Howard R and BeachBoi gave me this idea
Why don't we all post our Quintessential New York Experience? What made it so " only in New York" to you? And let us know if it was as a tourist or NYer~ Thanks~

Scarlett-- cute thread idea! Most of my quintessential NY moments come during business travel, but....

-- Leaving a cocktail party at the (old) Regal UN to catch a taxi to Port Authority. The cab gets immediately cut off by another driver, which leads to the whole crosstown trip being a shouting match between my (Russian?) cab driver and a mouthy young woman from New Jersey. My cab driver's English was certainly fluent in all the curse words.

-- Waiting for a train in the Christopher Street subway station at 4 AM with a group of four girls who, apropos of nothing, started singing-- not for money, just to entertain everyone.

-- Tagging along on a friend's business trip, heading to the Metropolitan Museum Saturday afternoon. Looking at the art being sold on the street outside the Met, going in and being barked at by the guards ("No flash photography!"), getting a cab ride through Central Park (slowest cab ride ever).

-- First trip, going to the Village Vanguard to hear Kenny Barron's quartet. Getting lost while walking in the Village, ending up in the Pleasure Chest asking for directions ("Just up the block. Wanna buy anything?"-- They weren't selling toys I could easily put in carry-on luggage....). Getting into the VV, and getting barked at by a surly bartender ("What'll it be?!").

-- Most recently, going into town with my mom, meeting up with her in Penn Station. She said "We'll meet at Starbucks." Go to the Starbucks at LIRR, there's Mom with bags of toys she bought off of a sidewalk vendor. Toys that must have fallen off of a truck, if you know what I mean. She's flush with shopping triumph. I razz her all the way back to Trenton (to pick up her car): "You're gonna do ALL your Xmas shopping that way, aren't ya?!"

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center all lit up and the ice skaters down below.....

Visited NY for the first time this June. My favorite thing was being on top of the Empire State Building at midnight. It was so beautiful and the best part was I didn't realize before going that it's open-air on top. I have a great picture with an extra glow over the Times Square area.

1) Morning rush hour on the A train, one of the old ones with the long benches under the windows.

Train is packed, but one bench is partly occupied by a hobo lying down and sleeping off last night's booze and/or drugs. Needless to say, he isn't emitting the most pleasant odor... A guy shakes him awake, says something like "sit up - the train is full"! The hobo says OK and does as told and before you know it he's sitting & jammed in between commuters in their business suits.

2) Years ago, breaking down in a checker cab on the on-ramp to the Triboro after a transatlantic flight. The tow truck refused to take us so we ended up perched on the raised median (with all our luggage), trying to hail a cab???!!! This being NY, one actually stopped (not that there was a shoulder or anything mind you). The driver just said "bet you were glad I came by".

3) Checking out the obscenely sized cakes in the rotating display at the Carnegie Deli after OD'ing on pastrami.

Andre

Oh These are Sooo great! Thank you!
Keep em comin~

My favorite only-in-NY experience is more than 20 years old, but still happening today, so here goes!

When I was single, I took the train down to the city from Boston. Arrived past midnight to meet up with my friend, who had an apartment he shared with a million other friends who were all in the midst of their first jobs...Friends, decades before the show came out!! LOL

I was starving and was sure nothing would be open so late...was I ever wrong. We cruised the streets until we found something we liked, and had dinner...at 3 AM. It was a really cool restaurant with a full-sized racing car right in the middle, just for decoration! And it was packed with people and so lively. I'll never forget how thrilled I was with my big city moment (okay, okay, I was only in my early twenties then, but it's still a great memory!).

Mine is one of several birthdays spent in NYC, but this is the only one I have spent there with my husband.

We spent the morning walking all over the city, stopping for lunch at an outdoor cafe in Little Italy, then continuing on. We must have walked ten miles that day, and it was great to show him one of my favorite cities.

That evening, we got dressed up and had a wonderful, elegant dinner at One if By Land, Two if By Sea. After dinner, we had drinks at a very quaint cigar bar in the village, then went to the top of the Empire State Building. There we admired the splendid view of Manhattan and it's bridges. Before heading down again, I tossed from the top of the buidling a rose that was given to me earlier in the evening and watched it float into the distant night.

Of course, the whole day was quintessential because of where I was and who I was with, but there was something about having a fabulous meal and drinks, and then watching a beautiful rose blend in the breeze with the skyline of Manhattan.

This is a TRUE story!
About six years ago, when I lived in NY, a friend and I did an all-night bar/club hop from the Upper West Side down to the Village.
We were on a city bus about 2:30 a.m. on Broadway in the East Village when the bus driver starts screaming at some guy attempting to board the bus.
"Are you crazy? Don't bring that sh.. on this bus," the bus driver yelled.
So me and the other passengers peeked out the window to see what the guy (who looked like David Berkowitz) had that was so offensive. On first glance it appeared to be a small dog, but upon closer inspection the guy had a rat on a leash. (A very well-behaved rat, tho).
After a lot of laughter, the bus continued on and rat man walked off into the NY nite. Gotta love the Apple!

Paid my first visit to NY as an 7 year old in 1964. We went to the New York World's Fair.

I still remember a lot about that trip, the Fair, and the city. In the parlance of the day, it was keen!

As a tourist visiting New York some years ago, our quintessential experience was dinner and the theater.

We weren't sure whether to dress up or go casual that evening, but decided to dress nicely for our dinner at the Sea Grill. We were glad we did since everyone there seemed to be in formal business attire. We had a great window table overlooking the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center and enjoyed their crab cakes with mustard sauce and key lime pie.

Grabbed a quick cab ride to the theater and saw Phantom of the Opera where we felt overdressed, had a leisurely walk back to the NY Hilton from Times Square, and sat in the hotel bar for a drink before retiring for the evening.

How do you pick just one

My earliest recollection as a kid-going with my Grandmother to Macy's to see Santa Claus, then lunch at Horn & Hardart.

Early teenager-being given tickets to the Beatle's concert at the Paramount before they returned to UK after their first tour. It was a benefit so everyone was dressed up in stockings & heels . The noise in the place was deafening. At one point my Mother (who refused to let me go unescorted) thought the balcony was going to collapse on us.

Most recent-my birthday celebration with hubby. The Picasso/Matisse exhibit at the Met followed by drinks & lunch at the Stanhope (where we were married) sitting at the outdoor cafe watching the passing parade.

Since I helped inspire this thread, I suppose I should contribute. On the Tavern on the Green Thread I cited three examples that to me would constitute quintessential New York City experiences--spending a date at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, dinner at Chez Josephine and the theater and roaming the streets of the city taking pictures.
As far as one defining or most memorable experience, that took place a few years ago. My wife and I already had theater tickets and dinner reservations for the day. We came to midtown early. Having a plan in mind, I convinced her to stroll Fifth Avenue, ending up at Tiffany's. Since we were well dressed, I suggested we go in. Encouraging her to look at and try on some rings, I then put her in near shock when I informed her that she could have an early birthday present. Her look, her smile.....that was indeed my quintessential NYC experience. (PS: It was my first and, to this day, only purchase at Tiffany's!)

Thank you Howard for inspiring this thread and for such a lovely story

Every day . . . every day in New York is an awesome experience. Just waking up is an adrenaline rush. But . . .

If I had to pick one, I'd say: My father & I (young teen-ager), suite at the Plaza, stretch limo, dinner at Sardi's then Phantom with Michael Crawford & Sarah Brightman, then a huge chocolate malt at Rumplemeyer's. Thanks Dad! You rock!

I rarely go to New York in the winter -- this Florida guy just can't take the cold, but two or three years ago we went up for a week between Christmas and New Years. We arrived and it was freezing. We bought gloves and scarves from a street vendor. Just as we rounded the corner by Rockefeller Center and saw the tree -- it started snowing. I never knew that tears could freeze on your face.

This thread is terrific! And Gekko, you said it...every day is amazing here.

One of my favorites has to be Christmas last year. We had a huge snowstorm that night. Of course the only thing to do was bundle up and take our dog to Central Park. It was truly a winter wonderland of snow weighing down the tree branches and covering everything in a soft white blanket. Of course we were not the only ones with this idea, children with sleds and families building snowmen at midnight on Christmas...I'm hoping for a repeat performance this year.

Thanks Scarlett for starting such a great thread, and to HowardR for inspiring it!

I am loving these stories!

Only been there once, but what memorable New York only experiences: walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and taking pictures of Manhattan, with the twin towers dominating the skyline, strolling the streets in Little Italy during the Feast of San Gennero, seeing all of the Pulitzer Prize winning photos displayed at the Newseum, learning what our ancestors went through coming to Ellis Island from the old country, and soaking up the atmosphere of such an exciting city!

Back when I was a NYer... getting mugged in the Bronx. I told my muggers I had no cash, but they were stupid enough to take a check.

1) getting a slice of pizza at Joe's down on 7th Ave South by Father Demo Way - so sure that that one of the young guys yakking it up at the countr with his buddies was someone I recognized from my hometown that I was about to walk up and ask him where we knew each other from - stopped short of doing that when I realized it was actually Cuba Gooding Jr (who was having a great time with his buddies not being pestered by anyone and I was not about to interrupt).

2) my birthday date of two years ago - my GF at the time chartered a limo to pick me up at my NJ apt - took us for a massage at Body Central on University Place, to the New Museum for one of thjose bizarre art shows that you'd see only in NYC (e.g. a piece called "Air Above White Pedastel" - it consisted of... you guessed it - a white pedestal with nothing on it!).... then to Danube for an unbelievable dinner, off Broadway after dinner for "Under The Lintel" (great one man show) and home to her car on the ferry which crosses the Hudson. I guess I should have held on to that GF but it wasn't meant to be. None the less....it was the kind of birthday I couldn't possibly have had anywhere else

Good thread topic - I could ramble on at length on this but I'll just get wistful - had to move away from NYC area a few months ago and I still miss it intensely.