If I'm perfectly candid, New York City is kind of gross. During the summer, the city is like a giant toilet, with the scent of stale urine hanging in the smoggy humidity, and in the winter, it becomes a 14-mile-long grey slush mound. Yet despite the dirty, crowded unpleasantness, the city overflows year-round with enough cultural opportunities to provide any foodie or art lover with a perpetual case of FOMO (fear of missing out). It's wonderful, and at times overwhelming, to know that on any given day one is a only short walk from a delicious meal or bizarrely elaborate musical performance. And NYC is a place that must be learned and heard and seen on foot – whether on an early morning stroll while sipping hot coffee from a breakfast truck, or at night when one is surrounded by a haze of smoke, screeching taxi brakes, and the chattering lights of tall buildings.
Upon walking a few blocks north of Herald Square and the Empire State Building, one can peruse the shelves and exhibits of the Morgan Library. More manageable than the Met or MoMA, the half-dozen rooms making up the Morgan Library were constructed from 1902 to 1906, and are now considered a historical landmark. During his lifetime Pierpont Morgan collected all manner of paintings, drawings, manuscripts, scores, and books; the Library now houses this embarrassment of wonders.
On an average visit, one might see a letter Margaret Fuller wrote while in Rome, paintings by Rembrandt, a portrait by John Singer Sargent, a Gutenberg bible, and the torrid inkings of a Beethoven sketch. During their window for free entry (7-9pm on Friday nights), music from a chamber or jazz ensemble can be heard in the glass-walled foyer. Afterwards, one can seek out the nearby, albeit somewhat obscured, entrance to Middle Branch, a former antiques store that now serves artsy cocktails with a speakeasy-like vibe.
On the opposite side of the island, an abundance of art galleries checker the streets of Chelsea. The Gagosian, Paula Cooper Gallery, and others offer unexpected delights, such as sculptures by Richard Serra, photographs by Edward Burtynsky, or a moving installation by Sophie Calle. The Whitney Museum's is now located in this area as well, and is open late until 10pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.
These galleries and museums are linked by the High Line, an elevated park situated on what used to be a railroad. Flowers and foliage grow between the rusty metal of railway tracks; vendors near the 14th Street entrance/exit sell drinks and gourmet ice cream sandwiches. Working one's way north from here, one can enjoy the various offerings of the Meatpacking and Theater Districts. There's a great selection of restaurants to pick from along 9th Avenue, including El Centro, where my friends and I like to drink excellent margaritas and eat chilaquiles after catching a show at Lincoln Center.
Heading farther north, the West Side offers the Museum of Natural History right off Central Park, as well as more off-the-beaten-path venues. At Symphony Space, for example, one can hear a Philip Glass première, watch a modern dance performance, participate in sociopolitical seminars and "talkbacks" (post-performance talks), or attend a day-long marathon recitation of James Joyce's Ulysses every 16 June ("Bloomsday").