15 Random Discoveries Made By A Recent Arrival To New York City …

Megan Glynn

1) There is nothing noble about Queens … even though it sounds pretty.

2) People take Karaoke VERY seriously here, especially in Chinatown.

3) The West Village is the only part of the city that was left 'off the grid', so even though it'''s my neighborhood I still get lost in it daily.

4) The polar bear in the Central Park Zoo is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah by receiving a present — wrapped and tied with a bow- which, when torn open, reveals a big dead fish covered in peanut butter. I'm not sure if it was a gefilte fish as I don't know what a gefilte fish looks like, and I'm also not sure if he receives the proper quota of eight (peanut-butter coated) Hanukkah gifts but surely he should, right? It would be just plain wrong to cheat a bear out of his religious rights … 

5) Manhattan is indeed an island, so if one should ever want to see the ocean then they can set off in either direction, whether east or west, and satisfy that urge.

6) No matter what time of day or night it is, there's always a double-decker tour bus on the corner of Carmine and Bedford Streets full of tourists (these are my cross streets and I'm still trying to figure out what makes the spot so tourist-worthy. Surely it's not for the little bookstore that sells classics for very cheap or the noodle shop that has the best cure for rainy day hunger pains? I'm still investigating … ).

7) Most cab drivers are really nice and talkative when you initiate conversation- but there are exceptions. Most notably, there are some creepy drivers who feel the urge to touch themselves while acting as if you hadn't noticed they're taking you the long way to your destination. Every five or so seconds they'll glance in their rearview mirror while one hand remains hidden under a newspaper covered lap. Classy stuff … I deal with this by taking it as form of flattery, however it should be noted that the activity certainly doesn't increase the size of a driver's tip, and it does make me appreciate the annoying but sometimes-needed distraction of Taxi TV.

8) Homeless people prefer cash to food. Offer up a granola bar and there's a good chance they'll angrily throw it back.

9) Money and time seem to just disintegrate into thin air in this city but if you use both wisely, neither will be missed.

10) People rarely ever pay the recommended fee at a museum … It's a shame.

11) Graffiti is art, not vandalism.

12) The most interesting people seem to hang out in jazz clubs, and jazz music goes along very nicely with brunch.

13) Brunch, in general, is fantastic. I'm not talking cheesy Sex In The City type brunch but real, sustainable — and affordable — brunch like what is on offer at Nero in the Meatpacking District, where twenty dollars gets one a decent meal along with all-you-can-drink Bellini's, Mimosas or champagne during a two hour table limit … It provides a great excuse to get sufficiently sloppy on a Sunday.

14) Every fifteen to twenty blocks you'll find a little gated park or square with benches that are great for engaging in some people watching.

15) You can feel comfortable with yourself even in a city filled with millions of people so tightly packed together … It can be easy to feel like you're drowning in the sea of variety but really you're just sort of floating along. I've never felt less lost than since my footing completely gave way into this massive metropolis … 

Megan Glynn is a writer who lives, works and plays in NYC … Only when she is not getting laid off from glamorous fashion jobs.

share