---

36 Hours below 59^th Street, Manhattan

By: Michelle Chen Dec. 5, 2016

In amidst of the well-known city of New York, lies between the unknown Seward Park and Greenarce Park.

View of Seward Park playground during the afternoon. Photographed by Yuka Yoneda

 

Thirty six hours is not enough time to explore all of New York; let alone Manhattan. However, that shouldn’t stop you from visiting the hidden sweet spots of New York City. Manhattan is immersed with neighboring cultures adjacent from each other. One of the reasons why New York City is a popular location for tourists is because the city provides different types of activities that ranges from visiting museums, relaxing in parks, shopping at the malls, and eating in restaurants that make up the typical lifestyle of a New Yorker.

LINK OF THE LOCATIONS TO VISIT ON THE MAP

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RB2w8uJPVNR1RocYA75scnTDvLo&usp=sharing

Saturday

1. STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM, 12 P.M.

Take a stroll through Seward Park and around the local area for it is not as crowded as other well-known parks. Not many visitors travel to Lower Manhattan for small parks like these but that is the major reason why you should begin with places like these. Especially right after you flew in from, you should relax and settle in before diving into the rich and congested environment of New York. Although Seward Park is not well-known compared to Central Park and Bryant Park, it is unlikely for adventurous travelers to be stuck in traffic in areas around Seward. Once you take the F to East Broadway/Delaney Street, you will be surrounded by 20-story buildings that was designed by Seward Park Cooperative. With the help of the United Housing Foundation, they were able to provide affordable housing for the locals while providing a fantastic view of the city for everyone.

2. DONUTS AT THE DOUGHNUT PLANT? , 2 P.M.

Craving for some delicious pastries? Stop by Doughnut Plant where they grow homemade doughnuts. It is located outside of Seward Park on Grand Street. The best time to go is during the afternoon. Even though it’s during rush hour, that’s when all the doughnuts comes in hot and fresh. The price ranges from $3 to $5 dollars a doughnut. Try the blackout that’s heavy in layers of chocolate. The decadent chocolate cake doughnut is filled with chocolate pudding and dipped in chocolate ganache. As the last layer, they use chocolate sprinkles to finish it off. Other doughnuts are filled with homemade jam, custards, and cream. There are other drinks such as tea and their own brand of coffee to complement their pastries. New York City is known to provide the best doughnuts and pizzas. On every other block, there’s a pizza shop that serves the New York style pizzas.

3. SOMETHING SWEET WITH YOUR SAVORY, 6 P.M.

You can’t go wrong with combining breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert all in one. Walk down to Ludlow Street to find Sweet Chick. This restaurant is an all-around American comfort food that serves their fried chicken with their fluffy waffles for $17. The $9 mac and cheese is one of the most popular items because it consist of three types of cheese: gruyere, fontina, and aged white cheddar cheese and to top it off, it has a later of Ritz cracker crust. Even though it is a little on the pricey side, it’s definitely one of the main joints to head to when looking for a combination of sweet and savory. It is the definition of American comfort food. There are other local shops and boutiques if you’re interested in buying gifts or souvenirs to take back with you.

4. ALWAYS ROOM FOR SOME FUN, 9 P.M.

Just across Ludlow Street is a hip nightclub that hosts private events. No Fun’s menu is based on Mexican and Italian cuisines. They serve duck carbonara and seasonal risotto for $14, as well as tacos and empanadas that go for $4 to $11. All drinks such as Old School Manhattan (with sweet vermouth), Whippet Rush (with whipped cream vodka), and High City Miles (with Stolichnaya gold) cost $14. No Fun is the best to place to end the night with trendy music and bar food. No Fun is the definition of an authentic and trendy New York bar that offers their take on Mexican food while providing different types of music. New York is all about that adventurous lifestyle.

SUNDAY

5. CHELSEA GALORE, 10 A.M.

What’s better than shopping for clothes at SOHO? Shopping at Chelsea Market. While most visitors walk down on Broadway and is overwhelmed by the clothing district, you can spend your valuable time at the market where most come for the diversity of food shops. You can take the F train once again to 14 Street Station and walk three blocks up West to 9^th Avenue. You can shop at Amy’s Bread, hang out at Bar Truman, or dine in at Creamline. The Chelsea Market is known to have diverse events and shopping spaces and tend to vary every week. New Yorkers are those type of people who are always on the move because they’re so busy. Watch out for those long lines and go before 10 AM.

A small area of the High Line on 23rd Street. Photographed by Robert Wright.

6. ON A HIGH DATE, 2 P.M.

Walk a block more where the High Line is. It’s the perfect place to take your date out. The High Line is park that runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34^th Street. One of the spots on the High Line is the Falcone Flyover that’s covered with luscious plants like big leaf magnolia and berry trees. As the holidays come, there are holiday concerts in the neighborhood. Activities such as caroling and a special tree lighting ceremony are just the few to name. Because New York can be overwhelming, places like the High Line are established to get away from the loud and congested environment. For a change of pace, visit the High Line to experience a whole new realm of what New York has to offer.

7. FASHION IS THE NEW BLACK, 4 P.M.

If you’re still looking for more activities, head over to the Museum at FIT. As one of the select few of that specializes in fashion, it is one of the popular exhibits. One of the reasons why it is popular is because it is free of admission. As fashion plays a huge role in New York City, shopping and current trends is what New Yorkers look up upon. As I mentioned earlier, SOHO is overpopulated with tourists but if you don’t mind the pushing and shoving, head over there to get your fashion on. Times Square is another popular location and is the perfect area to take your Instagram pictures.

A sea of Korean food from egg rolls to sweet and sour tofu and chicken to delicious stir fry noodles. Photographed by Michelle Chen.

8. KOREA TOWN, 8 P.M.

Even though Korea Town only takes up one full block, it has many fun activities such as going into The Maze where you can complete puzzles with friends and family. You can take the 2 or 3 train to 34 Street Penn Station and walk to 6^th Avenue to try out Korean Food. For $6 per pound, Woorijip gives a variety of different Korean foods such as kimchi pancakes, bibimdop, kimbap, and more. One of the great things about New York City is not only its diversity of people, but also the different types of food cultural backgrounds have to offer. If you’re looking to let loose, go to one of the karaoke bars to sing and drink all night long. As you probably heard before, New York City is the city that never sleeps.

MONDAY

9. DETOUR ON ART, 11 A.M.

Moving deeper into the center of the busy lifestyle of New York, the Museum of Modern Art is one of many activities that one would spend in New York City. Photography and art is significant in today’s culture. Admissions for adults is $25 and children are free from admission. Many school trips are held at Museum of Modem Art because it provides a rich-learning environment about the culture in New York City. While some take on photography as a hobby, many consider it a career. Ever heard of Humans of New York? Humans of New York is a series of photographs that has a story behind each and every one of them. It is a website that encourages people to reveal their story and their background. Humans of New York means just that; experiences of all types of people of New York. This is one of the many ways that shown how much New York and its diversity has grown. Coming together as a community and as a city makes New York City one of the best places to not only visit in, but to live in.

The 25 feet waterfall in the middle of Greenarce Park. Photographed by Michelle Chen.

10. RAINFOREST IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY? 2 P.M.

I like to end where I started. Moving up to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is another no so well known park called Greenarce Park. Not only is it free of charge, but it is the most relaxing and rejuvenating spot you can find in Manhattan.The beautiful waterfall is the main attraction of the small park. It helps eliminate all noise pollution and isolates you into a rain forest type of environment. There’s also a small food both called Food Bella that sells the freshest lemonade. For the last few hours of your stay, why don’t you spend it in a relaxing park? Where else will you find a 25 feet tall waterfall in the heart of New York City?

Lodging

Manhattan is a rich lifestyle to maintain and to keep up but that shouldn’t stop you from resting in a relaxing hotel. Make reservations in the Holiday Inn at Midtown for $125 or less. It’s located in the middle of Manhattan and has all the available trains and buses to get to all of the destinations.

Are you with friends or family? Children perhaps? Make reservations at Hotel Pennsylvania for prices that go as high as $90. They provide It’s located between W 32^nd Street and W 33^rd Street. Hotel Penn is also close to majority of the trains such as the B, D, F, M, N, R, and W trains. If you’re looking to stay in, Hotel Penn also provides free facilities such as a fitness center, as well as amenities you can think of.

References

Hello, World! (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://nofun-nyc.com/

Holiday Inn. (2016). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/reservation

Humans of New York. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

MENU – Doughnut Plant | Est. 1994. (2016). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://doughnutplant.com/

Midtown NYC Hotel | Hotel Pennsylvania. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from https://www.hotelpenn.com/

Museum | Fashion Institute of Technology. (2016). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/

Museum of Modern Art | MoMA. (2016). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from https://www.moma.org/

1. (2016). Greenacre Park. Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.sasaki.com/project/111/greenacre-park/

Superfame, H. (n.d.). Chelsea Market. Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://chelseamarket.com/

Sweetchick NYC. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://sweetchick.com/

The High Line | Friends of the High Line. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.thehighline.org/

The History of Seward Park Cooperative. (2010). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.sewardparkcoop.com/spc_history.html

Welcome to Woorijip Korean Restaurant! (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://woorijipnyc.com/