New York like a New Yorker: A second timer's guide to the Big Apple

Stay in an emerging neighbourhood

First of all, location is vital. Consider a hotel in one of Manhattan’s emerging neighbourhoods or in Brooklyn to get a different kind of flavour for the city. Instead of Midtown, book a room on the very residential Upper West Side or downtown in the culturally vibrant Lower East Side. Alternatively, check out one of Brooklyn’s diverse neighbourhoods – such as Williamsburg – where the younger set tend to live.

For Manhattan, try The Hotel Beacon, close to Zabar’s, a must-visit food emporium, and the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side; or The Hotel on Rivington, a three-minute walk to Essex Market, one of the city’s top foodie meccas.

In Brooklyn, The Wythe in Williamsburg, set in a 120-year-old factory building and across the street from Brooklyn Bowl – a bowling alley, rock venue and restaurant all rolled into one – is a hipster’s dream.

Swap chains restaurants for authentic eats

Manhattanites have small apartments. This means that residents are constantly on the hunt for great, well-priced restaurants that essentially double as their dining room (and living room).

You can get a feel for the city’s dining diversity by walking along Ninth Avenue from 50th to 42nd streets. On this eight-block stretch on the west side, you won’t find tons of chains or fast-food restaurants. Instead, pick one of the dozen or so Thai restaurants, or multiple American BBQ, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean and burger spots that are all local faves.

A standout pan-Asian, Obao, is especially hopping after work with happy hour pricing. Another go-to among the city’s in-crowd, Sake Bar Hagi is a Japanese izakaya (informal taverns) hidden on Restaurant Row that caters to a late-night crowd.

Go alternative on entertainment

As you’ve already been to the heavy-hitter shows on Broadway (think Frozen, Wicked, Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera), venture off-Broadway to a smaller venue or to one of New York City’s salon-type cabarets. Two Manhattan favourites, The Green Room 42 and 54 Below border the big Broadway theatres but offer a very different supper-club experience with close-up entertainers, many of whom are notables on the Broadway stage.

Check the schedule for the Theater District’s Birdland, one of the city’s most glamorous clubs, where jazz greats mix with Latin fusion and cabaret stars. On Monday nights, Jim Caruso’s ‘Cast Party’ is an open mic array of performers as unexpected as they are original. As most theatres close on Mondays, it’s not unusual for Broadway stars to moonlight here.

If you’re a performer yourself but don’t feel confident enough to take the stage at Birdland, you may want to schedule a night of karaoke in Manhattan’s Koreatown. Most bars are hidden in office buildings along 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, so it might take a bit of ferreting to find one for you. Each has a different vibe and theme, and some are classier than others. For something different, try Space Billiards – it’s a lounge, pool club and a karaoke bar all in one.

Discover off-trail museums and history

If the arts to you means visiting museums in Manhattan, there are smaller ones that are less crowded and every bit as fascinating. The Rubin Museum of Art, for example, is an oasis of Himalayan culture in the city’s Chelsea neighbourhood. For a purely American immersion, The National Museum of the American Indian in the gorgeous US Customs Building downtown (One Bowling Green) is educational, entertaining and unusual.

But if you’ve had enough of indoor museums, change your pace and opt for a walking tour* of Brooklyn’s gritty Bushwick neighbourhood where you’ll see some of Brooklyn’s coolest street art in living colour and in situ.

For history fans, plan to roam through the boroughs to get a fuller understanding of the city. In Staten Island, you can get a taste of old New York at Historic Richmond Town, a living historical site that tells the story of its residents from the 1700s onward, while New York City’s immigrant past is brought to life in the Tenement Museum through a series of immersive tours. Fans of Hamilton won’t want to miss Hamilton Grange, the Founding Father’s early 1800s “country home” in St. Nicholas Park, Harlem.

Don’t forget to relax

After all the touring and exploring, you might think there’s nowhere to find a calm spot in this all-day, all-night city. Locals crave their zen, too, and have some wonderful places to chill.

In Manhattan, the Conservatory Garden is an officially designated ‘Quiet Zone’ at the edge of Central Park, where flowers are diligently curated, a pergola overhangs medallions of the thirteen original states, and fountains add a serene backdrop against the traffic of Fifth Avenue.

If you’re in Brooklyn, the ever-expanding Brooklyn Bridge Park has a variety of piers, grassy areas, and benches where you can park yourself and simply gaze across the East River at the wonder that is Manhattan.

For some indoor peace, you won’t avoid the crowds at The New-York Historical Society or The New York Public Library, but the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps and the Rose Main Reading Room, respectively, will insulate you from cellphones and chatter.

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