Lifestyle Archives - My Secret NY

Our lockdown silver linings

Left: The Cindies (photo credit: Isabella Boylston); upper right: Half Baked Harvest Instagram account (photo credit: Tieghan Gerard); lower right: Family Way The past months have been disruptive to say the least, but we’ve learned that good things can come from lockdown. While New York is slowly starting to reopen, we wanted to share some nice discoveries that we have made during this peculiar stay-at-home period. Here are some of our favorite silver linings (that you will still be able to enjoy after quarantine…

The good deed

It’s a feel-good restaurant. Because it serves a plant based detox menu? Because everything is delicious and you’ll want to devour the whole menu? Because you’re going to be seduced by the sexy atmosphere and the bar where you can sip veggie cocktails? Yes, all of that. But there’s more! PS Kitchen also has the distinctive characteristic of donating ALL of its profits to charity and employing 1/3 of its staff from underprivileged and socially marginalized backgrounds. Meet April. A woman with a big heart…

Into the wild

Left picture: Minnewaska State Park; Top right picture: beach at Sebago Cabin Camp; bottom right picture: Sebago Lake. Still no plans for Labor Day? Let’s face it: D-1 before America’s most anticipated long weekend, it’s probably too late! You won’t find the beach house of your dreams in the Hamptons or the charming lakefront cottage in the Catskills. But don’t worry, we’re not going to leave you stranded in NYC. We’re launching a special weekend rescue operation! Did you know that within two hours of Manhattan…

Yoga with a view

Few New Yorkers are able to locate Long Island City on a map. In Queens? Further east on Long Island? Here’s a clue: it’s where MOMA PS1 is located. If you have ever ventured to Long Island City it’s usually for the Saturday afternoon summer parties in the museum’s courtyard (rarely for their contemporary off-the-wall art collection – don’t kid yourself). The neighborhood’s gentrification is underway. At only one subway stop from Manhattan, just across Midtown East, Long Island City aspires to become the next…

Commandment #1: Thou shalt live in a cardboard box

“I have a co-op here. I have a place in the Hamptons, for Christ sakes.” The NY real estate paradox summarized by Bret Easton Ellis in American Psycho. If, freshly arrived in NY, your references in terms of housing are the Valmont mansion on 5th avenue in Cruel Intentions or Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze’s Soho loft (in Ghost – come on!), you will have to overhaul your standards. One word to describe the real estate market in NY: a nightmare. But you will learn….

Commandment #3: Thou shalt have the perfect blow-dry and manicure

One word to describe the New York girl: sophisticated. Two sacrosanct beauty rules to be taken seriously in NY: blow-dry and manicure. We’re not exactly sure how she does it, but the New York girl always has a flawless blow-dry and a perfect manicure. Makes you feel slightly guilty, as you still bite your nails and tied you hair back (again!) this morning because you didn’t have time to wash them… If you are totally clueless as to how the New York girl manages to keep…

Commandment #6: Thou shalt buy organic and become addicted to cold-pressed juices

New York girls are demanding: they want to eat well and on top of it, organic. Free-range, GMO-free, gluten-free, hormone-free… “-free” eating is the new snobbery in NY. There are countless organic supermarkets (Whole Foods, Union Market, Trader Joe’s …) and we are impressed both by the size and the diversity of gluten-free sections. It can be surprising to see so many stores specializing in fresh fruit juices popping up all over the city. Cold-pressed is the juice holy grail in NY. This method extracts juice…

Commandment #7: Thou shalt get a gym membership and run in Central Park

New Yorkers are workout-obsessed. Whether you feel like blissing out in yoga (zen-style), taking the 30/60/90 class at Equinox (warrior-style) or just running in Central Park, one thing is for sure: you will not escape the workout frenzy taking over all New Yorkers. In NY, fitness is a religion. Your place of worship is the gym. Equinox, David Barton, NY Health & Racquet Club, Chelsea Piers … the list is extensive and you can be sure there is something for everyone. Choosing your gym in NY is…