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My complaint is old as the hills. I tried pitching them so many ideas to come to the Bronx as might have just considered being an infomercial sales men. I told them about Wave Hill, Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, I told them we can do a nice jog or play soccer (which they enjoy) in Van Courtland or Pelham Bay, I even pitched the idea of going to City Island to have one of the best sea foods in all of NYC. I even invited to some slamming parties in Fordham University but its a no go.
They all of a sudden baseball fans and are behind the Yankee's but they won't even go to the new Yankee Stadium!! Its like the Green Egg and Hams story.
I attended Fordham so I know the Bronx pretty well. The irony is that I took nearly every out of town guest on my "Bronx Tour". IRT #4 to view the ruins (yes I am dating myself), disembark and walk down Fordham Road taking in the chaos, loop through Fordham U/Gardens, and then finish with food on Arthur Avenue.
Without exception, every friend, whether American or European, loved it. Friend from Spain loved the Poe Cottage.
I might be the minority here, although I love going to different places its mostly by driving. I use mass transit only for my commute. I lived in NYC for 15-16 years (I was born here too) and just last month I went to Downtown Brooklyn for the first time, I really liked it, we drove there, I saw the Lower Manhattan skyline as well as the Jersey City skyline.
I find driving to be more convenient than mass transit, maybe because I live in Suburban Queens and mass transit is only a slow city bus or the Long Island Railroad, I find the LIRR to be far more convenient than the Subway (the LIRR is far closer and far faster) but I agree with you on everything else, NYC has so much to offer, even as a Native NYCer NYC never ceases to amaze me, I even take pictures sometimes. Call me a tourist but I was in awe when I saw Times Square for the first time in Summer 2008. There's so much places in NYC I haven't been but there's so many places in NYC I have been. I'd like to visit every NYC neighborhood before I move.
Alone? Perish the thought! I've been an urban explorer for quite a while now. And I've never confined my wanderings to Brooklyn (although you got me: I do have a preference for my home borough!)
Years before I started working for MTA, I used subways and buses to take sightseeing tours of the city. I don't understand why they're not promoted this way.
Alone? Perish the thought! I've been an urban explorer for quite a while now. And I've never confined my wanderings to Brooklyn (although you got me: I do have a preference for my home borough!)
Years before I started working for MTA, I used subways and buses to take sightseeing tours of the city. I don't understand why they're not promoted this way.
I do the same when I have a weekday off. It's probably one of the cheapest hobbies you can have and it's really fun.
I know people from Long Island who will come to "the city" for a show and drive in, park in a parking garage, take a taxi to the theatre, see the show, take a taxi back to the parking garage, and drive home.
They would never consider walking around a bit, seeing the sights or anything like that. "The city is just sooo dangerous"... "we might get mugged" or some other asinine statement like that. It's really annoying.
I agree that it is a fun and affordable hobby. We have explored just about every corner of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island in the last three years, some big chunks of Long Island and most of Westchester. (Why restrict ourselves to the city?). Our Bronx exploration so far is limited to parts of Riverdale, but the "Real Little Italy" around Arthur Ave. is next on the list. We use the car or mass transit, whichever is more convenient.
I also agree that most people stick way too close to home. Natives tend to stick to their own neighborhoods and transplants seem to be wary of straying far from Manhattan or the well-known places like Williamsburg.
It's interesting sometimes to experience people's reactions, like when our homebody Brooklyn-born neighbors are surprised when we say we're going to Queens for a hamburger or Chinese food. This past 4th of July, we were on a dinner cruise out of Sheepshead Bay and met a couple of young women who were also from Upstate and lived in Manhattan for a couple of years. Their trip to Sheepshead Bay was their longest foray out of Manhattan and they were amazed at seeing such a vibrant waterfront community. They were expecting some kind of boring and/or desolate place.
Fred, I'm with you on the sightseeing aspect of city buses. However, my wife is an operations manager at a tour company. I even help out occasionally on some of their guided tours on weekends (mostly just for fun), so I'm somewhat aware of how to entertain tourists. The issue is that city buses do not have a tour guide. A big part of the fun for tourists is listening to a knowledgeable guide who is entertaining and insightful. City buses run routes through interesting parts of the city, but do not provide the "whole package". I suppose a somewhat knowledgeable, self-directed tourist might like a city bus, but most tourists just want to be entertained.
A big part of the fun for tourists is listening to a knowledgeable guide who is entertaining and insightful. City buses run routes through interesting parts of the city, but do not provide the "whole package". I suppose a somewhat knowledgeable, self-directed tourist might like a city bus, but most tourists just want to be entertained.
Agreed!
And this reminds me of the one opportunity I had to be a tour guide on the subway. I was working the N line that day, and I was having trouble with the train's PA system. So I radioed for help, and someone met my train at DeKalb Avenue. He said that he wanted to test the system, and could I possibly keep up a little running commentary.
Believe me, that wasn't a request I needed to have repeated! As my train crossed into Manhattan via the bridge, I did a whole guided tour of the harbor. I'm sure the passengers on that train never expected anything like that. (Ordinarily, MTA frowns upon ad-libbing. But this was an official request in the name of making repairs, and so of course I had to comply. )
I agree that it is a fun and affordable hobby. We have explored just about every corner of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island in the last three years, some big chunks of Long Island and most of Westchester. (Why restrict ourselves to the city?). Our Bronx exploration so far is limited to parts of Riverdale, but the "Real Little Italy" around Arthur Ave. is next on the list.
Arthur Avenue has AWESOME food but I also highly suggest you check out the Little Italy in Morris Park too. Its a lot nicer and there are some great bakeries and restaurants you might want to check out. Its also not too far away, trust me make the voyage to both Little Italys.
Its funny that no one knows there' two Little Italy's in the Bronx!
I might be the minority here, although I love going to different places its mostly by driving. I use mass transit only for my commute. I lived in NYC for 15-16 years (I was born here too) and just last month I went to Downtown Brooklyn for the first time, I really liked it, we drove there, I saw the Lower Manhattan skyline as well as the Jersey City skyline.
I find driving to be more convenient than mass transit, maybe because I live in Suburban Queens and mass transit is only a slow city bus or the Long Island Railroad, I find the LIRR to be far more convenient than the Subway (the LIRR is far closer and far faster) but I agree with you on everything else, NYC has so much to offer, even as a Native NYCer NYC never ceases to amaze me, I even take pictures sometimes. Call me a tourist but I was in awe when I saw Times Square for the first time in Summer 2008. There's so much places in NYC I haven't been but there's so many places in NYC I have been. I'd like to visit every NYC neighborhood before I move.
hold up im confused. You lived in new york for 15 years and never seen times square
hold up im confused. You lived in new york for 15 years and never seen times square
Lol my first time seeing it was in Summer 2008.
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