Travel in New York
6 février 2015 § 2 Commentaires
I had the opportunity to spend few days in New York this January. This was not the best period according to my city guide but I like snow and cold weather does not scare me. On my first day, I woke up very early and walked among busy workers on Lexington Avenue. The first impression I immediately had was that New York is a vibrant and dynamic city. I visited all the must see places for first time travelers : the museums, walk in Central Park and go at the top of the Empire State building. For the view, the ideal conditions would be to visit it on a sunny day, just before sunset, for having a clear view of the skyline. 
My favorites museums were MoMa PS1, located in Long Island City and the New Museum of Contemporary Art on Bowery. The building of Moma PS1 is spacious and there is a good restaurant inside. It is only one subway station from Manhattan and it is worth the trip. The New Museum’s building was designed by the japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa and has opened in 2007. It was a challenge to open in this area which used to be « gritty », but the arrival of the museum has brought many art galleries in the neighbourhood. I was lucky to be at the time when the exposition « Night and Day » by the british artist Chris Ofili was held. Their gift shop has a nice selection of books and various original items. 
Concerning food: I was afraid to not appreciate it because I often heard that the diet in the US was mostly junk food and heavy. But I was surprised to see that many restaurants were using local ingredients, and alternatives for vegetarian, gluten and dairy free products were proposed on the menus. I enjoyed drinking my latte with Almond milk in the different cafés I visited. I wish in France too almond milk would become widespread and proposed everywhere. For my sugar cravings, I realised that all my previous misconceptions about American pastry were wrong. Donughts are definitely not a bad treat if they are well prepared. I also had the best cookie, and trust me I have eaten enough in my life for claiming it! For burgers, I envy New Yorkers so much for having Shake Shack, a chain which offers very good quality burgers. 
I also had time to explore Brooklyn and Queens. These two parts of New York are very easily reached by subway, and are definitely not to be missed. I even found that these areas were still preserved, and have kept their authenticity. Williamsburg is full of incredible bars, cafes, restaurants and shops, but Bedford Stuyvesant and other parts of Brooklyn are becoming interesting too. I appreciated the human size neighbourhood like Park Slope and the Chinatown, located in the south of Brooklyn.
The best way to enjoy New York is by foot. You can see how contrasting it can be from a block to another one. My favorite areas in Manhattan were Chelsea, Soho, Nolita and Chinatown. 
I would recommend to have a look at the book « New York vs Paris » by Vahram Muratyan (I discovered his illustrations while reading the « M Magazine ») and watch the movie « Manhattan » by Woodie Allen for preparing your trip in the Big Apple. I also enjoyed reading the weekly « New York Magazine », where you can find the latest news about the city.
Sugarsheet 
Je vais avoir la chance de partir 18 mois sur New York, jespere bien découvrir tous les recoins de la ville. Je testerais les endroits dont tu parles qui ont l’air top !
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Contrairement à Paris, les restos ouvrent et ferment très rapidement, Doughnut Plant et Levain Bakery (les meilleurs cookies du monde) restent des valeurs sûres. Hâte de voir tes photos! 18 mois c’est vraiment génial pour visiter la ville de fond en comble 😉 Quelle chance !!
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