{"id":9448,"date":"2024-01-29T21:33:19","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T20:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bleisuretraveller.com\/?p=9448"},"modified":"2024-02-09T21:39:12","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T20:39:12","slug":"great-bleisure-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bleisuretraveller.com\/en\/great-bleisure-in-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Bleisure in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cNew York. Where dreams are made of concrete. Perfect for bleisure and workation – more than ever.
\nTwo journeys, two views, one tenor: there\u2018s nothing you can\u2018t do here.\u201c Kai B\u00f6cking, Sylvie Konzack<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Kai: I\u2018ll be back in the Big Apple in September for the first time in years. What has changed? Definitely the prices. New York has become quite expensive for us Germans. The strong dollar against the euro and the global price increases are certainly reasons for this. The desire to travel after the pandemic is another.<\/p>\n

New York is packed around the 11th of September. I really wanted to go to the south of Manhattan and booked the Sonder Apartments near The Battery. An American start-up for short and long stays, mainly in the USA and some European cities like London. Before leaving I receive all the important information on the app and and I am soon standing in front of a former office building that now offers about 350 serviced apartments in all sizes. There\u2018s also a golf simulator, fitness centre, co-working space, pool with roof terrace and beautiful Hudson view, and if you want, you can order a Peloton bike to your apartment. Mine is a large, modern room with white wooden flooring, a large kitchenette and an excellent WIFI in case I still need to work during my bleisure trip after my business meeting in the city. But I want nothing more than New York at the moment \u2013 and that’s exactly what I get.<\/p>\n

It’s September 11th 2023 when I\u2018m standing at Ground Zero impressed. The museum, the two water basins as a reminder of the Twin Towers, the mighty new underground complex with the Oculus Center as a wing-wielding bird – everything has been reinvented here, and at the same time I still get to witness old institutions: McSorley\u2018s Old Ale House, a few blocks from 9\/11, is not only the oldest Irish pub in New York, it is also the heart of the city\u2018s firefighters. To get a beer there on the 9\/11 anniversary, let alone finding a seat, is virtually impossible. Fire engines are parked outside, while colleagues from all over the world crowd inside to support their comrades in New York on this day.
\nAnd to drink beer, that\u2018s all there is here. Light or dark, two are always served at once. Sawdust on the floor, cash only. It\u2018s been like this here since 185 I was allowed in that day and will never forget it.<\/p>\n

\"\"On the other days, I\u2018m drawn to Manhattan\u2018s Chinatown, among other places. Because it\u2018s especially delicious there. I definitely recommend going to this shop, which doesn\u2018t look inviting at first glance: Dim Sum Go Go. Here you sit on plastic chairs and eat such incredibly good dim sum that you forget you\u2018re in New York. However, that doesn’t happen to me when I\u2018m out and about on my bike – and that\u2018s great. It feels like you can find hire bikes on every corner in New York. One of the most beautiful routes leads from Battery Park to Central Park, past all the new art buildings and renovated neighbourhoods such as the \u00adMeatpacking District on the Hudson River. My Town.<\/p>\n

Sylvie: New York on the boat and on ice<\/h3>\n

I was also in the south of Manhattan at the end of October, in a hotel with a skyline view of the 9\/11 site. On my first visit to New York over 15 years ago, the 9\/11 wound was still gaping wide open. Now everything has been reinvented twice and three times over. And the 9\/11 Memorial? It is truly impressive and gripping. What happened here is made unforgettable.<\/p>\n

When I arrive in Manhattan, however, I first want to \u201cget away\u201c from the city: The Staten Island Ferry is within walking distance. A ferry crosses over here every few minutes free of charge. I jump on and soon the most famous borough is at my feet with its skyline around the towering One World Trade Centre. Then I wave over to Miss Liberty, get off the boat on Staten Island \u2013 everyone has to do that \u2013 and after a brisk walk through the ferry harbour building, take another boat back. Pure bleisure deceleration! I’ll have to do this again at sunset.<\/p>\n

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Manhattan has added a few skyscrapers in recent years, which is unmistakable from the ferry. I want to climb Summit One Vanderbilt near Central Station and have already booked a fixed date in Germany. When it’s time, the mega tower is covered in clouds and I\u2018m allowed to come back on another day \u2013 a great service. With the new attempt, the sun and the hall of mirrors on the observation deck give it their all. The good old Empire State Building, which used to be the only building everyone climbed – within reach. I\u2018m at the Summit with friends, and I have a small, expensive cocktail and three hours\u2018 worth of watching. Afterwards, I spontaneously fulfil a princess dream and go ice skating in front of Rockefeller Center – my town.<\/p>\n

Dumbo is also new to me. A few years ago, as tourists, we didn\u2018t walk to the end of the Brooklyn Bridge. We thought it was far too dangerous. Today, and for a long time now, Asian wedding shoots are being held in the restored Dumbo neighbourhood with the Manhattan skyline in the background and cool shops are lined up next to each other, while \u00adcoworking opportunities flash up in between. But I don\u2018t want to work during the day and even go offline from my smartphone.<\/p>\n

And then suddenly it\u2018s Halloween in New York. I\u2018ve never been to the USA during this time and had imagined it to be more dominant. But it\u2018s not until the end of the working day that more and more blood-soaked shirt costumes with axes as accessories appear on the underground. The parade we want to go to is unfortunately too full and we leave soon. \u00adNevertheless, no jostling, polite requests, everyone is \u00adrelaxed. That\u2018s another thing that makes New York great<\/p>\n

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Kai B\u00f6cking & Sylvie Konzack …<\/h3>\n

\u2026 .are both Team New York and not London, if they had to choose.
\nIn the city of cities, a few weeks of workation would actually be a highlight for them – but unfortunately probably also the costs.<\/p>\n

BLEISURE TIPS NEW YORK<\/strong>
\nFood & Beverages: Dim Sum Go Go (Chinatown), Gallaghers Steakhouse, McSorley\u2019s Old Ale House, Food Market in the \u00adCentral Station
\nTower: Summit One Vanderbilt, Empire State Building, One World Observatory, Edge, Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center)
\nParks & Squares: The Battery, High Line Park, Central Park, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center and always Times Square
\nBeing Mobile: Rent a bike stations, Ferries, Subway<\/p>\n

Fotos: \u00a9 Konzack\/privat, Gregorius<\/p>\n