Like Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keys remind us with their music, New York City isn’t just a place to live but a lifestyle. New Yorkers, never the shy type, constantly boast about what they love about the city. Here are six things you’ve likely heard a New Yorker brag about.
SkylineSkyline
Many cities are known for their signature skyscrapers, but New York’s entire skyline acts as a single icon of 20th-century ingenuity. While Chicago had the first skyscraper, New York City monopolized the sky. Visit the Empire State Building (but don’t throw pennies off the top), the Art Deco-styled Chrysler Center building, and cast your eyes on the amazing One World Trade Center, now the tallest building in America.
PizzaPizza
As host to the first pizzeria in the United States, New York is believed to be the best place to grab a slice of America’s favorite hand-held meal. Following Little Italy’s Gennaro Lombardi style, pizza staples like John’s of Bleecker Street, Patsy’s in East Harlem, and Coney Island’s historic Totonno’s keep New Yorkers and the city’s many visitors full with their thin-crust brick oven pizza.
Charred dough and a perfected ratio of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese make the hype valid. For a spin on the traditional, try a brunch pizza at Brooklyn’s Paulie Gee’s or the “Barely Legal” at the adventurous Roberta’s.
WaterWater
The tap water in NYC is so famous that many claim it’s responsible for the pizza and bagel’s superiority. The water is virtually lead-free, coming mostly from upstate reservoirs. Plus, the H2O routinely stands out in national taste tests. As any true New Yorker will tell you–their water is the best.
MetroMetro
There’s simply no better city for public transportation than the Big Apple. At $2.50 a ride, it’s a bargain to explore and efficiently brings millions of New Yorkers to work on time daily. Plus, kids ride free with a parent. The metro lets many New Yorkers commute to work in the city and rent or buy in whatever area suits them.
Sports TeamsSports Teams
From the Yankees to the Mets, to the Jets to the Nets, New York City loves a good rhyme and ranks among the hardest die-hard sports fans in the nation. What other baseball team features a “Bleacher Creatures” section? Surely, Eli Manning, quarterback for the Giants for ten years, would agree.
The BarsThe Bars
In New York, there’s not only a bar for every hour but also a bar on (almost) every corner. Unlike most cities, Gotham’s bars extend curfew to 4:00 am to confirm the “city that never sleeps” motto. The East Village alone has nearly two-hundred bars, and you’re sure to find a great hole-in-the-wall to frequent.
You can’t blame New Yorkers if they’ve earned their bragging rights, can you? America’s full of stand-out cities, but New York set the bar, and that’s why it’s the best.