrs!
Boston is a great mix of new and old, historic/traditional and modern, old school (think Matt Damon/Ben Affleck/Mark Walberg) yet new school w/ tons of diversity and great culture.
The food is great, shopping is great, the various neighborhoods.
My husband, me and our 2 yr old live in Beacon Hill which I love, love, love.
It is my dream place: small town feel w/ tons of quaintness yet set in the middle of downtown Boston. Lots at our fingertips.
Our carbon footprint is insanely low--we walk everywhere, have one car that has 5500 miles/year on it and don't travel via plane much b/c we have so much worldly flair right here in Boston (versus if we lived somewhere like where I grew up in the mid-west--I loved that too, but you had to fly everywhere to get some culture).
So come visit Boston sometime!
It's NYC, but on a smaller scale and super manageable, yet still with strong energy! -
I'm heading there this weekend! Anyone have any suggestions on where to eat or can't-miss consignment shops? -
Great shot of Bear & Scott. Is that a rice cake in his hand?
What I love about my town is the mountains and the way they look different and so awe inspiring that the planet can make such marvels. I always want to run to the top of the mountains when I see them. Its always great to hike up one when I have time. Last night the sunset over the mountains and sky looked so beautiful, and It made me grateful for so many things. I always miss them when I'm away.
Available at:
Available at:
Join the Discussion!