NYC:  Elsewhere Wanders (Uptown, Brooklyn+)

In our first NYC post, we told the story of how we ended up back in the Big Apple for three months. Post #2 offered up our favorite downtown wanders. And while we did spend most of our time below 23rd Street, there are plenty of reasons to head north (or east… or way out to Brooklyn) when the mood strikes.

This post is all about those “Elsewhere” wanders.

In fact, when we last lived in New York, these were our neighborhoods—Upper East, Upper West, Brooklyn. And… Little India? Yes, Charlotte and Kate’s first NYC apartment was at 28th and Lex, directly above Curry in a Hurry (still there, believe it or not). The entire building, along with all of our clothing, was permanently scented with turmeric.

We were so broke we shared a room. And a bed. No joke. Our budget entertainment was a cup of tea and a front-row seat from Chris’s window, watching the ladies of the evening work the corner 4 stories below.

Doug, meanwhile, lived in Brooklyn—long before it was cool. The F train was dicey at best, and he’d occasionally fall asleep and wake up deep in Brooklyn, which was definitely dicey. Hence his lovingly adopted borough nickname: Brook-nam.

Grand Central Concourse

Wander #7: Grand Central Terminal

Let’s kick off our Elsewhere adventures where so many NYC journeys begin (or at least connect through): the iconic, chaotic, surprisingly majestic Grand Central Terminal.

Fordham, Westchester, Greenwich

As the transit hub it is, chances are you’ll pass through Grand Central at some point. For us, it was our gateway to old friends in Connecticut and family in the Bronx and Westchester. But even if you’re just passing through, don’t rush it. This place deserves a pause.

Step into the Main Concourse and look up—the vaulted ceiling is painted with a celestial map of zodiac constellations in gold leaf, glittering against a turquoise sky. (Yes, it’s backwards. No, no one really knows why.) Below it, the iconic four-faced clock stands stoic amid a swirling mass of commuters, tourists, and the occasional person having a minor breakdown over track assignments.

Timeless classics

Downstairs, you’ll find the famous Oyster Bar—still slinging chowder and martinis like it’s 1930, and still the go-to dinner spot for Grammy and the kids.

Nearby, the Whispering Gallery—an unmarked acoustical oddity where you can stand at one corner and hear a whisper clearly from the diagonal side. Science? Sorcery? Who cares—it’s cool.

And if you’re craving a cocktail with a side of old New York glamor, duck into the hidden gem the Campbell Apartment. Once the private office (and occasional party pad) of a 1920s financier, it’s now a moody, chandelier-lit bar tucked away above the bustle. Order something strong and pretend you’re in a noir film.

view from SUMMIT

Oh, and since you’re in the neighborhood, treat yourself to SUMMIT at One Vanderbilt. It’s pricey, but the views (and mirrored madness) are worth it.

Grand Central is more than a station—it’s a secret museum, a cathedral of movement, and a reminder that even commuters deserve a little majesty.  The teaming mass of humanity here is a reminder of just how many people this city holds. And, boy, is that amplified during events and holidays.

Halloween parade and the dinner we almost missed

New York and the Parade (or, “So Much for Dinner Plans”)

New Yorkers love a parade. Pride, St. Paddy’s, Macy’s Thanksgiving, Halloween—there’s always something shutting down a street.

Take Halloween: When dinner plans were nearly ruined because the subway unhelpfully deposited half our group on the wrong side of the parade route. Ever tried crossing a New York parade? Hope you weren’t in a hurry, and that you really wanted to see that parade, because guess what? That’s your night now.

Tuck crushing the marathon

Or Better Yet… the NYC Marathon

The NYC Marathon: a glorious, emotional, humbling display of the human spirit. Blind runners. Wheelchair athletes. People who look like they should not be running—but are—while you stand there with your cappuccino (oat, extra hot), whisper-cheering and questioning every life decision that’s led to your current cardio baseline.

And the friend you came to support? Yeah, good luck picking them out of 50,000 bouncing heads.

mid-town magic at Christmas, Louis Vuitton step up and Saks of old

Wander #8: Notable Mid-Town

Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s touristy. But even the jaded admit: the Rockefeller Center tree is worth seeing—especially lit up, which usually happens the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. So if you’re in NYC in December, check it out.  It’s spectacular. (Though, slight letdown this year: Saks skipped their elaborate window and light show. Bah, humbug. But, Louis Vuitton stepped up.)

You could also attempt a holiday rite of passage and ice skate at Rock Center. We did. It ended with Charlotte sprawled on the ice like a dropped marionette. Add it to her growing list of non-skills. Sigh.

Stroll down Fifth Avenue for the window displays and bougie shops, or head over to Madison Avenue in the 60s and 70s for some serious retail.

Farther south, Bryant Park is a perfect seasonal spot—browse the winter craft market, sip a drink in summer, or just people-watch the skaters (or, as we call them, the brave and/or foolish).

Theater Things

And, of course, the Theater District falls squarely into Midtown so you might want to wander your way into a show. Even though the ticket price might require you to sell a kidney, it’s probably worth it.

Fool Moon

We used to score access through TDF (the discount program for teachers and “financially creative” people like us). That’s how we ended up at “Fool Moon,” the ’90s comedic masterpiece by vaudeville legends David Shiner and Bill Irwin.

Charlotte might have volunteered Doug during the audience participation segment, resulting in his Broadway debut as a dramatically dying man, full turtle, legs bicycling in the air. The audience cried with laughter. Charlotte plotted ways to get him cast in something permanent.

Broadway

Broadway Highlights This Time Around

• Stereophonic (very definitely based on Fleetwood Mac, with Sausalito vibes).  LOVED
• Oh, Mary! starring the incomparable Cole Escola—a brilliant, unhinged joyride.  LOVED
• The Outsiders – so good we nearly saw it twice LOVED
• Suffs – a historical musical with bite. LIKED
• McNeal – Robert Downey Jr. brooding through an AI apocalypse. LIKED

waiting for John Oliver

Shows… The Taped Kind

Don’t sleep on live tapings, which happen all over the city, but often in Mid-Town. We scored seats to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on the eve of a historically horrible election. That man is a genius.

We also had tickets to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart hosting but couldn’t commit to the five-hour experience.  Turns out TV tapings involve 30 minutes of comedy preceded by 4 hours of waiting. Regrets? A little.

SNL is on the bucket list and we will remember to sign up for the lottery one of these days.

sports at the Garden

Sports, If Theater Isn’t Your Thing

Yes, we went to a game or two.  Hockey, surprisingly, might be the most watchable live sport of them all. The NY Rangers know how to put on a show (be there for the player intros—trust us), and the possibility of a fight breaking out is oddly thrilling.

Or catch a Knicks game. Aidan and Doug scored court-side tickets. The games are good, and the celeb sightings are next level.

The Giants of NY

We also went full Giants fan mode and trekked to the Meadowlands (yep, New Jersey) in head-to-toe team gear for a proper tailgate. Doug’s been a lifelong fan, and now Aidan’s an even bigger one. There’s something magical about freezing in a parking lot, eating sausages off the pavement. The setups around us? Full buffets, dining tables, questionable flags—people go all out.

For one game, we were on the sidelines, rubbing elbows with Eli Manning. For another, we were in the nosebleeds.  Both were equally great.

In late August, the US Open is a must. We watched Tiafoe and Fritz battle it out in the semis. But even the free days—wandering the grounds and watching world-class players in early rounds—feel like a win. And an opportunity to sip a $23 Honey Deuce – so not entirely free.

Yankees? Mets? Nets? Syracuse basketball even made an NYC appearance while we were there. There’s a game (and a team) for everyone.

looping Central Park, where it all began, the reservoir

Wander #9: Central Park, a Green Oasis in the Concrete Jungle

If Manhattan is the city that never sleeps, Central Park is where it stretches, sips a green juice, and tries to get its steps in. Sprawling and iconic, it’s the city’s 843-acre backyard—and no visit is complete without a proper wander (or ride) through it.

For a full tour, take a bike (or, a skateboard?) and do the full 6.1-mile loop. At the northern end, you’ll pass the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir—sparkling on a sunny day and flanked by joggers who seem genuinely unfazed by the humidity.

Rom-Coms

Swing by the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace (yes, that one from literally every rom-com).  Rent a rowboat or just cruise past the picturesque Loeb Boathouse.

Ah, the Central Park Boathouse: The origin site of Charlotte and Doug’s very own rom-com.  Involving a media party (that’s “partner event” in 2025 media planner lingo), a few drinks, and a short flight of stairs someone may or may not have fallen down, landing at Charlotte’s feet. The rest is history.

Meadows and Rambles

Don’t miss Sheep Meadow, where on any given warm day you’ll find a sea of sunbathers and frisbee throwers. And if you’re on foot, get lost in the Ramble—a woodsy pocket that feels like you might just bump into a squirrel doing tai chi. Or might remind you of a notorious “karen” vs birdwatcher incident.

Wollman Rink and Belvedere Castle, The Paul Simon show circa 1991

Rinks and Castles

Loop around the Wollman Rink, which is charming in the winter, even when it’s full of wobbly tourists clutching the rail for dear life, and prohibitively expensive in the summer, when it converts to trendy pickleball courts for the athleisure crowd. Yes, we’ve played there.  Yes, we won.  Yes, we would lose a rematch.

Make sure to visit Belvedere Castle, offering some of the best panoramic views of the park.

If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon a free concert at the SummerStage or Great Lawn, like we did when we caught Paul Simon’s magical performance in the early ’90s.

a few of the shows

Live Music – The Garden and Elsewhere

Aside from some of our favorite people, one of the big draws to NYC was the live music.  And we made the most of it.  From Vampire Weekend to Kacey Musgraves to Mt Joy to the Killers to Twenty One Pilots to Cage the Elephant to a Thelonius Monk celebration at the Birdland Theater, the city delivered.

Madison Square Garden isn’t exactly known for its acoustics, but what it lacks in sound quality and intimacy it makes up for in sheer, electric energy. Playing the Garden means you’ve made it. The artists know it and bring an electric energy. 

Thanks to some generous partners, we saw MSG from just about every angle. There was the luxe box—fully catered but emotionally distant. The mysterious mid-tier box—with exactly one included drink and wheelchair access seats we didn’t need but gratefully accepted. And our favorite: the floor. Those we happily paid for. We partied in the Knicks’ and Rangers’ locker rooms and sampled every pre-party space imaginable.

We saw the most shows at MSG, but Forest Hills Stadium, the old tennis venue, was probably our favorite. A hidden gem: charming, open-air, and perfect.

Near the Garden, Hudson Yards offers some good eating options if you’re not partaking in the partner-provided sushi. Ci Siamo is fancy-good, and Piggyback, Pig & Khao’s cousin, is a good casual option. And there’s always all of Koreatown, but you’ll have to ask Aidan for recommendations.

the Temple of Dendur

Wander #10: Museums – Upper East and West

If you’re ever feeling aimless (or hot) in New York, just head to a museum. Many are free!

The Met

Start with The Met.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art isn’t just a museum—it’s New York’s greatest treasure hunt. Do a highlights tour to get yourself oriented, or just beeline for the Temple of Dendur, an actual Egyptian temple that somehow made its way to Manhattan

Don’t miss the armor collection, where medieval knights stand frozen in formation like they’re waiting for Camelot to return. The American Wing’s period rooms let you peek into historical living spaces that might make your apartment seem even more depressing than usual.

Don’t miss the Met’s greatest hits: Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait, Monet’s dreamy Water Lilies, and Washington crossing the Delaware – wildly inaccurate but depicted with cinematic flair. But the Met’s true masterpiece? The rooftop garden, where you can sip overpriced wine while admiring Central Park views that even billionaires would screenshot. Take yourself here, it’s fabulous.

Night at the Museum

Across the park, the American Museum of Natural History is where adults remember their childhood dream of becoming paleontologists. T-Rex and friends strike dramatic poses, the iconic blue whale floats above like it’s in a Wes Anderson film, and the planetarium turns your existential crisis into a manageable voyage through space. Even the taxidermy dioramas feel suspiciously well-groomed.

Yes, you can spend the night here.  No, the dinos probably won’t come to life.

And there are countless other museums in NYC—enough to keep you cultured (and out of the weather) for years. 

Some of our favorites: 

• The Whitney, with its rotating exhibits of modern American art and breezy High Line views. 
• MoMA, where the classics (hello, Starry Night) share space with the wonderfully weird. 
• The Museum of the City of New York, perfect for diving into the city’s layered past. 
• The Noguchi Museum in Queens, a peaceful escape with minimalist sculptures and serious zen energy. 
• The Tenement Museum, a LES gem looking at NYC’s immigrant history.

Others still on our list: the Frick (recently reopened!), the Neue Galerie for a slice of Vienna, and the Brooklyn Museum—because Brooklyn does museums, too.

We didn’t eat out uptown often, but Piccolo Cucina on the Upper East Side is solid with excellent food and service in a cozy space. Near the MoMA, La Bonne Soupe is good for a classic French bistro lunch.

views of, and from, Brooklyn

Wander #11: Brooklyn

Brooklyn: where exhausted Manhattanites move to catch their breath—only to realize it’s cooler and it knows it. And then you fall for it anyway.

Start by walking the Brooklyn Bridge. Everyone does it, and there’s a reason—views for days, wind in your hair, that moment when the skyline hits just right. You’ll land in DUMBO, where cobblestones meet coffee culture, and pizzerias (Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s) fight over who has the best slice (Juliana does).

Wander to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, then loop back through Brooklyn Bridge Park for postcard views of Manhattan. The skyline looks good from every angle, but this one might just take the cake.

Then there’s Domino Park, a reclaimed sugar factory that now serves as a riverside runway for strollers, dogs, and chic joggers.

Williamsburg is Manhattan’s effortlessly cool neighbor—just one easy L-train stop from Manhattan. With buzzy rooftops, a vibrant food scene, and enough coffee shops to fuel an entire borough. It’s equal parts creative energy and casual swagger.

And if you’re feeling fancy but chill, Boerum Hill’s your move—quiet, leafy, filled with ceramic shops like East Fork and Mud, that might convince you to throw out every coffee mug you’ve ever owned.

Meal recs:

• Laser Wolf (Williamsburg) for a rooftop Israeli prix fixe
• Frankies 457 (Cobble Hill) for lunch or dinner in their lovely backyard
• Rucola (Boerum Hill) for their perfect chicory salad

Being Bored in NYC? Not an Option.

If you ever find yourself thinking, “There’s nothing to do,” kindly exit the building and try again. Except in winter, when there are things to do but damn, it’s cold out there. We get it.

Next up, the edible highlights reel.