It’s one of the greatest ironies of living in a city filled with a wealth of wonders just outside your overpriced apartment’s front door. Too often, we New Yorkers spend so much time making rent and climbing the corporate ladder, we’re left with little to no time to take advantage of all the Big Apple has to offer.
How many of us have actually gone to the top of the Empire State Building? Trekked out to Di Fara’s for pizza? Taken in an improv show?
We talked with seven longtime New Yorkers who are planning on moving away from the city — but not before they finally had dinner at Peter Luger, visited the Tenement Museum and did all the other fun, sometimes touristy, things in the city they’d always meant to do.
JEANNE AND PETER MONKS’ BUCKET LIST
Talent rep Jeanne Monks, 30, and her husband, Peter, 32, a finance guy, are moving after more than a decade in NYC. “We’re ready for a change and a better standard of living,” says Jeanne of their reasons for leaving Hell’s Kitchen for South Florida later this month. “It’s been so easy to take living here for granted, and to waste weekends away thinking, ‘What to do, what to do.’”
Caracas Arepa Bar (93¹/2 E. Seventh St.; 212 529-2314): “I knew about it for years and wanted to check it out for a while because I’m Colombian, but I never got a chance to do it until now,” Jeanne says. The food and the atmosphere were worth the wait. “It was so cozy, and I loved the bright, vibrant decor.”
The Tenement Museum (103 Orchard St.; 212-982-8420; tenement.org; admission by guided tour only): The couple took the “Irish Outsiders” tour because Peter has Irish ancestors. “Hearing about their living conditions and wages, it’s hard to wrap around your head around it,” Jeanne says.
The Staten Island Ferry (4 South St.; 718-727-2508): “It was pretty impressive seeing the city full-frontal,” Jeanne enthuses. “They had it lit up for the 9/11 memorial. Just to see the city lit up was worth the ride.” Plus, she admits, “it was free.”
DAN NAINAN’S BUCKET LIST
Nainan, 31, is a comedian who lives in Chelsea and is headed to Hollywood to pursue career opportunities after five years here. “I don’t want to go, but I have to. Everything happens in LA,’’ says the funnyman who has performed for President Obama. “I feel like New York is my city.”
Peter Luger Steakhouse (178 Broadway, Williamsburg; 718-387-7400): “One of the best meals I’ve ever tasted in my life,” Nainan says of the $180 feast he enjoyed with a buddy. “The service was absolutely impeccable, and the waiter laughed at our jokes, too, and, of course, as a comedian I appreciated that.” The crescendo was the “divine” cheesecake topped with the restaurant’s uniquely decadent whipped cream. “It was the thickest, richest most amazing whipped cream — they call it ‘schlag,’ ” he says. “I was in seventh heaven!”
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (700 W. 46th St.; 212-245-0072): “I’m a bit of an aerospace/‘Star Trek’ nut,” the DC native admits. “Once a nerd, always a nerd.” Nainan squealed when he spotted the famed SR 71: “It’s a black widow Lock-keyed jet. It’s so cool. The fastest airplane ever made!” he enthuses.“It goes 2,200 mph — amazing. It’s the real deal.”
Double-Decker Bus Tour (multiple locations, newyorksightseeing.com): “There’s something really cool about seeing everything from the second level and looking down — it’s a new perspective,” he says of the touristy but thoroughly enjoyable ride. “You sit on the top deck and take in NYC in a relaxed, leisurely state instead of the usual frenetic go-go-go, and learn as much about the city as possible.”
MEGAN BROUSSARD’S BUCKET LIST
Social media strategist Megan Broussard, 25, has lived in Stuy Town for a year and is moving to Dallas to reunite with her boyfriend. Before leaving, the Georgia native is making up for lost time. “I’ve never seen New York during the day!” she says. “I just went from work to sleep. It’s a whole new world during the day.”
St. Patrick’s Cathedral (460 Madison Ave.; 212-753-2261): “It looks like Notre Dame, with all the detail. I totally regret not coming here for Sunday Mass,” says the lapsed Catholic. “My grandma works for the diocese. I told her I haven’t found a church in a safe nabe. She said, ‘The Lord understands.’ ”
Michiyo Fukushima art class (59 Franklin St.; 646-494-2781): “I always wanted to take a formal art class since I loved drawing and playing with watercolors growing up,” says the budding artist, who found a deal on Living Social for two classes with the noted watercolorist for just $45. “What place is better to do it than NYC with a famous artist?”
Top of the Rock (60 Rockefeller Plaza; 212-332-6868): “I’m really scared of heights — but this is so worth it,” she says.
RUTHIE WARSHENBROT’S BUCKET LIST
Ruthie Warshenbrot, 29, a program director for a nonprofit foundation, lived in the city for seven years before moving to Columbus, Ohio, for a job in August. Before leaving, the pizza lover (West Village spot Keste is her fave) tried to make the most of her limited time left in the Big Apple. “It was definitely bittersweet,” she says of her bucket list exploits. “I knew I was moving away, and yet I was spending time reminding myself what it is that I love about New York. It was a magical month of immersing myself in the beauty (e.g., Botanical Gardens), stories (e.g., Navy Yard and the Moth), and culture of the city — and a great way to spend time with the people I would soon be leaving. But I didn’t finish the bucket list, and it’s a reminder that there will always be more to do.”
Turnstile Tours’ Brooklyn Navy Yard Tour (Starts at intersection of Carlton and Flushing avenues in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 347-903-8687; turnstiletours.com): “This is probably the most unique on the list. I loved it because it was historic, cultural and, of course, New York-y,” she says of the organized tour of the 300-acre industrial park. “The story of the Navy Yard is ongoing as it makes its comeback as we speak. It’s really fascinating, and I love being places where the history actually happened.”
Rowboating in Central Park (Loeb Boathouse, East 72nd Street and Park Drive North; 212 517-2233): “I know it’s cheesy, but I went on a beautiful, sunny day, and it’s a great way to see the park — the Bow Bridge from the water is so cool. I kind of ‘get’ why people get engaged [here]. Cheesy as it is, I’d accept a proposal on that boat!”
The Moth Story Slam (various venues, go to themoth.org/events): “I can’t believe it took my bucket list to go,” Warshenbrot says of the “grand slam” storytelling contest she attended at the Highline Ballroom, where 10 New Yorkers shared stories based around a chosen theme: fall from grace. “I 100 percent agreed with the overall winner, which was a beautiful story told by a woman, Tara Clancy, who came out as gay to her retired NYC police officer father.”
FRANK POLITO AND CRAIG BENTLEY’S BUCKET LIST
Frank Polito, a writer, and his partner, Craig Bentley, a product specialist for an automotive company, both 42, live in Sunnyside, Queens. After 17 years in the city, the Detroit natives are moving to Chicago at the end of the year to live more affordably. “I’m ready to move on to greener — and less expensive — pastures,” Polito concedes, but he’s wistful about leaving. “Just last night we were walking around down in SoHo, and we stopped off at this tiny Italian place called Pepe Rosso,” he says. “We ordered some pasta and a panini to share, and we sat outside with a view of the Empire State Building off in the distance . . . It was a total ‘New York moment’ that we’re both going to sorely miss.”
PDT speakeasy (113 St. Marks Place, accessed through Crif Dogs; 212-614-0386; reservations required): “Whenever we’d go to Crif’s, we’d see the line of people waiting to get in,” Polito says of the speakeasy that serves tipples such as the Sunburn (inset) and is accessed through a telephone booth in a hot dog joint. “In the end, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, but it was still fun.”
9/11 Memorial (1 Liberty Plaza; reservations required, go to 911memorial.org): “Craig and I were both deeply affected by the events of 9/11,” says Polito, who wrote a play about the tragedy called “Another Day on Willow Street” that was staged at the NY Fringe Festival and featured both him and Bentley. “I can’t imagine leaving New York and not having a chance to see the memorial.”
Concert at Yankee Stadium (1 E. 161st St., The Bronx; 646-977-8000): “Last month we went to see Madonna for the very first time ever,” Polito says. “Being from Madonna’s hometown (Detroit), it’s hard to believe we hadn’t been to one of her concerts in the past 30 years — or seen Yankee Stadium.”