'New York Mania', the book to return to New York.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere (If I manage here, I can manage anywhere.) This is part of the lyrics of the song with which** Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli** sang to New York. The great metropolis with 400 years of history (its foundation dates back to 1624) is a great blender of cultures, gastronomy, fashions, customs, buildings, traffic, neighborhoods, parks, museums... Something like a large amusement park that catches everyone who steps on it , and that for some strange reason, and despite not being an easy city, hooks.
“New York still preserves a heart that pumps jets of life that is eternally renewed. Walt Whitman , another authentic New Yorker, answered in verse when asked what was good about him: “That you are here - that life and the individual exist / that the mighty show continues”.
This is one of the quotes we found in the new book New York Mania edited by Lunwerg and written by Elizabeth Cirillo and illustrated by Monica Lovati . Both, two lovers of the city, united by the same goal: to create a bible for all those who want to get lost in New York through the eyes of a true New Yorker. We don't know if even the entrails, like Fran Lebowitz tells us in Suppose New York it is a Netflix city, but almost.
A bible to discover the metropolis.
"Elisabetta did an excellent job of describing the complexity of the city. Unfortunately I never met her in person because she was already sick at the time, but she was very inspiring and clear in describe the City with 100 different themes and I tried to follow her intention to obtain a realistic and transparent image of New York”, Monica Lovatti told Traveler.es.
Unfortunately, Elisabetta has not been able to see her book published (she died of cancer a few months ago) but she has left us a magnificent legacy to enjoy the city from cover to cover. “ After reading it you will really want to visit New York ”, points out Monica, the illustrator of New York Mania.
100 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO THE CITY
New York Mania It will serve as an inspiration if you have never traveled to the metropolis, and if you have already done so,** it will serve as a point of reference as it is updated and gives references to places, restaurants, shows, curiosities and secrets that only New Yorkers know** .
For example, we know that gastronomy is taken very seriously in the city. There are hundreds of restaurants and openings almost every day, but there are also great classics that should be known and that often do not appear in the usual guides. Would you know how to choose the best hamburger, pizza or the best brunch in the city, the one that real New Yorkers go to? Elisabetta breaks down neighborhood by neighborhood those mythical restaurants and other newer ones where you can try a bite.
In the book we will find practically everything such as useful phrases, we already know that New Yorkers move by acronyms (DUMBO, NOHO, SOHO...), museums, art galleries, obsessions, famous people, the best Comedy Clubs, plans to do with children , plans to visit it as tourists, free plans in the city, theaters and where to buy tickets at the best prices, parks to go to, rooftops, luxury at a good price, visit according to the seasons, etc. In addition, of several Illustrated maps with all the essentials neighborhood by neighborhood , but not like any other guide but from a different perspective.
For example, it might not occur to you to step on the Bronx but from the perspective of New York Mania Doing it to get to know the city's avant-garde gastronomy is essential. “Many chefs who have been successful in the rest of the city have decided to return to their beloved Bronx to open restaurants. Ghetto Gastro is an example of the power of this phenomenon: it is a group of chefs who are making themselves known both for their catering and for their ambition to create meals and events that contribute to renovating the neighbourhood. It's quite an Instagram revelation."
In section secret new york , Elisabetta reveals several curious corners, one that you may not have heard much about and that has good views is... “Everyone knows Rockefeller Center and its many attractions, but few know that on its rooftop there is a wonderful garden from which you can contemplate impressive views of the city”.
In addition, there is also more practical advice such as travel and medical insurance, where to stay, connectivity, currency exchange, what to pack, how to adapt to the time change or little tips on what never to do. Very important in this regard : always leave a tip (you can choose between 15%, 18% or 20%); and always smile New Yorkers are friendlier than meets the eye.
How, then, does your illustrator suggest we visit the city? “Discover it by walking and getting lost in its neighborhoods: admire the elegant buildings of the ** Upper East Side **, take a walk to Dumbo , better if it is at sunset; visit essential museums such as MoMA, Guggenheim or Metropolitan, or lesser-known ones such as** Tenement Museum** to learn how immigrants lived at that time. Go to the New York Public Library, stroll down the High Line, pop into a 24-hour deli to find out what New Yorkers are really obsessed with.**** Or just kick back in Central Park **** and enjoy a book at any of the other parks. This seems to me the best way to visit New York for the first, second or third time. Lose yourself in it."
New York Mania.