The diversity, depth, resilience, and spirit of New York have been chronicled
so much in the news and in films and books that it’s almost a
cliché. But in New York’s case, the cliché is not only accurate, but it’s
also one we New Yorkers take pride in. And New Yorkers usually disdain
clichés. We like things to be new, fresh — exciting. In a way, New Yorkers
have short attention spans; a restaurant, show, club, or store may be the
hottest thing to hit the city for a couple of months, and then another
opens or is discovered, and that once-hot place quickly becomes passé.
But not everything has to be new and hot for New Yorkers. We don’t
always appreciate change because it means we may have lost something
we had come to love. New Yorkers respect the old standards — places
and things that never change. Those are essential ingredients that make
up New York. What would we do without that reassuring sight of the
Lady in the harbor? Or the gleaming spire of the Empire State Building?
Or the perfect pizza? Or a Sunday in Central Park? Or the rumbling of the
trains beneath our feet? Or the sounds of jazz from a Village club? So
even though New York is ever-changing, its core remains the same. And
we wouldn’t have it any other way.
In the pages that follow, I do my best to guide you to what’s hot and new,
without leaving out the old standards. I tell you where to find the best
New York has to offer. I steer you to places both on and off the beaten
path. But really, what I hope to accomplish in this book is to present
New York as simply as possible so that you can decide what path you
want to be on during your visit.