Why should I choose New York for my year abroad?
Why the hell not? Have you seen any movies? Yellow cabs, mouth-watering hot-dogs, the Empire State building, the MoMA, SoHo, Chinatown, Central Park, Chelsea...The list of things to do, admire, smell, eat, drink and cavort with here are endless. There is literally nothing quite like it, plus you get an odd sensation of having been there before, even if it is your first time. It is like you see in the films/series, it is mad and wonderful and buzzing in some bits, tranquil and remarkably low-key in others, with a good wallop of multiculturalism thrown in for good measure. If you’re studying, you have the pick of the bunch here — whether you’re into your Darwin, Gherry or Mae West; if you’re working, well...Patience and a good attitude are key, regardless of what you’re doing.
But it’s precisely this fast-paced, constantly changing lifestyle that brings so many to New York. Founded by the Dutch in 1625, it has been a diverse nest for many ever since, now home to more than 18 million inhabitants, all speaking a variety of different languages (180 at the last count). Though the neighbourhoods do have their own character, there is an overwhelming sense of harmony felt in the city — a bit like the cultural intermingling of London, perhaps, but on a grander scale.
Because everything here is on a grander scale, but a neatly packaged one. The great thing about New York is the layout — around Central Park, you’ll find the majority of the city’s museums. Collections here are second to none; just try the Met round Fifth Avenue, in the middle of Central Park, to start off with. With over 30,000 works, you’ll have your work cut out to fit it all in one session - come back, time and time again, and stand amazed at just how much there is here. The tour guides are worth investing in, if it’s your first visit, as they’ll be able to give you a pretty concise overview. There’s also the MoMA nearby too, which has one of the richest collections of Modern Art in the world. Not to mention all the trendy and as-of-yet undiscovered art galleries popping up in Tribeca, Chelsea and SoHo, showing some fine artists and contemporary art. The International Center of Photography is most definitely worth a detour, exhibiting powerful photographic displays all year round. Plus it’s only a block away from Times Square, which is great if you’re sick of the sight of so many tourists around the area.
Sightseeing here is like taking a walk through cinematographic history. From the famous skyline best seen on Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street’s notoriety, the World Trade Centre memorial or even the Empire State Building’s magnificent views, you can openly join in the tourist trail or take some sneaky pics, on the D-Low, in your own downtime. Either way, one thing’s for sure, your mates at home will be dying with jealousy; for every typical London sight, there are at least 5 more in New York. This place really has a lot of magic and history to it. If you are after history, you should try and visit the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, for more information about the city’s origins, the very first immigrants to have made it to the Big Apple and loads more.
Regardless of which neighbourhood you choose to call home, you should at least try and visit Brooklyn and Queens, even if you’re not living there. There is a particular character to both of them, with Brooklyn having become quite gentrified over the past few years. Queens, on the other hand, is a little more rough-and-ready, though with the arrival of new shops and trendy cafés, the clientele has somewhat changed. Here, you’ll get a real feel of how multi-racial this city really is, and more times than not, you’ll be able to tuck into cheap as chips home cuisine, from all corners of the world.
Something we have to mention is...the shopping here. It will knock you back for six - whether you’re up for an afternoon/day/week in Saks on Fifth Avenue, or pop into Macy’s for those essential little brown bags. If you prefer your vintage chic clothing, sold by the pound here, there are literally hundreds of vintage shops that populate the city, from East to West, North to South. One not to miss is the flamboyant What Goes Around Comes Around, located in SoHo, for its fine flair for bygone outfits and textiles. If you’re after one of a kind pieces, take your pic in one of the many trendy boutiques sprouting up around Greenwich Village, or if your wallet can’t really take that much of a price shock, head out to Tribeca and the Meatpacking districts. Whatever your fancy, if there’s one thing you’re after, you are guaranteed to find it here, as the city is renowned for its style the world over.
The food here is to die for, as are the portions, so make sure you know what you’re getting involved with. Locals and tourists alike flock by the hundreds every day to tuck into one of Nathan’s hot dogs, found on Coney Island. Worth the trek, as well as the wait over lunchtime queues. The New York Deli sandwich is also typical and worth getting — many stands and stalls offer it up over lunchtime, so keep your eyes peeled on the streets. Our moles tell us that the Standard Grill is the best place in town at the moment, for bistro food. Here, though, you’ll find anything you fancy, and if there’s one thing New Yorkers can do better than fashion, art and culture, it’s food, so be adventurous, try out new spots, and make a note of them, as the menus keep on changing.
The nightlife here is fantastic, and with a subway service that offers 24/7 service, you don’t really have much of an excuse to not go out and paint the town every colour of the rainbow...It would be difficult to write a final list of where the best places are, as bar a few, erm, bars, most places open and close down at the drop of a hat, or the typing of a review. If you want to find the best places that tick all of the current boxes, your best bet is to get yourself a copy of Time Out magazine, and flick through the sections.
Theatres and cinemas abound, whether you’re into your mainstream hits or up for something a little more exotic. Again, it helps to buy a copy of the local Time Out, but don’t forget to check sites such as BroadwayBox.com or NYTix to get some cheap seats, at discounted prices. Playbill.com offers the latest info and interesting culture articles regarding the performing arts, so make sure you check back often to find out what the latest shows are. Any Annie fan worth their Sarah Jessica Parker will have to pay a visit to Carnegie Hall, the epitome of Broadway fame. New York being New York, the city’s film festival (October) pulls in a pretty awesome crowd, though you can catch the latest film noir saga at the Angelika Film Center or at Cinema Village, between University Place and Fifth Avenue.
You can’t help but stand agasp at the sheer amount of activities on offer here - and if you do get bored of NYC congestion, row along down the Hudson River and get to Princeton, New Jersey to check out the pretty and suburban town, home to the ubiquitous Princeton university. Or why not head out on the train to Washington DC or Philadelphia, both only a couple of hours away and with a more relaxed vibe to city life. But really, truth is, if you’re coming to New York, you’re not going to want to leave - it’s that kind of a city. So why wait, take a big chunk out of the Big Apple and experience it for yourself.
Why the hell not? Have you seen any movies? Yellow cabs, mouth-watering hot-dogs, the Empire State building, the MoMA, SoHo, Chinatown, Central Park, Chelsea...The list of things to do, admire, smell, eat, drink and cavort with here are endless. There is literally nothing quite like it, plus you get an odd sensation of having been there before, even if it is your first time. It is like you see in the films/series, it is mad and wonderful and buzzing in some bits, tranquil and remarkably low-key in others, with a good wallop of multiculturalism thrown in for good measure. If you’re studying, you have the pick of the bunch here — whether you’re into your Darwin, Gherry or Mae West; if you’re working, well...Patience and a good attitude are key, regardless of what you’re doing.
But it’s precisely this fast-paced, constantly changing lifestyle that brings so many to New York. Founded by the Dutch in 1625, it has been a diverse nest for many ever since, now home to more than 18 million inhabitants, all speaking a variety of different languages (180 at the last count). Though the neighbourhoods do have their own character, there is an overwhelming sense of harmony felt in the city — a bit like the cultural intermingling of London, perhaps, but on a grander scale.
Because everything here is on a grander scale, but a neatly packaged one. The great thing about New York is the layout — around Central Park, you’ll find the majority of the city’s museums. Collections here are second to none; just try the Met round Fifth Avenue, in the middle of Central Park, to start off with. With over 30,000 works, you’ll have your work cut out to fit it all in one session - come back, time and time again, and stand amazed at just how much there is here. The tour guides are worth investing in, if it’s your first visit, as they’ll be able to give you a pretty concise overview. There’s also the MoMA nearby too, which has one of the richest collections of Modern Art in the world. Not to mention all the trendy and as-of-yet undiscovered art galleries popping up in Tribeca, Chelsea and SoHo, showing some fine artists and contemporary art. The International Center of Photography is most definitely worth a detour, exhibiting powerful photographic displays all year round. Plus it’s only a block away from Times Square, which is great if you’re sick of the sight of so many tourists around the area. Sightseeing here is like taking a walk through cinematographic history. From the famous skyline best seen on Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street’s notoriety, the World Trade Centre memorial or even the Empire State Building’s magnificent views, you can openly join in the tourist trail or take some sneaky pics, on the D-Low, in your own downtime. Either way, one thing’s for sure, your mates at home will be dying with jealousy; for every typical London sight, there are at least 5 more in New York. This place really has a lot of magic and history to it. If you are after history, you should try and visit the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, for more information about the city’s origins, the very first immigrants to have made it to the Big Apple and loads more.
Regardless of which neighbourhood you choose to call home, you should at least try and visit Brooklyn and Queens, even if you’re not living there. There is a particular character to both of them, with Brooklyn having become quite gentrified over the past few years. Queens, on the other hand, is a little more rough-and-ready, though with the arrival of new shops and trendy cafés, the clientele has somewhat changed. Here, you’ll get a real feel of how multi-racial this city really is, and more times than not, you’ll be able to tuck into cheap as chips home cuisine, from all corners of the world.
Something we have to mention is...the shopping here. It will knock you back for six - whether you’re up for an afternoon/day/week in Saks on Fifth Avenue, or pop into Macy’s for those essential little brown bags. If you prefer your vintage chic clothing, sold by the pound here, there are literally hundreds of vintage shops that populate the city, from East to West, North to South. One not to miss is the flamboyant What Goes Around Comes Around, located in SoHo, for its fine flair for bygone outfits and textiles. If you’re after one of a kind pieces, take your pic in one of the many trendy boutiques sprouting up around Greenwich Village, or if your wallet can’t really take that much of a price shock, head out to Tribeca and the Meatpacking districts. Whatever your fancy, if there’s one thing you’re after, you are guaranteed to find it here, as the city is renowned for its style the world over.
The food here is to die for, as are the portions, so make sure you know what you’re getting involved with. Locals and tourists alike flock by the hundreds every day to tuck into one of Nathan’s hot dogs, found on Coney Island. Worth the trek, as well as the wait over lunchtime queues. The New York Deli sandwich is also typical and worth getting — many stands and stalls offer it up over lunchtime, so keep your eyes peeled on the streets. Our moles tell us that the Standard Grill is the best place in town at the moment, for bistro food. Here, though, you’ll find anything you fancy, and if there’s one thing New Yorkers can do better than fashion, art and culture, it’s food, so be adventurous, try out new spots, and make a note of them, as the menus keep on changing. The nightlife here is fantastic, and with a subway service that offers 24/7 service, you don’t really have much of an excuse to not go out and paint the town every colour of the rainbow...It would be difficult to write a final list of where the best places are, as bar a few, erm, bars, most places open and close down at the drop of a hat, or the typing of a review. If you want to find the best places that tick all of the current boxes, your best bet is to get yourself a copy of Time Out magazine, and flick through the sections.
Theatres and cinemas abound, whether you’re into your mainstream hits or up for something a little more exotic. Again, it helps to buy a copy of the local Time Out, but don’t forget to check sites such as BroadwayBox.com or NYTix to get some cheap seats, at discounted prices. Playbill.com offers the latest info and interesting culture articles regarding the performing arts, so make sure you check back often to find out what the latest shows are. Any Annie fan worth their Sarah Jessica Parker will have to pay a visit to Carnegie Hall, the epitome of Broadway fame. New York being New York, the city’s film festival (October) pulls in a pretty awesome crowd, though you can catch the latest film noir saga at the Angelika Film Center or at Cinema Village, between University Place and Fifth Avenue.
You can’t help but stand agasp at the sheer amount of activities on offer here - and if you do get bored of NYC congestion, row along down the Hudson River and get to Princeton, New Jersey to check out the pretty and suburban town, home to the ubiquitous Princeton university. Or why not head out on the train to Washington DC or Philadelphia, both only a couple of hours away and with a more relaxed vibe to city life. But really, truth is, if you’re coming to New York, you’re not going to want to leave - it’s that kind of a city. So why wait, take a big chunk out of the Big Apple and experience it for yourself.
