Chicken in the City
11. Nov, 2009 
8 Comments 
I ain’t gonna lie, I was scared to visit New York. Somewhere in my small-town hippie-chick psyche, I was convinced that city would eat me alive, and spit me out broke onto a westward-bound highway.
But my poverty and naïveté have never stopped me before, right? So I headed for the Big Cheese, and (thanks to good buddies Landry, YP & Eggie) found myself in safe and luxurious Brooklyn digs. All that was left, then, was for me to tackle Manhattan.
I saddled up The Navigator and hopped a subway, and soon became enthronged in the teeming masses of New York.
And there on the bustling, filthy sidewalk, I suddenly understood: in New York City, you just go ahead and do whatever you want. New York didn’t care a whit about me! It hadn’t noticed I was here, wouldn’t care when I left, and didn’t have any opinion on anything I might do!
This was fabulous news. Far from being run out of town on a rail, I was free to do as I pleased. And so, my fears assuaged, I set out to discover the city on foot. And as I walked, things got even better. Why? Because everybody was walking! Hundreds of thousands, millions of people, and all of them traveling on foot!
There’s an interesting theory out there, which I like very much: cities like New York may in fact be the solutions to our problems of energy and climate. High population density means that resources don’t have to travel down long pipelines to reach people; stacking living spaces atop one another reduces energy consumption. And thanks to the subway system and relatively short distances between destinations, you really can get just about anywhere on foot. (Aside: this is a complicated issue when you factor in urban sprawl and bad city planning; feel free to state your opinion in comments, and read The Good Human’s dissenting opinion)
The Navigator and I spent an entire day exploring New York City, and spent less than $10 ($5 for the subway ride to and from Brooklyn, and $5 on food and water). Here are some of the awesome, fabulous, energy-efficient and FREE things we did.
1. Walk south(west)
from Central Park.
The first idea is the simplest: just hop off the subway and start hoofin’ it. The southern half of Manhattan is chock full of sights (the northern half is pretty excellent too, but there’s only so far a girl and her chicken can walk in one day). You can map out your path, or just wing it: either way, you will not want for eye candy and mental stimulation.
And don’t forget: whenever you get tired there’s bound to be a subway station within a couple blocks, where fast-moving trains will whisk you away to your next destination!
2. Weekend roller disco.
I thank my beautiful Mess Luciano for this tip: a weekly roller disco, every Saturday and Sunday when the weather’s fine, with booty-shakin’ disco house, beefcakes on wheels, a group of gyrating hula hoopers, one or two partied-out club slags, and a gleeful gathering of people who care for little more than dancing in the sunshine.
I didn’t have skates, but that hardly mattered: the music was irresistible, and when I didn’t feel like dancing I could watch the skaters circling the pavement.
3. Graffiti/wall art tour!
My fellow blogger Jamie has been photographing New York’s accidental art for years now, and as I walked the streets I saw why: every corner conceals subtle scribbles, every mailbox is a canvas. Miraculous murals lurk on unlikely avenues, and in this town, everybody pitches in for the anarchist aesthetification of what would otherwise be a big block of concrete.
Art lovers: New York’s approach to beauty might make you reconsider your attitude toward graffiti. Wander these streets, and you can’t help but ponder the strange, intricate collage created by a million punks with paint pens. For me, the most interesting revelation was that there aren’t many gangs to speak of in this town, at least not the kind of gangs that hurt people. Instead, New York street culture revolves around art. It shows.
4. Yes, the Staten Island Ferry.
New Yorkers call this old news, but for a California bumpkin it was about the most exciting thing ever: a free ferry that steams right past the Statue of Liberty? Count me and The Navigator in.
6. People watching in the Financial District.
Because after walking all day, your dogs are gonna be barkin’.
I did my people-watching in the Financial District, where the world’s fastest-walking businesspeople navigate between gigantic skyscrapers—but there’s not an empty street on the island of Manhattan, and you can watch people anywhere. Sit on any old curb or stoop and observe as humanity streams past in every shape, size, color and sanity level.
This is a great time to have a hot dog, because you’ll want to have energy for the most awesome part:
7. Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.
The Brooklyn Bridge is possibly one of the best developments serving the New York pedestrian. Yes, the subway gets you there and the sidewalk keeps your shoes clean—but this bridge feeds your soul.
From here, you can see the entire city and watch the sun set on Manhattan; marvel at the architecture; hold the camera for German tourists; spit on passing taxis*; watch planes and blimps float across the skyline; and just generally bask in the beauty of this amazing town.
The Brooklyn Bridge was the end of the day for this chicken; The Navigator and I called it a night, and headed back to a comfy bed.
The next morning, understanding that nothing could compare to our day on the town, we said goodbye to the Big Cheese and hopped a Megabus to Boston. Fabulous times in a fabulous city, indeed.
*Please don’t spit on taxis.
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Author Info
wow.
so fantastic to read about my city from the perspective of someone who has never been here. it does make you look at it differently. I saw the pic of the metronome clock that you have up there and thought id share the 411 on it with you if you didnt know…
http://metronome.related.com/fact.htm
It was truly a pleasure to have you here and to share my beloved city and friends with you. I look forward to hosting you in our new tropical paradise home very very soon.
Keep doin that thang that you do so well lady!
That’s it, Navigator! You go FIND those Big City Chicken Legs!
I lived in the city from 2001 to 2006 first in Manhattan, then moved to Brooklyn when I ran out of money. I ended up working in EMS and driving an ambulance in the city is quite a thrill, and sometimes not so thrilling! It is an amazing place to live but after a while it wore me out so I left! Everyone should visit and experience the city and the vibe that keeps that big wheel turning!
Superb. Thanks for sharing this. Actually, me and my family are coming to New York this January, and we don’t have anyone there. So thanks again.
I want to go!
Makes those who may be afraid less afraid.
There was an article a couple of years ago in the New Yorker regarding the benefits of high density living. I thought it made a convincing case. May be able to find in the New Yorker archives. I do think if we all learned to live in less space and used design to live more efficiently, we’d all be in a better place world wide. ~Karol
You guys are so awesome. Thanks for the love. (and landry, thanks for the LODGING)
Karol – I think that concept makes sense, in its pure form anyway. Seems like a good idea for us to work on making cities more livable, so we can cut down on urban sprawl. I’ll go look for that article.
I put the Metronome clock info in the Flickr photo description, thanks landry!