Here's a little throwback...almost a decade ago, I spent a Summer living and working in Manhattan. While there, I prided myself on getting around and seeing some of the lesser-known, but definitely worth seeing, sites. In fact, after the two months, my co-workers gushed at how I had seen more stuff in NYC in two months than they had in the several years they had lived there. Anyway, here’s what I recommended–my Indie guide to seeing NYC.
Note: These are only a few sites, if you have some good suggestions, add your 2 cents below.
1. The site of the 1964 World’s Fair. A sight that maybe only an avid historian would love…this one has particularly cool meaning for They Might Be Giant’s fans. Not only do they mention the fair in a number of their songs, they filmed the video for Don’t Let’s Start (video below) there. Sadly, the site is fairly run down now…half of it has been taken over as a skate park, and the arena behind me in the picture below has been overrun by a local theater company, which uses it as a junk site.
2. Strawberry Field: The immortal memorial to John Lennon still features plenty of flowers and a steady flow of Lennon music. It’s on the outskirts of Central Park and can be kind of hard to find…but once you find it, you get a “daily double” as just across the street is the hotel where John Lennon was shot.
3. Battery Park: Summer Concert Series. NY tends to have at the best Indie music, and it also tends to be FREE around the city. Battery Park is one venue definitely worth visiting, especially when it's FREE.
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| Britt Daniel and his band Spoon in Battery Park |
4. Go Meet Rupert. My FAVORITE experience while there…the Hello Deli, just around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater went famous when David Letterman introduced Rupert to the world about 20 years ago (wow has it been that long). Funny thing is, his Deli is actually a great place to eat…and Rupert is one of the nicest guys around. Right in the middle of orders, he’ll take a picture with you and even wish your dad a happy birthday on your cell phone (ok, that’s what he did for me…I cant imagine he’d have done it if it was busy when I went in). You’ve got to get there early though, the place closes at 4.
5. The NY Cathedrals. In the Cathedrals, of New York and Rome, there is a feeling, that you should just go home, and spend a lifetime, finding out just where that is. Ok, so few may know this Jump Little Children classic, but I’ve always held it as one of my favorites…so when I got to NY, I had to find every cathedral I could. St. Patrick’s is easy to find…but this one right in front of the Juliard* (below) was my favorite.
The LDS Temple is a very nice addition to the NY skyline
*Speaking of the Juliard…10 points goes to the reader who knows the Moxy Fruvous song that mentions the music school.
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