How To Say Goodbye to New York City
 

As most of you know, we are moving out of town, Southward bound.
The weather and the amount of packing I have had to do, plus Christmas shopping etc, has kept me in and busy.
Starting next week, I want to go out often, regardless of weather and say goodbye to NYC, my home for the past 30-something years.
Now I have my own personal favorites, but I don't want to miss anything..so...
If you were leaving your hometown, what would you say goodbye to, where would you go one last time, how would you want to remember it ?
Howard and all you New Yorkers, I am counting on your especially :)

Having lived here my whole life, one of my favorites has always been the Central Park Zoo. I'd have to stop in to say goodbye to Gus the Polar Bear.

Chicago wasn't our hometown, but we grew to love it. When we were being transferred, we decided to act like we were on vacation but with a twist - on a generous expense account. We wined and dined at Charlie Trotter's, Tru, Everest, The Drake, sailed on the Odyssey, etc.

Our delicious taste of the life of royalty was wonderful. There are not many places to live that lifestyle and I am so glad we sampled it while we were there.

While we had always enjoyed the cultural advantages of a large city, like many middle class folk, we always put off the big ticket items as being too flashy. However, flash is what makes New York and Chicago, and we miss it all.

I have never been a resident but I do have my favorites in NYC. I guess I'd start at what is my main point in NYC, 57th and Fifth. I'd walk down Fifth Avenue and feel the pulse of the city. I'd stand and watch the skaters (at least this time of year in Rockefeller Center), visit St. Patricks. Then wander over to the theatre district and see if I could get a standing room ticket for a hot broadway play.

One afternoon would have to be Central Park and the Met, then a walk down Central Park West.

I would take the Circle Line Cruise, even if it was the first time. I'd try to go to Zabars on a Saturday morning, go up to the Cloisters, have some steamers at Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station and be proud that I was able to live in such an exciting city for so many years. LMF

As a downtowner - I'd walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (even if it's freezing!) from Brooklyn - have dim sum at my three favorite places on East Broadway, walk over to Di Paolo's and get Lou to send me monthly care packages, take one last tour of the tenement museum to thank my grandparents and remember my first apartment above a sweatshop on Grand Street, stroll back thru Soho and have a drink at Balthazar . . . and then change my mind and never leave . . .
Sorry Scarlett ! I don't think I could do it - but I wish you well . . .

I don't know how I am going to do it either!!
But we have a lot of fun stuff planned and the good thing is, we can come back and visit whenever we wish.
I just sort of grew up here and all of a sudden it is hitting me that I can't just run over to the Met when I feel like it, or see the bear at the Central Pk Zoo :) or sit in the back pew at St Patricks and just watch and be quiet.
No more Sunday lunches at Saks overlooking Rock Center!!
Soho and Chinatown (gotta get my art supplies), Little Italy, ices, breakfast at the Cupping Room.
any movie at the Angelika, if I arranged a care package, there would be one from Zabars, one from E.A.T., Sarabeths!, go ahead, lets hear from you all...
Pup will be bereft at not being able to play at his fav dog run at the Natural History Museum ((&))

Go pig-out at Katz's

Stock up on knishes from Yonah Schimmels.

luv2fly, somehow "pig" out at Katz's doesn't go together LOL

I think you hit on something with the care package idea - why not make up one for yourself with some of your favorite New York City items? Open it when you get to you new destination - maybe a little bit of the old "home town" will help make the new town "home".

Scarlett--after you leave, when you're having withdrawals, just let me know and I'll send you that care package!

Thank you, honey :)

Great question, Scarlett!
In no particular order, these are the farewell activities that pop into my head:
*Stroll through the Impressionists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
*Listen to La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera.
*Have dinner at Chez Josephine and make sure that Jean-Claude spends time with us.
*Stroll on Fifth Avenue at night, taking in the sights and lights of Christmas.
*Beg, borrow or steal tickets to again see Lane and Broderick in The Producers.
*Take long walks with camera in hand all over the city.
More to come.....

The Met on a Friday Night has always been one of my favorite NYC things to do. Of course, it would be more enjoyable if it were June, but the Met is still the Met.

A drink at Morrel's Wine Bar across from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, is a good winter time substitute for the PenTop Lounge at the Peninsula.

I'd go to Gray's Papaya and have the 2-dog with fruit smoothie special -- that's just what kind of girl I am! And I'd grab a large carrot juice from a streetside shop. Why is it you can't find those anyplace else? And be sure to buy loads of really cheap street merchandise, especially sunglasses. You'll pay $35 for those in the South. Get really foul-mouthed with a cabbie who refuses to take your bags out of the trunk and instead just pops it open and never moves from his seat -- you'll never do that anywhere else. And wear your heels down from walking blocks and blocks to look for a specialty item that you can't find anywhere where you're going. Where are you going anyway?

I'm trying to help you look at the bright side.

And you are doing an excellent job, Tandoori Girl :)
I like the idea of getting foul mouthed with a cabbie, I haven't actually done that yet, maybe I should before we leave.
We are moving to Florida.
But not the older retired beach kind of Florida :)
Serendipity !! will they share the recipe for the Frozen Hot Chocolate with me now?? After all these years of asking, maybe he finally will give it to me since he will surely miss me :)

Why have you decided to move to Florida?

Alas, there is no wonderful Seredipity here. What a place. What you need to keep in mind is that NY is just a 3-hr nonstop plane ride away (at least it is from Tampa, although there's fewer nonstops offered from Miami). And this privilege can often be had for less than $150 rdtrp. Such a deal. It takes longer than that to get to the farthest reachest of Long Island, girl!

(Say a long goodbye to the train, any train -- Florida just doesn't do trains the way NY does, sadly -- say hello to air-conditioning all year round -- and no ice-scrapers in your glove compartment)

Scarlett, they sell packaged frozen hot chocolate mix at Serendipity, and it's actually very good. Buy a case and ship it down!

Thank you almesq!
You never told us how the flight home was after the snow storm!

Ahh, Scarlett! You know what they say, "You can take Scarlett out of NYC, but you can never take the NYC out of Scarlett."

I don't think there's any better place to say a goodbye to a city than in its art museum. Yes, every major city has its own share of Monets, but the similarity ends there! Art museums have such a perfect flair for capturing their home city's atmosphere and flavor. The Met in NYC is so different than its counterparts in Chicago, Boston, etc. Stroll the art museums, Scarlett, and say a temporary goodbye to all your faves (yes, we all know that you'll be back for many a visit!). And then hit the gift shops for some really unique presents to carry with you to your new Southern home!