Mailman's Orientation: Unwinding in NYC
As a native Texan, moving to New York City was a big change for me. I was eager to explore the city, but making sure I balanced the demands of being a graduate student was also important to me. After one year here, I've learned to balance grad school with enjoying New York City, both of which at times can feel overwhelming. When I moved into Washington Heights, I quickly learned the value of the nearby A train and student ID, both of which connect Mailman to the rest of the city. I also learned that getting lost in the city is never really being lost. Not knowing your way can sometimes lead to interesting experiences, if you are open to adventure. The list of places below includes some of my favorite spots where I spent time by myself and with loved ones during the past year as I made my way around town to take a few breaks from school and get to know my new home.
ART & CULTURE
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street (Meatpacking
The balcony of the Whitney overlooks lower terraces of the museum, the High Line, and the West Village, with the Empire State Building in the distance. (Photo by MT)
In a move that distinguishes the innovative museum from its relatively stuffy older siblings on the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile, The Whitney Museum of American Art relocated in May 2015 to a new building in the Meatpacking District downtown. Designed by self-proclaimed “bad boy” and renowned architect, Renzo Piano, the new Whitney features a warehouse aesthetic with open space at its street-level entrance that invites visitors to gather outside before being ushered in. The museum’s wide spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies and terraces--complete with benches and seating areas--invite visitors to take in unobstructed views of the Hudson River, the High Line, and the West Village. The Whitney does not contribute to museum fatigue or the fear-of-missing out (FOMO) anxiety other museums may induce. On Fridays from 7-10pm, admission is pay-what-you-wish. It’s worth it to get there a little bit early on Fridays to avoid the usual $18 entrance fee for students. While the museum building itself is a work of art, the modern and contemporary art on display within transports viewers through many versions and reflections of America.
From CUMC campus: A/C/1 to 14th street
Cake Shop (Free Comedy Show Tuesdays 8pm)
152 Ludlow (LES)
Front window of Cake Shop (Photo by MT)
Cake Shop is a one-stop-shop for Lower East Side fun. Part bakery, coffee shop, full dive bar, music and comedy venue, the hodgepodge is worth the downtown trek from the CUMC campus for an entertaining night out. Indie bands are frequently on the line up (past alums include punk/psychedelic pop sister duo Bleached, and indie pop rock band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart). Come for the cheap drinks or cake, but stay for the weekly free comedy show, which happens every Tuesday at 8pm. The roster features a bevy of comics for the venue’s diverse audience and even features occasional surprise visits from superstars like Louis C.K, Hannibal Buress, and Ilana Glazer. The eclectic ambience of Cake Shop, with its dimness, strings of fairy lights, framed wall art and basement stage, makes it feel like an intimate house party in the middle of the Lower East Side’s hustle and bustle.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown A train to West 4th, transfer to downtown F/M to Delancey Street
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
10 Lincoln Center Plaza
The Revson Fountain on Lincoln Center Plaza is a good spot to sit and relax any time, even if you didn’t come to attend a show. (Photo by MT)
In the classroom during the day, at a world class performance at night—just because we’re on a graduate student budget doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the cultural offerings of New York City. For music, theatre, dance, opera and film featured at Lincoln Center, our student ID is a gateway to discounted tickets. The Lincoln Center Student Guide provides information on how to take advantage of your student ID, with some tickets up to half-off regular price. For those under age 26, the NYC Philharmonic hosts Free Fridays, with ticket giveaways on the preceding Monday. The New York City Ballet features a $29-for-29 ticket program, with day-of tickets priced at $29 for patrons under the age of 29. Past performances are sometimes followed by post-show parties with drinks and music to promote the ballet’s annual Art Series. Regardless of the season or your interests, the Lincoln Center has something to offer every artistic palette. After a stress-reducing show, sit next to the Revson Fountain on Lincoln Center Plaza to relax, or on the illumination lawn of Hypar Pavilion situated on top of a glass-wall restaurant next to a reflection pool.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown 1 train to 66 Street - Lincoln Center
PLACES TO UNWIND
Highbridge Park
W. 155 St and Dyckman St., Edgecombe Ave. & Amsterdam Ave. (Washington Heights)
The High Bridge, which connects upper Manhattan to the Bronx, is a scenic walkway and bike path suspended over the Harlem River. (Photo by MT)
Uptown’s own high line connecting Manhattan and the Bronx, now known as Highbridge Park was renovated and reopened in June 2015 to offer recreation and respite, after being closed for more than 40 years. With construction dating back to 1867, visitors today can stroll or bike across the bridge suspended nearly 140 feet over the Harlem River. The park is only a few blocks away from campus, and it is complete with miles of greenway biking and walking trails, playgrounds, barbeque pits, basketball and volleyball courts and numerous natural vistas, such as cliffs and rock outcroppings.
From CUMC campus: Walk along 168th about 3 blocks east past Broadway until you hit Edgecombe Avenue, where Highbridge Park begins
Fort Tryon Park
West 192nd Street to Dyckman Street, between Riverside Drive and Broadway (Washington Heights/Inwood)
Perched atop the Heights, Fort Tryon Park is the place to go to escape the demands of urban living. Containing one of the city’s highest points, Fort Tryon Park is situated to provide views of the Hudson River and lower Hudson valley, the New Jersey Palisades, and the George Washington Bridge along its walking and biking trails. Besides the lush natural beauty, Fort Tryon Park also houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters, which has around 5,000 works of medieval art in a reconstructed monastery. This uptown getaway is an ideal alternative to unwind in nature and among art, away from the mania of Museum Mile or Central Park.
From the CUMC campus: Take uptown M4 bus to Fort Washington Ave./Cabrini Blvd.
Gantry Plaza State Park
4-09 47th Road (Long Island City)
A portion of the view of the Manhattan skyline at night, across the East River from Gantry Park in Long Island City, Queens. (Photo by MT)
It’s sometimes better to enjoy Manhattan from the outside. Cross over to Long Island City in Queens to visit Gantry Plaza State Park (or just “Gantry Park”) and to take in an unobstructed panoramic of the Manhattan skyline. You’ll see Times Square, the Empire State Building and the United Nations Headquarters, all while standing on an urban waterfront park path situated alongside the East River. Gantry Park has beautifully manicured gardens next to piers, wide grassy areas for picnicking, plenty of benches, sidewalks and recreational areas for playgrounds, basketball, handball, and fishing. With Manhattan as a backdrop along the water, you can make an entire day out of visiting Gantry Park. It is also near MoMA PS1 and plenty of good restaurants and bars in Long Island City.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown A train to 42nd Street Port Authority, transfer to the 7 train towards Flushing, get off at Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave. (about 40 minutes)
NIGHT LIFE
Uptown
Kazza Wine Bar
708 W 177th (Washington Heights)
Image from yelp.com
A riff on the word casa, Kazza is a Washington Heights locale that provides a homey haven for those seeking a spot to wind down over a wine glass. Kazza’s owners emphasized their mission was to deliver a new spot in the neighborhood where patrons can come relax and have a conversation with friends, providing a welcome alternative to other bars in this area that typically feature a more rambunctious environment. Kazza offers over 25 wines from across the world, craft beer, sangria, a few cocktails and small bites at graduate student friendly prices, including a generous happy hour.
From CUMCcampus: Walk to West 177th and Broadway
The Draft House
3473 Broadway (Hamilton Heights)
Image from harlembespoke.blogspot.com
Hamilton Heights, the neighborhood just below the CUMC campus, has witnessed a boom in new night spots in recent months. One of the additions to this area, the Draft House is a bar and restaurant that provides a cozy and spacious venue to gather. With plenty of table and bar seating, a lack of distracting televisions, a pizza oven, and friendly bartenders and waiters, the Draft House is the perfect neighborhood watering hole, complete with an expansive list of beers and wines, which you can sample before ordering. If your visit coincides with good weather, the large front windows will be open for an aire libre dining/drinking experience.
From CUMC campus: Walk (or downtown M4 bus) to 142nd Street and Broadway or take the Downtown 1 to 145th Street
Elsewhere
Ace Hotel lobby
20 W. 29th Street (Midtown)
The Ace Hotel Lobby has plenty of seating at tables and on sofas in a comfortable communal living room environment to provide for an ideal spot to gather, work, read, or people watch. (Photo by MT)
A few nights’ stay at the Ace Hotel may be out of range for the average graduate student’s budget, but its lobby is open to the public. Ace Hotel New York is located in a bustling midtown area, but don’t let the hectic neighborhood dissuade you from visiting. The Ace Hotel lobby is an urban Americana living room that lends itself to lounging, socializing, or getting work done. Coffee bar in the front, beer and spirits bar in the back, comfy couches, armchairs and tables spread throughout the middle, and free Wi-Fi throughout make this the ideal spot to gather with friends, or come alone with a book and do some people-watching. In the evenings, local DJs spin tunes, and on Sundays and some other days, there’s a live band.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown 1 train to 28th street; or downtown A train to 42nd Street Port Authority and transfer to R train (Bay Ridge-95 St. bound) to 28th Street. (about 35 minutes)
Revision Lounge & Gallery
219 Avenue B (East Village)
Bar/lounge/dance spot furnished and decorated with repurposed trash
You’ll be dancing with a purpose as a patron of Revision Lounge & Gallery. It’s a bar that also doubles as an interactive art gallery featuring repurposed trash. Everything at Revision, from the lounge chairs to the DJ booth to the lights and the bar itself, was constructed from upcycled trash and used in its repurposed form. In addition to Revision’s environmentally friendly aesthetic, the venue also boasts one of the city’s best comedy/open mic nights according to Village Voice, and infectious dance music on weekend nights. Put this on your list for an East Village outing so you don’t have to spend the night wandering up and down St. Mark’s Place.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown A train to 14th Street, transfer to the L towards Canarsie, get off at 1st Ave.
Brooklyn Bowl Train (with DJ Questlove)
61 Wythe Avenue (Williamsburg)
Most Thursdays 11:30pm
Image from instagram.com/leiabeth33
Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl is a bowling alley, music venue, and restaurant. The large former ironworks building dating back to the 1880s now houses 16 bowling lanes and a 600-person capacity music hall. It is a fancier bowling alley, so admission prices for bowling are a bit steep; if you are looking to just go bowling, The Gutter right around the corner features old-school straightforward bowling at $7 per game. At Brooklyn Bowl, there is a show almost nightly, but what makes the Bowl special is DJ Questlove’s weekly residence for Bowl Train. Every Thursday night, American music legend, writer, and thinker Questlove dishes up groovy tunes beneath a disco ball while clips of Soul Train play on loop, projected onto the walls for throwback dance move inspiration. Put on your dancing shoes because Questlove spins from his vinyl collection of more than 50,000 records featuring hip hop, house, ‘80s music and a mix of everything else, so you will always be in for a surprise and a great time in a funky atmosphere.
BOOK STORES
The Strand
828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (Union Square)
The Strand is a must-visit store for any bookworm. With “18 miles of books” and carrying around 2.5 million used, new, and rare books, this behemoth bookstore is a place any bibliophile can spend hours in, browsing and getting lost in the stacks. The Strand reflects a rich literary history, dating back to 1927 when it was just a modest store on Fourth Avenue started with $300 and named after a street in London where writers such as Thackeray, Dickens, and Mill congregated alongside book publishers. Today, The Strand is a landmark near Union Square, and still runs as a family-owned independent bookstore. It’s not just a place to purchase books and items about books (like this “Reading Right Meow” mug) but also a place to discuss books—the employees are deeply knowledgeable and can give suggestions, and the store frequently hosts author readings and discussions.
From the CUMC campus: Downtown A train to 14th street, transfer to the L to Union Square
Word Up Community Bookshop
2113 Amsterdam (Washington Heights)
A peek inside Word Up Community Bookshop, where walls are lined with shelves of new and used books of all subject matters, in English and Spanish (Photo by MT)
Word Up Community Bookshop in Washington Heights is a neighborhood treasure and unique venue for lovers of all things literary. The shop is 100% run by volunteer power, and supported by uptown arts alliances and other community-based agencies. Not only is this a multilingual book store with a wide Spanish language collection, it is also a gathering space for workshops, open mic nights, author readings, poetry slams, and book club meetings. Almost at least once a week, there is some sort of event happening at Word Up that is usually conceived by community members who want to share their passions and knowledge with others. With humbly priced new and used books, you are sure to walk out with a book that has been on your ever-growing reading list, or stumble upon a new one.
From the CUMC campus: Walk to 165th Street and Amsterdam Ave.
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