MY Secret NY

Commandment #2: Thou shalt not go north of 14th street

We are (of course) teasing! If NY high society lives exclusively west of Lexington Avenue between 63rd and 94th Street, and if French expatriates only swear by downtown, what is amazing about NY is that everyone gets his share! Manifesto: My Secret NY is commited to sharing ALL tips: downtown, uptown, brooklyn, upstate, midtown (hmmm… don’t push it too far!) To show our good faith, here’s a tip 112 blocks north of 14th street. Yes, in Harlem. Red Rooster: a picturesque place for a festive group…

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 #4: Thou shalt date, casually

New York City, AKA Singles City, where everyone is looking for love. You will nevertheless have to adapt to the local customs of “dating”. A hobby made in NY, highly standardized and often frustrating. You have probably already tested the different dating apps: Tinder, Happn (a Frenchy!), Hinge, etc. We’ll let you manage. But once you have found your date, we can help with the date spot. One of our favorite dating places is 2nd Floor on Clinton. First, because it is a speakeasy. You…

Commandment #5: Thou shalt take a cab to go 5 blocks

You’ll know you’re a real New Yorker when, in a cab, you have completed the below checklist: – repeated your destination address 8 times before your cabbie gets it – argued (fiercely) with your driver about the less-desired route he just took – cursed all cabbies who, at 4 pm during the shift change, refuse to take you because they are not going in your direction – got (surprinsingly quickly) intimate and discovered the incredible lives of your cabbies: an unhappy arranged marriage in India, a…

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…

Commandment #8: Thou shalt shop on Sundays

NY is to the shopaholic what Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is to chocoholics. An El Dorado. Shops everywhere, open 7/7, with tempting sales at -70% off. From the lavish boutiques on 5th Avenue to the thrift stores on the Lower East Side, this is the bottom line: you will find happiness. The trendy spot we would like to share with you today is “Story”. The idea of the founder, Rachel Shechtman, was to shake up the routine of stores operating by collection and season and thus, radically…

Commandment #9: Thou shalt not cook anymore but shalt order take out with the snap of a finger

NY is the realm of service. You can get almost everything delivered to your doorstep under 30 minutes. Your dinner (Seamless), groceries (Fresh Direct) or alcohol (Drizly). And most of the time you can get delivered at all hours. Late-night munchies? You should know that in Manhattan you can order cookies straight out of the oven with a glass of milk delivered at home. This is the tailor-made concept of Insomnia Cookies. Originally launched by an MBA student at Wharton for students cramming late at night…

Commandment #10: Thou shalt grab your coffee to go and replace your traditionnal croissant by a bagel

I know. You like your coffee in espresso version, and your snack from Pâtisserie des Rêves in Paris (and nothing else). But you will have to get used to local gastronomy! It is not as bad as it sounds, don’t worry. First, coffee does not limit itself to the Americano of Starbucks. New Yorkers are actually roasting puritans and there are a plethora of places brewing good coffee (try Toby’s Estate for example). As for treats, it’s all a question of addresses. Donuts, cookies and other American…