At the risk of a raised eye brow or two, my quitessential nyc experience involved Jackie O. on a teeny tiny elevator, multiple times. Since she lived in the same building where I was, I often found myself sharing an up or down trip, just the two of us. She was a lovely person, very kind, and not at all hard to talk to. We had a few laughs over an extended period of months, and even the two guys working the lobby always smiled after her appearances in mid afternoon when she came home from her editor job. Nice lady, and she is missed.

I was just going to say, "I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge last Nov." but now I feel like it is lame. LOL.

While living in NYC attending grad school in 1979, my friend and I had just spent a long evening in The Village and then hopped on the subway back home. The only other people in our car was a young man who was smoking, playing his boom box pretty loud, and smiling at us, and a "bag lady" sleeping on the seat near us. This man kept eyeing us, and we huddled closer together. He started walking towards us, and I had my mace in my pocket, ready to go.

He got right near us and put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a $5 bill and put it in the hand of the sleeping bag lady.

I grew up in Queens and now live near Boston. As a kid, I remember going into "the city" in the fall and winter with my parents, getting out of the subway at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, and smelling the chestnuts and pretzels from the street vendors. I can still close my eyes and remember that smell. Last January, I was in Manhattan on a freezing cold Saturday with my husband just walking around midtown, stopping into a store every few blocks to defrost, and having a wonderful time! What a great city!!

kalmia, not lame at all. I have lived here a loooong time and I have never Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge!

It was really excellent though slightly sad without the twin towers.

Austin - Love it! VERY NY.

I'm a Virginia girl, born and bred, but love New York, and try to spend at least a weekend there every year. The stories I tell about my New York visits don't involve the tourist sites, but real "New York-y" things, like these: Having breakfast at a coffee shop near Columbus Circle. My husband asking the waiter, "Can I have a cup of coffee?" The waiter replying, "IT'S A COFFEE SHOP, AIN'T IT??" The same waiter greeting "Hey Maestro!" to a conductor in a tux with his booth table covered with sheet music. Young working girls dressed entirely in black, every accessory, black. Our turbaned cab driver, having no idea where the Metropolitan Museum of Art was. And not quite quintessential, but a fond memory -- my mother's horrified face as she turned around to see her 8-year old Virginia daughter (me) holding the subway doors open for the departing passengers.

Awww, what a good Virginia girl you are!! LOL, thank you for keeping this going, these stories are all so fine!
Fodors should publish some of these !

My quintessential NYC experience was my very first trip to NYC in the summer of 1982 as a teenager with my mother and 2 brothers. We stayed with Jewish friends who were pretty well to do, they lived in a penthouse in the West End Avenue/Riverside Dr area. Ed Bradley lived in the same building on the same floor and being young and oh so giddy headed at the time, I remember being in awe as he rode the elevator with us on a few occassions. Lovely area with Broadway, Riverside Park and the Hudson River close by. We would go biking or roller blading in the park - such fun. I also recall getting up some mornings and walking to nearby Zabars for fresh bagels and cream cheese - yum! Definetly a true NY experience in and of itself. It was also on this trip that we did the Statue of Liberty, climbing all the way up into the crown...I still have pictures of us taken on the ferry going over. I have been back to NYC numerous times since then but I always recall that first trip with very fond memories as being my quintessential NY experience.

Enya - you should have left off the other "irrelevant" details too such as the "fresh" "young" "giddy". Why be descriptive at all? Why not just post - "I went to NY once." Skip all the details. You can be assured of being completely relevant.

Well, now, hang on a second, folks. I can see why some of us (me included) might tend to bristle a little bit. Enya refers to "Jewish friends who were well-to-do." Those of you who are not anti-Semitic probably don't realize that we often hear things like "Well, you're Jewish so you must have money." I've heard stuff like that all my life and maybe we can become overly sensitized. I'm sure Enya didn't mean anything by her comment but that's where I assume the reaction comes from.

Wonderful thread, Scarlett, making me terribly nostalgic. I grew up in the midwest and first visited New York when I was about 8 years old. It was love at first sight, and 10 years later I returned to attend college there.

I recall a winter Sunday when it was snowing lightly and we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Lower Manhattan was deserted -- this was long before Tribeca or even Soho were fashionable places to live and shop. The snow had just begun falling that morning and was softly building up a clean white quilt on the dark buildings and streets. Everything was white and still and perfect. I was 18 and living in New York and my best friend and I sang silly songs all the way across the bridge.

What a great thread... I guess mine is from 1969 when I had just graduated high school and went with my "cool"cousin and her hip friends to NYC for the first time. We stayed at the Americana Hotel and ate at Sardi's where I had my first drink.. a wild Sloe Gin Fizz ( hey, we were good girls). One day we were walking down the street when I spotted "Steven Frame" a character on Days of Our Lives Soap Opera. We chased him down and begged him to tell us whether he was the father of Rachel's baby. I said I was going to college and wouldn't be able to watch any TV. He looked a bit scared and walked away, insisting that he didn't know ... only the writers knew. I was so impressed with myself for recognizing this guy just walking along.
I also recall a few dirty old men encounters which freaked us out at the time.

More recent memory was hubby taking me to The Rainbow Room for our anniversary... food stunck but oh, that atmosphere!

My quintessential NYC experience was my very first trip to NYC in the summer of 1978 as a newlywed with my husband. We stayed with WASP relatives who were pretty well to do, they lived in a large house in the Stanford, Connecticut area.

Sound SOMEWHAT familiar?

No, I do not think that would be the way I would choose to start my description of that event. It does lead into stereotyping, which can be hurtful to some members of the group being stereotyped and then they can "bristle." I also think it's OK etiquette for whoever has bristled to say that he/she has not liked the stereotyping. Then we can see that, take better care next time, and then move on. Just my two cents' worth.

Correction. Make that Stamford, Connecticut.

Thank you very kindly, kk

De nada, Scarlett, de nada.
You started a lovely thread.

Please people, without distracting from this otherwise wonderful post, understand that I meant nothing out of the ordinary by my reference to my friends in my earlier posting and I am truly surprised at the reactions. The trip was really a coming together of cultures, my family hailing from the Caribbean (how we became friends with this special family is a whole other story), but we were treated to NYC through their eyes which only added to the intrigue of the city and overall experience for us. It was a brilliant first exposure - even at that age, I could appreciate it all. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Enya, that was a very gracious response and helped explain your first reference. Well done!