Positive Aging Thought Leader: Maria Olsen
I have been to New York City dozens of times. It never gets old.
The City pulses with life. There is always something new going on in Manhattan. Broadway shows come to life, restaurants bloom with creativity, the next new thing frequently debuts here. You can get whatever you want at any time there.
The streets are a veritable runway of models or model wannabes. I live in Washington, D.C., a city often accused of having no style. People strive to be taken seriously in D.C., so pushing the envelope of fashion does not carry much weight here.
“Experiencing the excitement of a Broadway show is thrilling.”
A Must Experience In New York:
There are things one must experience at least once in New York. World-class museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum top the list.
Experiencing the excitement of a Broadway show is thrilling. The view from the Empire State Building, the sorrow and solemnity of the 9/11 Memorial, the promise of the Statue of Liberty, the history of Ellis Island, the vibe of Times Square and the oasis that is Central Park are others that visitors must try.
Getting a full panoramic view from the highest point in the city may be a good way to get your bearings before embarking on a first time visit. The One World Observatory occupies the top floors of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Visitors can enjoy a 360-degree bird’s eye view of Manhattan. Those not afraid of heights may prefer the Edge Observation Deck. It provides the highest outdoor public balcony in New York City.
Layers of delight await beyond the main attractions. There is the Frick Gallery, the High Line elevated park, New York bagels and pizza, shopping on 5th Avenue and in Soho, comedy clubs, eating your way around the world at Smorgasburg and sampling the vast array of restaurants are among the treasures Manhattan offers.
A Delightful Walking Tour:
Walking across the historic Brooklyn Bridge also is an enjoyable experience and a gateway to another popular area. Little Island is Manhattan’s newest floating greenspace. It is a free attraction, with an amphitheater that offers performances and beautiful views of the Hudson River.
“Like any big city, there is crime, and one does not want to become an easy target.”
A good place to find out what is going on in New York is to consult Time Out New York for events and exciting things to do, many of which are free. New York can be expensive, so it helps to find things that are at low or no cost. I took a delightful walking tour of New York’s graffiti artists, which was an eye-opening introduction to this underground community.
I once ran the New York City Marathon and was treated to a tour of the five boroughs. There is more to see in New York and its environs than one can do in a lifetime. And it is a kaleidoscope of changing views and a melting pot of cultures. I strive to see a new area every time I visit. Some of my New York friends never leave a ten-block radius of their homes. That is because one can get all one needs in almost every neighborhood.
Not For The Faint Of Heart:
New York is not for the faint of heart. One must adopt a game face and appear to know where one is going at all times. Like any big city, there is crime, and one does not want to become an easy target. New Yorkers exude confidence, which in many cases is a suit of armor to keep them safe. The drivers are aggressive and your senses may feel assaulted by the constant stimulation. This does not stop me from using the bicycles and scooters to sometimes dodge and weave around town.
Do not take things personally here. New Yorkers like to appear tough, so don’t get rattled if someone’s behavior borders on rudeness. Like most situations in life, it has nothing to do with you.
I leave you with one of the greatest descriptions of New York City, by E.B. White in his book, Here is New York:
“The city is like poetry: it compresses all life, all races and breeds, into a small island and adds music and the accompaniment of internal engines. The island of Manhattan is without any doubt the greatest human concentrate on earth, the poem whose magic is comprehensible to millions of permanent residents but whose full meaning will always remain elusive.”
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About the Author:
Maria Leonard Olsen is an attorney, author, radio show and podcast host in the Washington, D.C., area. For more information about her work, see www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com and follow her on social media at @fiftyafter50. Her latest book, 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life, which has served as a vehicle for helping thousands of women reinvigorate their lives, is offered for sale on this website.
