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Born and raised in Queens, never knew the city streets. However, my former job was for a courier service in Manhattan and I learned the entire island, including downtown! Never been to Statue of Liberty, never been up the Empire State building.
Each boro is a city in its own right.
I believe Morningside Heights is a part of Harlem.. its called "white Harlem"
It's not very strange for someone from the outer boroughs to have not ventured into or know Manhattan very well. If you live in the Bronx, your natural progression may be towards Westchester to shop, movies, restaurants etc. Also each borough is basically self sustaining so unless you really need to go into the city for soemthing like vital records, you may not venture there. If you live in Brooklyn, there is very little need to go into Manhattan unless you work there. I know a lot of people that really don't venture out of their borough too much and for some, Manhattan or the "city" is just a little too crowded for their taste. Also, if you are going out on dates, you may go to specific areas and never see the other areas of the city. If you go to 42nd or Midtown for movies, eats and plays, you may never get a chance to see Central Park or the Village.
Also, I thought Columbia was in Harlem also. I know that they call it Morningside Heights but for some of us NYers, it is considered Harlem.
Yes, I've heard the harlem thing about columbia too.
I am actually crazy about the young lady. So's my son. I just wondered if this was a typical experience growing up in the outer boros. I guess she'll learn a bit more about Manhattan now, because he is Mr. I Love NY.
It just jolted me - having come to NYC many years ago from totally outside the area, she appeared to know less about Manhattan geography than even I did at that age! And yes, I think her parents are careful about letting her go on subways and such, so she probably hasn't had the experiences of an earlier generation taking the subway in herself or as part of a group to do something. I guess that school trips were done via school bus - and kids don't always pay attention to where they are going.
Growing up in Queens, I, along with my friends would hang out in Manhattan as well as in all the outerboroughs. I can't even fathom how some kids would not be curious about other areas of New York City, especially Manhattan!
I was born and raised in the Bronx and it really isnt that uncommon for people not just in the Bronx but all over NYC to not leave their areas. There are plenty of people from Manhattan, Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens who would never step foot in the Bronx and vice versa. In my opinion it is all in how you are raised when I was growing up my family took frequent trips outside of New York and I had a chance to meet all kinds of people and to see that there was a world outside of the Bronx but I have many friends whose parents never took them anywhere growing up and because of that they have never left the bronx because that is all they know and that includes going to Manhattan or any other borough they feel out of their element when you grow up in an area like the Bronx and you are used to certain type of people and environment and have never been exposed to anything else you can feel very uncomfortable outside of that and therefore you never leave. Its sad but true and even though it seems strange to an outsider to someone from the Bronx its very normal.
I think this type of behavior used to be more common back in the day. I've drank with a couple of old guys in local bars in my Bronx neighborhood who admit not having been down to Manhattan in several years (even though it is only a 30 minute train ride away).
I was raised in Queens, now live in Brooklyn. As a child, we didn't go into Manhattan very much. My father owned his own drugstore in Queens and worked long hours; my mom was a stay-at-home mom. Once in a while, sure, we'd go into the city on the weekend to a museum or to the planetarium, but as a child, I just held my parents' hands - I wasn't taking notes on the directions!
As an adult, I went to grad school at NYU, so I know the Village, and then I worked in midtown, so I know midtown. Now I'm just in Brooklyn, and I go into Manhattan mainly for an occasional Broadway show or lunch with a friend.
I was never one to travel all over Manhattan or go clubbing or anything, so no, I'm still not familiar with many parts of Manhattan to this day.
The same is true in other places, though. When I was in college, I did my junior year in London. I started dating a guy there who ended up getting his own place in one of the suburbs, about an hour outside of London. The following summer I stayed with him at his house. I remember chatting with a neighbor family, and finding out they almost NEVER went to London. They'd lived in this suburb all their lives, and been to London only a handful of times.
For an outer-borough or suburban resident who doesn't work in Manhattan - there's really no reason to go there, except to visit those places that only exist in Manhattan like museums and shows, or to attend an event like a concert or game at MSG.
Plus transportation, whether by subway or car, is a major hassle and takes a long time, especially from further out.
All of life's necessities and as well as shopping/dining/recreation/entertainment options are available closer to home.
We've been in Brooklyn for close to two years and find ourselves going to "the city" less and less. It just takes too long to get there and back.
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