A (Long) Walk Through NYC: A Self-Guided Manhattan Walking Tour

I mentioned on Instagram, that I’ve been feeling a little jaded with NYC lately. This tends to happen after I’ve been in a new place for around three months. The same thing happened in London and the same thing happened at school. It’s hard for me to get the motivation to do something about these feelings (being such a homebody and working full time) but my dad was in town this weekend so we decided that we would take advantage of our free time and explore a different part of the city.

I spend most of my time in Midtown or the Upper East Side, as that’s where I live and work. It’s a trek to get down to lower Manhattan so I’ve only done it once or twice. Yesterday, we walked over 10 miles, exploring the Garment District, Flatiron District, West Village, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the Meatpacking District, and Hells Kitchen. Boy, were we tired! But it was worth it, as I remembered why I liked NYC to begin with.

Here are some of the highlights from our super long walk :)

Start: Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building is an iconic New York landmark. Completed in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Today, it is featured in many New York City photoshoots and is a must-visit while in NYC.

If you’re hungry: Head to Eataly, just northwest of the Flatiron building for a little taste of Italy. Be warned: the crowds are large, but it is a unique experience.

 

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A post shared by Alex Mathews (@alex.mathews) on Jun 12, 2017 at 6:06pm PDT

Stop 2: Washington Mews

Washington Mews is technically owned by NYU, but is open to the public for most of the day. It’s a quiet little street, located between Fifth Avenue and University Place, just north of Washington Square Park. Given its eponymous ‘mews’, the street formerly served as mews before being converted into university buildings. As a sucker for some beautiful mews, it was lovely to see some again. Aren’t they just lovely? Definitely dream homes.

 

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A post shared by Alex | Life Well Wandered (@lifewellwandered) on Sep 7, 2017 at 4:49pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Alex | Life Well Wandered (@lifewellwandered) on Sep 30, 2016 at 9:09am PDT

Stop 3: Washington Square Park

This was my first time in Washington Square Park and, although we were only in it for about 5 minutes, I enjoyed it. After all the times I’ve seen it portrayed in movies and tv shows, it was nice to finally see it in person.

Bleeker Street

Another street I had heard of but never seen was Bleeker Street. We headed South from Washington Square Park and turned right onto Bleeker. I really enjoyed the relatively quiet area, filled with people brunching and enjoying the newly sunny day.

Gay Street

Another lovely street with cute abodes is Gay Street, a short, crooked street that cuts between Waverly Place and Christopher Street. It has nothing to do with the LGBTQ+ community and is a quiet little corner in an otherwise busy Greenwich Village.

Tea & Sympathy

Basically British heaven, Tea & Sympathy is located on Greenwich Avenue between Jane Street and 13th Street. While I didn’t get a chance to enjoy a nice afternoon tea (Dad isn’t the one for that sort of thing), I did get a chance to go into the small British grocery store next door, try to keep up with the witty banter of the three British guys there, and purchase some loose leaf Earl Grey tea (my favourite) and some yummy candy. I will definitely be going back for the afternoon tea. The pictures online look too good to pass up :)

Chelsea Market

This was my second time entering the madness that is Chelsea Market, but my dad wanted to take a look, so I couldn’t say no. This has to be my favourite part, but I would love to come back on a day where there isn’t actually a horde of people trying to take pictures as well.

The High Line

After Chelsea Market, we walked much of the length of the High Line and enjoyed the surprisingly decent August afternoon. I love how it gives you such a different perspective of the city. It was also crazy to see how much construction is going on in that area. It’s unbelievable to think how different the area will look in a few years.

Other pretty sights

While our day was a long one (I spent the rest of the evening laying down because my feet were so tired), it was nice to get a change of scenery without having to travel too far. It definitely helped with my boredom with NYC and gave me some more motivation to start exploring again :)

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