My Urban Sherpa

Enjoy New York like a New Yorker

myurbansherpa.net
Eat, exercise, explore? Enjoy New York like a New Yorker.

It has always intrigued me that people visit cities and places without ever really seeing the city or meeting the residents of the place. One sees tourists peppered through New York City, particularly at the winter and summers holiday seasons, guide book in one hand, map or camera in the other, confirming the description in their guide book. Yes, the Chrysler Building is tall and beautiful, a modern marvel of brick and steel construction. And yes, the Statue of Liberty is grand, historic, and worth visiting.

But are the Chrysler Building and the Statue of Liberty the elements of New York that attract people from all over the world to move to New York? No. And are these landmarks essentially what make the city a wonderfully exciting and stimulating place to live and visit? No.

What makes New York its loveable self are the people who moved here to pursue their craft to its ultimate goal - people working in the arts and academia, architecture and advertising, fashion and finance, medicine and millinery — people who find greater professional opportunities in New York City than anywhere else. The people who have set up businesses to service them have the same goals of growth and excellence, to serve better meals more cordially, to provide finer services, and to enjoy a city where every service is scrutinized, critiqued, and appreciated.

At My Urban Sherpa, we would like you to meet the New York of your guidebook and the New York of New Yorkers; the NY of Broadway shows and Times Square, Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center and Central Park. And we would like you to meet some of these places as New Yorkers do – by adding walks through neighborhoods without landmark buildings, by eating in restaurants run by their proprietors, by moving past the list of quintessential New York tourist destinations, and ambling through the city without a guide book in hand – just a joy for the journey.

From your first encounter with the city, to your fiftieth, you will find here the places we have stumbled upon, and make sure to return to. Every day is better with healthful eating and exercise–so our foundation builds on this. If you practice yoga at home, we hope you will practice here – not in your hotel room, but at one of many wonderful studios throughout town. And if you swim at home – swim here. We have listed the athletic and health facilities we couldn’t live without – and we share our favorite places with you even though it means a little less availability at our favorite spa, or more swimmers in our lap lanes.

Cheers.