Living the High Life on the High Line...on a Budget

“It’s a great place to visit but I’d never want to live there…….”

You don’t know how many times we heard this when we announced we were moving to NYC. Or something like this..... “Where in NY?”....“Manhattan.”...Pause.  “Really?!” We still laugh at this reaction yet we’re reminded every day why people would be so skeptical.

It is very surreal to live in a city that is a destination for so many tourists and international visitors. On the streets we see people from all walks of life soaking in the city and we hear up to 10 different languages a day. This is especially true in the East Village, or college-life central, where students from all over the world have come to Be A Part of It at such institutions as NYU, Parsons or Cooper Union. We are surrounded by visitors coming to witness and partake in all that is around us yet we are just trying to get kids to school, groceries home, laundry to wash. This is of course both the allure and the challenge of living in the city.

One of the hardest things about being a permanent resident is walking outside and wanting to participate in every single activity you see at your door step at any given moment of the day. We are flooded with chances to spend money at every sidewalk window, observe art on every corner, eat every delicious morsel at each outdoor café.  We'd love to eat out every night and shop at every boutique but this isn't our reality. We are not tourists, yet our kids can't understand, ‘Why Not Mommy......they are doing it?!’ or ‘You said ‘maybe next time’we could go there, that was TWO days ago!’

New York is a difficult temptation when you’re coming off of financial calamity and are faced with a family budget. Coming from Loveland CO, where we were happy if we had a night out at one or two solid restaurants downtown, here we are astounded at the options of food and drink or entertainment and shopping that this city has to offer. Every block in our neighborhood has a local market, a coffee shop, 2-3 retail businesses, salons, laundry, drug stores and bars galore. I don't mean half hazard, I'm talking EVERY BLOCK, BOTH SIDES.  Last night we walked by a new establishment selling WATER. Just water from the tap…..apparently ultra filtered, healthy, organic, vitamized or something….but just plain water. This is not a business that would fly in Loveland. But we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

In order that we don't get too discouraged, we remain determined to find fun inexpensive or FREE ways to explore this city with our kids. Over the holiday weekend we discovered Governor's Island, a fantastic island of 172 acres nestled in  the East River directly off the shores of Manhattan.  Here you can explore architectural and historical marvels galore plus rolling nature at its best during the summer months. One of the oldest US Army installations in the country then transfered to the Coast Guard in 1966, the island was ultimately turned over to local control in 2003 when 150 acres were given to the city of New York. The remaining 22 acres, mostly historic buildings and their surroundings, are designated to the National Park Service and serve as a protected National Monument.

The island has gone through many debates, design competitions and dreams thereafter yet was finally open to the public in 2010. Much of the island remains under construction, but at our visit we were pleased to find the place so open and accessible for all ages. Deemed the "Playground for the Arts," we were thrilled to discover an arts festival in the month of September that involved hundreds of artists exhibiting within the walls of old military barracks, as well as hands-on art exhibits accessible for the kids to explore, participate in, and climb upon to their hearts content.

And alas, as parents always searching for the perfect balance between parenthood and date night in a family outing, here we have the Governors Beach Club, where you can have a cocktail and your kids can get buried in sand at the same time...or you can go back and dance your ass off in the after hours. The ferry and visit to all the island's pleasures is free, and although we discovered it late in the season we found ourselves wishing the island was open year round.

Just this last weekend we discovered the High Line, which is the re-purposed elevated railway-turned-park that runs through the Meat Packing District on the west side.  It’s a fantastic example of urban renewal combined with historic transportation (you can’t go wrong when you mix trains and kids). Although a little crowded and hemmed in for children, we enjoyed the views, the public art, the natural landscape, the music and sunshine. If kids can run free in this city without getting run over it’s always a good outing.

We continued the train theme with a visit to Pier 66, which we discovered with the help of our friend/roommate Adam Brown, who helped conceptualize and complete this great floating attraction on the Hudson River. An old train barge turned restaurant/museum/public park and bar, this spot is great to take children early in the day (before the bar turns into a meat packing meat market in the evenings….although we’ve done that too). There is no cover charge to enter, and it comes complete with a caboose and tug boats for the kids to climb all over while we can sit outside and enjoy water views and an inexpensive meal (we choose hot dogs and beer over cocktails and lobster). If it’s open while you’re there, the Frying Pan, or the tug boat, alone is worth the visit. It spent many years at the bottom of a harbor before being resurrected for its new life and the rusty interior is all still intact and is a great exploratory for the family (complete with bar as well).

On our way back home on the High Line, we were greeted by tents, lanterns, lots of beautiful people and Men in Black wearing ear pieces and looking very official. My suspicion that it was a staging area for Fashion Week was confirmed: Tommy Hilfiger would be staging the first-ever catwalk on the High Line for his Spring 2013 Women’s collection in just a few hours. All of this happening right in our midst…just another surreal moment in NY.

Walking to the subway we happened across this great eye candy: Manhattan Motorcars. I fell in love with a white Porche 911 (only $250,000 pre-owned). Gavin liked the red one, Steve and Dylan the blue one (the orange Lamborghini was nice too).  The Bugatti Veyron (a 2011 for only $1.9 million) wasn’t really our style.

As we’re still paying our parking tickets and tow fees on the Toyota, we’ll pass on the Porche. I guess we’ll pass on the champagne at the bar and opt for the $8 bottle of orange juice at the local market instead. Instead of  "Super Water" I’ll just give a regular bottle of water and sandwich to the drunk homeless guy who asked us for something to eat on our walk to school. Rather than Tommy Hilfiger maybe we’ll go to the Salvation Army again this week. This is Consignment Manhattan style: brand names with price tags in tact and labels if you're willing to look. Just another alternate reality in the reality that isn’t reality that is NYC.

Here are some more fun, free, finds to check out if you visit (thank you to the amazing parents at CWS (Beth & Robert):

Staten Island Ferry (fantastic boat ride and view of the Statue of Liberty)
Ferry to Ikea  (drop kids off while you shop...buy some meatballs and pay for the ferry!)

NY Public Library http://www.nypl.org/

Central Park http://www.centralparknyc.org/

More to come………

-Tiffany