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I live in a part of Manhattan called Tudor City. Why do I live there? Well, an apartment popped up that had everything I wanted: an elevator, a doorman, a bathtub, laundry in the building, and in my price range! Turns out Tudor City is more affordable because it’s leased land. I barely understand what that means, and don’t wanna try to explain it. But you get the gist. Anyways, finding an apartment in New York City is intense! And I'm beyond grateful to have found my gem of an apartment. But a running joke I have is constantly being asked "Where's Tudor City?”. I try to explain, Tudor City is a neighborhood unto itself. With so much rich history. Katherine Hepburn lived here. Dick Wolf, the creator of LAw and Order lived here. I even heard Sondhelm wrote “Company” here. I implore you, look it up and learn something about New York City! It's not Murray Hill, it's not Kips Bay, it's not in New Jersey, it's not Midtown. Yes it's by 41st and 2nd Avenue, but it's Tudor City goddammit! And I won't hear it be called anything else. One of many great things about it is my local train station is Grand Central which is fucking gorgeous and iconic. And now that I'm no longer afraid of riding the bus, I can just jump on the M15 and go downtown where all the action is! A cute, cozy, charming, classic, old school New York neighborhood in Manhattan.
Mar 31, 2023
Related Recs
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Most New Yorkers loathe midtown, but I’m not one of them. Name another neighborhood where you can find the city’s most iconic institutions (Keens, Grand Central Oyster Bar, NYPL), specialty material stores (B&H Fabric, Toho, Jamali), great baked goods (Culture, Rose Bakery, Cafe D’Avignon) Japanese grocery stores (Dainobu, Katagiri), all your doctor’s offices, restaurants that stand up to their hype (Sugarfish, Lodi) and your corporate basics (Uniqlo, Muji)? Excuse me…I’m waiting. What I love most about midtown is that it’s an area for getting shit done. No lollygaggers allowed!
Feb 15, 2024
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Growing up on the Upper West (Upper Diane Wiest) Side of Manhattan, our apartment was close to Times Square. “How amazing,” I thought, “that this small area so close to where I live is also a place tourists come from all over the world to visit.” Times Square is where Broadway is and it’s a good snapshot of mainstream culture at any given moment. As a boy, I felt lucky to be able to walk through the square and enjoy the unique sights and sounds as part of my “ordinary day.” Later in life, it came as a surprise when I discovered people hating on Times Square. They felt that to identify as a “real New Yorker” was to despise Times Square. I believe being a “real New Yorker” is to adore Times Square. I suggest going alone. Sit on one of the new chairs. Gaze at the screens. Take a photo. Walk up the TKTS steps. Read. Write. Watch people. Like I always say, “If NYC were a face, Times Square is the lips, and we are frenching.”
May 31, 2022
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EVERYONE IN NEW YORK LIKES TO SHIT ON MIDTOWN. I THINKS THERES THIS IDEA THAT HATING ON MIDTOWN MAKES YOU A REAL NEW YORKER BUT THESE DAYS ITS ACTUALLY MEGA HIPSTER TO LOVE MIDTOWN AND CALL IT UNDERRATED. SPECIFICALLY WEST MIDTOWN. NOT LIKE FUCKING MURRAY HILL. IN PROXIMITY TO HELLS KITCHEN IS THE BEST, HELLS KITCHEN HAS THE BEST SALVATION ARMY IN AN OLD DIRTY BUILDING WITH GREAT FURNITURE AND TONS OF ACTUALLY THRIFT PRICED CLOTHING AND ITS CONFUSING TO GET INTO THE BUILDING AND ITS RIGHT BY THAT FREEDOM TUNNEL GRAFFITI WRITERS LOVE. MIDTOWN AND HELLS KITCHEN HAS SOME OF THE LAST CRUSTY WEIRDO OLD PEEPS THAT MAKE THE CITY FAB, LIKE PEEPS THAT MUTTER TO THEMSELVES AND HAVE WEIRD OUTFITS AND CLEARLY HAVE HAD THE SAME RENT CONTROL APARTMENTS FOR LIKE A BILLION YEARS AND KNOW EVERYONE ON THEIR BLOCK AND STORIES ABOUT THE “OLD NEW YORK” AND GET THE CITY MYTHOLOGY THAT WE ALL ARE SUCKERS FOR!!!!!!
Feb 8, 2023
Top Recs from @alexi-wasser
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Again, I'm using this category as an umbrella so I can list my favorite movies that I think by watching will make everyone's life better or at least distract you from whatever bullshit is going on in your own life for a moment, and put a smile on your face. Maybe you'll even relate to what the characters in the films are going through and you'll feel a little bit less alone and it will change your life forever. These are my favorite movies that I watch over and over again: An Unmarried Woman, Swingers, Annie Hall, Broken English, Girlfriends. Last Days of Disco, and Hannah and Her Sisters. And one of my favorite theaters to watch movies in in New York City is Metrograph. A sanctuary. A safe haven. The programming is extraordinary. And they have a wonderful restaurant upstairs called The Commissary. Run don't walk.
Mar 31, 2023
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I’m a big fan of having a uniform. I love wearing essentially the same thing every day. My uniform is high-waisted pants, and a button-down shirt. Maybe a cashmere crew neck sweater thrown over. I live in Uniqlo button down blouses. I have like five in white, five in black, a handful of the polka dot patterned blouses. They're affordable, they last, and they look more expensive than they are. I consider them highbrow, minimalist, effortlessly chic perfection. You won’t regret it.
Mar 31, 2023
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Now is the portion of my perfectly imperfect piece where everything goes out the window and I become a complete hypocrite after talking about skincare and collagen renewal, because I'm about to add cigarettes to my list of recommendations. I know they're horrible for you. I know they will kill you. But let’s face it; we're all gonna die, it's only a question of when and how - and some days we’re more in the mood to speed up the process than others. So when it’s that kind of day, and you’re feeling emo or sexy or stressed, and wanting to have a social anxiety relieving prop in your hand or simply partake in a sexy ritualistic experience with someone who is also smoking - there’s nothing like having a cigarette. Going outside for a smoke with another person and someone lighting your cigarette, you touch their hand briefly to cover the flame. It’s all so fucking sexy/intimate/special. A brief loneliness eliminator! HOWEVER, the only cigarette I’m recommending are Capri cigarettes - the PURPLE pack. Purple Capris are the ultra light of the Capri line. Here's a bone I have to pick with Capri cigarettes (aside from the fact that they literally kill people), they don't label the strength level of the cigarette. You have to Google what the color of the pack means. My god, get it together Capri cigarettes. Good thing they're so addictive that people will just deal with this kind of bullshit. They're so slender and chic. You’ll feel like you're straight out of the '70s or '80s, hanging with Bianca Jagger NOT waiting in line for Studio 54. Smoking this cigarette will get you RIGHT to the front of the line. They’re effortlessly chic. Which is my favorite way to describe something I love.
Mar 31, 2023