The Real New York, New York
* Disclaimer, if you came here to read about Time Square stop reading now. *
Every single person on this earth has heard of New York City from one person or another and the majority of visitors are cued into the idea that they should see Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, Times Square Central Park . While these all do make up parts of this wonderful city they are often as authentic to New York City as all southerners are uneducated and racist. We often travel for the highlights and in by doing that we are often choosing what we like to believe is true to anything and generalizing a person or a place.
The Travelers Tips has instead compiled the Top 5 Truest NYC Neighborhoods where the real backbone of New York City’ residents live, eat, drink and fight for their own bite of the apple.
Top 5 Most Underrated Towns in New York City
1- Chinatown – Has to be one of Manhattan’s most overlooked Neighborhoods; most chinatowns around the world are often westernized to appease the majority, but whats’s different about NYC Chinatown is its very authentic to the chinese residents, because well , the majority of its residents are chinese.
Don’t let this sway you away, most are welcoming and there is an unbelievable amount of insanely good hole in the wall food spots and most recently some brand new asian centric cocktail and wine bars.
Where To Eat and Drink : Check out Peaches on 5 Doyers St for strong cocktails with asian twist. Then head to Joe Shanghai’s on 46 Bowery their famous for being the first restaurant to create soup dumplings. The soup is literally inside the dumplings.
2- Jackson Heights – the only place in the world where you can you get Mexican, Tibetan and Colombian food within a 10 foot square radius, then walk down to the corner and get dumplings behind a cell phone store. There isn’t a more diverse neighborhood in terms of its people and its choices of cuisine then in Jackson Heights.
You often hear back in the day the Italians built Little italy, the Irish created South Street Seaport, but to see what will on day be a world famous food destination being created in action is truly authentic NYC. Not many different places can contain such a wide variety of races and religions that are literally building a community in real time together.
Where To Eat and Drink : Start at Woodside Cafe on 64-23 Broadway with some Hilyanian Food then make you way to Lhasa Fast Food on 37-50 74th Street for some of the best tibetan momo you will ever have. After that just get lost…shoot us back any spot you’ve found along the way. f
3- Bushwick – We all remember John Winthrop’s ‘ City on a Hill ” speech from High School, it was one of the most beautifully written justification for one group of people to leave another group of people . Did you know the puritans who left for America, thought the purstain they were leaving behind did not share the same Christian values as them? Think of Bushwick like this, except for the hipster who are too hipster for the hipsters. Too many hipsters i know.
But seriously, Bushwick is a grungier, realer version of the famous williamsburg. The creative Hipsters have taken advantage of the cheap rent and have turned this Neighborhood into one of the weirdest and coolest places to be.
Where To Eat and Drink – For a night out start at Jupiter Disco on 1237 Flushing Ave, for sci-fi themed cocktails, make your way to Robertas on 257 Moore St for the best pizza in NYC not on tripadvisor then dance that night away at one of Avant Gardner or House of Yes
4- Financial District – Financial District is known around the world for three things : Wall Street & its New York Stock Exchange and the Freedom Tower. Outside of that, tourists don’t really engage with this part of the city too much . Even the typical New Yorker only goes to FiDi when they have to work , not often do they go for pleasure. Walking thru the maze like street in FiDi will often remind you at some points of Chicago and at some points Whitechapel in London. Go a bit further and you will come across what is one of the best rated cocktails bars in the entire world, go even further and you will find steak houses, trendy rooftop bars and one of the best views of the statue of liberty anywhere.
Go during the summer and there numerous piers with numerous waterfront bars and restaurants. FiDi truly feels like an entire city altogether.
Where To Eat and Drink – STONE STREET! Yeah, Just go to Stone street and get lost – especially on St Patrick’s Day Weekend. Also head over to Dead Rabbit on 30 Water St for world famous cocktails , bring your wallet or somebody else because they are not cheap .
5- Greenpoint – Poland food meets Brooklyn brown stones? Meet Greenpoint.
North of Williamsburg but way under the pretentiousness of one of the world most expensive zip codes – Williamsburg is Greenpoint. Known for its historic Polish section, were you will feel like you are in gdansk with polish sausage and perogies galore. Get lost in some of Brooklyn’s most quintessential street, make sure to keep walking North to the tip where to your left you will see midtown Manhattan.
Where To Eat and Drink – Start the day at Champion Coffee on 1107 Manhattan Avenue , then get lost shopping on Franklin street before finally finishinf off your night at Polish & Slavic Center on 177 Kent S – where polish food meets punk music.
