Jeryl Brunner, who has contributed many travel pieces to this site, recently asked 300 famous New Yorkers to name their favorite places. It's called My City, My New York (compare prices).
Not only is it a great read but it's also an unconventional guidebook to New York's secret and sophisticated spots. Jeryl was kind enough to answer a few questions about it:
Tell us a little about your book.
What do famous people love to do during their free time in New York City? In my new book, My City, My New York: Famous New Yorkers Share Their Favorite Places, I asked New York City notables that very question.
Most New Yorkers have rituals that connect them to their city in unique and personal ways, and famous people are no different:
- Matthew Broderick loves riding his bike along a majestic path beside the Hudson River to upper Manhattan
- John Legend does brunch at Frank Restaurant and has to order the baked eggs ragu
- For Nora Ephron, it’s buying seriously discounted knock-your-socks-off roses in rainbows of color at the wholesale flower district
- A trip to Gino’s Pastry Shop in the Bronx for perfect cannolis is Chazz Palminteri’s idea of paradise.
What are some romantic places in New York where celebrities go?
Central Park is one. On the northwestern corner just above 96th Street is a gorgeous pond called the Pool. Visitors feel as if they're in one of Monet’s painting at Giverny. And the spot even has a wooden bridge and weeping willows. It’s so peaceful.
The Conservatory Garden around 105th Street on the 5th Avenue side is also a beautiful oasis in Central Park. Depending on the season, visitors can find blossoming apple trees and tulip gardens.
One Broadway star says that Greenwich Village around Bank and Jane Streets is so romantic. To him, this particular area of town with cobblestone streets and hidden bookstores, feels like a Woody Allen movie — especially during springtime.
What makes My City, My New York useful as a guidebook?
Many of the activities mentioned in the book are free or cost very little. Also, a number of celebrities mentioned places that aren't very well known, such as Valentino Pier in Red Hook or the Church of St. Lukes In the Fields that contains a beautiful tucked away garden in the middle of Greenwich Village.
In a refreshing step beyond the usual travel guides and tourist listings, the book provides a chance to experience New York City the way its most notable residents do. The activities and establishments are diverse, often eclectic and, most importantly, non-exclusive—you don’t need to be a celebrity to enjoy them!
See quotes from the book from Woody Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Al Roker, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Kyle MacLachlan, Judy Collins, Bill Pullman, Chris Noth, and James Caan on Luxury Travel from About.com.
Their words are likely to whet your appetite to read more of My City, My New York, so compare prices online and visit the My City, My New York website for more information.
