10 Favorite Places in New York for Walking Off the Big Apple

Over the past year I've enjoyed many occasions to visit both well-known New York attractions and several places off the beaten path. While I still have many miles to walk and many new places to discover in the course of my urban walking life, I have built up a repertory of places that I like to revisit over and over again. Sometimes, when I'm out on a walk, the kind with no predetermined ending or set path, I'll sometimes find myself drawn back to places that have resonated with me before. It's a little like comfort food, warm pumpkin cupcakes, for example, or the longing, at the end of a long vacation, to curl up on one's own bed. I like to wander out of my comfort zone much of the time, but when I feel like I need to reconnect with the city, the following places are where I feel like I can come home.

This blog is titled "Walking Off the Big Apple" for several reasons. One meaning has to do with burning calories (walking off the BIG apple, walking off the big pizza, walking off the pastrami sandwich, etc.), but another has to do with the sense of having "to walk something off," meaning to work through an issue or problem as a way of getting rid of frustration or anger. New York life can stress me out. I get wound tight. My personal solution, I have come to discover, is to walk off New York.

The following list of places is not a "Best of" list, as I often find those types of ubiquitous lists somewhat impertinent and editorially condescending, but simply the places I like and would like to share with friends.

• Commerce Street. The gentle curve of this street in the West Village, very near St. Luke's Place that I described recently, strikes me as one of the most romantic blocks in lower Manhattan. Whenever I walk down along Bedford St. and happen to look over and see the awning of the Cherry Lane Theatre tucked away on Commerce Street and the lamposts that sit at the bend of the curve nearby, my feet take me there uncontrollably, as if a hidden force pulls me to a reckoning with my deepest urban fantasies.

• The Renwick Ruins. Of all the walks in recent months, the one to Roosevelt Island was the most akin to the Situationist notion of "derive," which I promise to discuss soon, because I just jumped on the tram impulsively and went there. Walking south on the island, I came upon the majestic ruin of the old smallpox hospital. Designed by James Renwick, the architect for St. Patrick's Cathedral, the decay of Gothic ruined arches fired my imagination. Roosevelt Island is the new Paris.

• The Pond in Central Park near 59th and Fifth Avenue affords the necessary escape from the man-made glories of Manhattan, even with the Plaza Hotel and Grand Army Plaza nearby. The Pond is sublime in all seasons. Central Park will always be important for me, because it's where I got in touch with my deeper self as flâneuse.

• The Cloisters. This quick escape to medieval Europe via the A train has always functioned as a my in-town getaway. I think for many residents of the Middle Ages, except for the ordeals known as pilgrimages and the Crusades, a staycation (Succurro solvo mihi ex incompertus lacuna) was pretty much all that was expected in terms of family getaways. One Sunday morning, when I visited this Met Museum-affiliated special collection and enjoyed the room of the Unicorn Tapestries all to myself, I felt transcended and inspired. See the special page on The Cloisters.

• The Irish Hunger Memorial. When I walk along Battery Park, this unobtrusive memorial to the potato famine never fails to move me. A sod-bearing humble structure that features plantings on top that evoke the Irish countryside and haunting spoken words and etched sayings along the walls of the corridor underneath, the memorial fully engages empathy and awareness. Looking over my posts from the past year, I see the Irish everywhere - John Butler Yeats, for example. And who doesn't love a good fairytale?

• The Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Sometimes, I just need to get out of Manhattan and get some perspective. Even from Greenwich Village, I find I can fully walk off the Big Apple by walking down Broadway, cross over the Brooklyn Bridge, and then find my way to any street in Brooklyn Heights that takes me to the Promenade. Once there, I can walk up and down next to the riverfront and look back on Manhattan and get a grip on any sort of downturn. Much of the time, however, I end up having fun in Brooklyn, especially in the beautiful Heights.

• Duane Park. I described this sweet little green oasis in Tribeca as a movie set, but it gets under my skin. I like the whole streetscape of Duane Street, with human-scale buildings, the Duane Park Patisserie, the understated luxury, especially knowing it was once just a funky old New York street on the Lower West Side. The residents keep up the park in a nice way, so it's a good model for the small-scale gardening one can do at home.

• The Morgan Library and Museum. Sometimes, I need to engage in imaginary conversations with the Robbers Barons that defined the appalling discrepancy between the rich and the poor in New York. When I can't converse with Junior, I like to visit J. P. Morgan in his library and office and talk to him about working conditions, the House of Morgan, and also his fine Renaissance art collection. More than that, however, I am a girl in love with manuscripts of all sorts, so the Morgan, nicely modernized by Renzo Piano, makes me happy. The gift shop also solves a lot of issues at gift-giving time. I need to describe the museum more fully in a future post. This is the place where I saw Van Gogh's letters.

• City Hall Park and fountain. Whenever I'm walking down Broadway, eyes on the Woolworth Building up ahead, I'm happy to anticipate sitting for awhile on a bench near the fountain in City Hall Park. The ornate gas-lit lamps and fountain, especially at dusk and in autumn, bring out many Gothic ghosts strolling along the old city. It was while sitting near the fountain one day that I realized that I could differentiate visitors from residents by figuring out which ones like to photograph squirrels. Bonus: Squirrel film festival.

• Washington Square Park. There's no place like home, even when it's undergoing extreme makeover. Too hot outside? Take comfort here.

Images: Commerce Street in the West Village, The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan, and City Hall Park and fountain in Lower Manhattan. Walking Off the Big Apple.

Coming soon: more "10 Favorite" lists for casual dining, favorite photo images, and buildings. Importantly, the meaning of my experience discovering New York this past year could not have been possible without the extraordinary behind-the-scenes correspondence with many readers and fellow New York bloggers. Thank you so much.

Comments

25 Things To Do Near the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

(updated 2016) The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 W. 53rd Street is near many other New York City attractions, so before or after a trip to the museum, a short walk in any direction could easily take in additional experiences. Drawing a square on a map with the museum at the center, a shape bounded by 58th Street to the north and 48th Street to the south, with 7th Avenue to the west and Park Avenue to the east, proves the point of the area's cultural richness. (A map follows the list below.) While well-known sightseeing stops fall with these boundaries, most notably Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the great swath of famous Fifth Avenue stores, cultural visitors may also want to check out places such as the Austrian Cultural Forum, the 57th Street galleries, the Onassis Cultural Center, and the Municipal Art Society. The image above shows an intriguing glimpse of the tops of two Beaux-Arts buildings through an opening of the wall inside MoMA's scu

25 Things to Do Near the American Museum of Natural History

After visiting the American Museum of Natural History, explore attractions on the Upper West Side or in Central Park. Visitors to New York often run around from one major tourist site to the next, sometimes from one side of the city to the other, and in the process, exhaust themselves thoroughly. Ambitious itineraries often include something like coffee in the Village in the morning, lunch near MoMA, a couple of hours in the museum, a ride on the Staten Island Ferry in the afternoon, cocktails at the midtown hotel, a quick dinner, and then a Broadway show. It's a wonder people don't pass out at the theater. While sitting on the steps of the American Museum of History, consider exploring the Upper West Side and nearby sites of interest in Central Park. There's a better way to plan a New York trip. Consider grouping attractions together geographically. Several posts on this site address this recommended approach. The Wild West of the Tecumseh Playground Groupin

25 Things to Do Near the Metropolitan Museum of Art

(updated) Sitting on the steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of those iconic things to do in New York City. On a sunny day, the wide steps can become crowded with the young and old, the tourist and the resident. It's tempting to stay awhile and soak in the sun and the sights. Everyone has reasons for lingering there, with one being the shared pleasure of people watching along this expansive stretch of Fifth Avenue, a painting come to life. Certainly, just getting off one's feet for a moment is welcome, especially if the previous hours involved walking through the entirety of art history from prehistoric to the contemporary. The entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be a singular pilgrimage, uninterrupted by feeble attempts to take in more exhibitions along Museum Mile. Pity the poor visitor who tries "to do" multiple museum exhibitions in one day, albeit ambitious, noble, and uplift

Museums in New York Open on Mondays

Please see this post for current announcements of reopenings . Please consult the museum websites for changes in days and hours. UPDATED September 23, 2020 Advance tickets required for many museum reopenings. Please check museum websites for details. • The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) reopened to the public on August 27 , with new hours for the first month, through September 27: from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday to the public; and from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Mondays for MoMA members on ly. Admission will be free to all visitors Tuesday through Sunday, through September 27, made possible by UNIQLO. See this new post on WOTBA for a sense of the experience attending the museum . • New-York Historical Society reopened on August 14 with an outdoor exhibition, "Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine,” in the rear courtyard. The exhibit by activist Kevin Powell and photographer Kay Hickman will highlight how New Yorkers weathered the quarantine

10 Short Walks from Grand Central Terminal

(updated March 2017) Famously crowded Grand Central Terminal functions as a major crossroads for the city, hosting busy commuters as they come and go from the suburbs via the Metro-North Railroad or within the city via a few subway lines, but the terminal also happens to be a good place to launch short walks. With its south side fronting E. 42nd Street and its massive structure interrupting Park Avenue, Grand Central provides quick access to many of the city's most well-known attractions. The New York Public Library and Bryant Park are only a couple of blocks away from the terminal, a quick jaunt on 42nd Street. And from there, Times Square is just another block or two farther west of the library, its neon shimmering in the distance. One wonders, standing near the intersection of 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, how many souls have been lured away from their well-meaning library studies by the beckoning lights of the Theater District. Grand Central Terminal : Before setting

The High Line and Chelsea Market: A Good Pairing for a Walk

(revised 2017) The advent of spring, with its signs of growth and rebirth, is apparent both on the High Line , where volunteers are cutting away the old growth to reveal fresh blooms, and inside the Chelsea Market, where new tenants are revitalizing the space. A walk to take in both can become an exploration of bounty and surprise, a sensual walk of adventure and sustenance. A good pairing for a walk: The High Line and Chelsea Market Walking the High Line for a round trip from Gansevoort to W. 30th and then back again adds up to a healthy 2-mile walk. Regular walkers of the elevated park look for an excuse to go there. Especially delightful is showing off the park, a model of its kind, to visitors from out of town. A stroll through Chelsea Market. Time check. If you haven't stopped into Chelsea Market lately, you may want to take a detour from the High Line at the stairs on W. 16th St. and walk through the market for a quick assessment or a sampling. Among the sampli

14 Useful Mobile Apps for Walking New York City

Texting and walking at the same time is wrong. Talking on the phone while strolling down the street is wrong. Leaving the sidewalk to stop and consult the information on a cellphone, preferably while alone, is OK. What's on Walking Off the Big Apple's iPhone: A List Walkmeter GPS Walking Stopwatch for Fitness and Weight Loss . While out walking, Walkmeter tracks routes, time, speed, and elevation. This is an excellent app for recording improvised or impromptu strolls, especially with many unplanned detours. The GPS function maps out the actual route. The app keeps a running tally of calories burned while walking, useful for weight loss goals. Another welcome feature is the ability to switch over to other modes of activity, including cycling. An indispensable app for city walkers. $4.99 New York City Compass , designed by Francesco Bertelli, is an elegant compass calibrated for Manhattan, with indications for Uptown, East Side, Downtown, and West Side. While facing a cert

Taking a Constitutional Walk

A long time ago individuals going out for a walk, especially to get fresh air and exercise, often referred to the activity as "taking a constitutional walk." The word "constitutional" refers to one's constitution or physical makeup, so a constitutional walk was considered beneficial to one's overall wellbeing. (Or, as some would prefer to call it, "wellness.") The phrase is more common in British literature than in American letters. As early as the mid-nineteenth century, many American commentators expressed concern that their countrymen were falling into lazy and unhealthy habits. Newspaper columnists and editorial writers urged their readers to take up the practice of the "constitutional" walk. One such essay, " Walking as an Exercise," originally printed in the Philadelphia Gazette and reprinted in New England Farmer , Volume 11, 1859, urges the people of farm areas to take up walking. City dwellers seemed to have the

From Manhattan to the Bronx: A Walk Over the Henry Hudson Bridge to Henry Hudson Park

At the tiptop of Manhattan Island, Inwood Hill Park offers picturesque views of the Hudson River. For one of the best views, follow the marker at Shorakkopoch Rock (see map at the end of the post), the legendary place where Peter Minuit was said to have bought the island for 60 guilders, and follow the ridge up the slope. The path leads gently higher and higher, with views of the Salt Marsh down below and then the underside of the Henry Hudson Bridg e above. This spot along the ridge is well known among birders, as the height and the proximity to the Hudson River allow access to treetops and places where birds like to go. View of Henry Hudson Bridge from Muscota Marsh in Inwood Hill Park. Look for the path on the left that leads up and under the bridge. This post will explain how to cross the bridge on foot. Keep going around the bend and past the bridge. A few spots of open pavement at the edge of the hill provide good views of the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, a swing bridge

Visiting New York on a Monday

Mondays are OK. Let's have a look at some of the museums open Mondays - • American Museum of Natural History • Jewish Museum • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) • National Museum of the American Indian • Neue Galerie • Guggenheim Museum • South Street Seaport Museum Any of these museums could be paired with a nearby restaurant or bar, making a complete full afternoon or day in New York. Monday is especially good for a museum visit, because the crowds tend to be thinner, and restaurants, too, tend to be less busy than on a weekend. A fun museum and bistro walk on the Upper West Side would be a combination of the American Museum of Natural History and the nearby Cafe Lalo on W. 83rd St. I also would suggest a pairing of the Neue Galerie with a nearby cafe, but the two cafes inside the musuem are so good, why go anywhere else? Image above: The Guggenheim on left and Beaux-Arts townhouse on right. View from E. 88th St. by Walking Off the Big Apple.

Walking Off the Big Apple

Search This Blog