Where Bloggers Live: NEW YORK
Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After
My mother always said the best thing about living in New York was that in under two hours you could be at the beach, the country, farmland, the city, or the mountains. And she may have been right. You can really get the best of all worlds.
And some of those worlds are, well a world apart. Here on Long Island we speak of NY as being in three parts: the Island, the city, and “upstate” (anything north of the city). When most people from other places think of New York, they picture “New York City,” the tiny island of Manhattan, which is actually the smallest part of New York.
New York City actually consists of five distinct boroughs (all indicated in brown at the left – fish-head – end of Long Island in the map above): Manhattan (a tiny island unto itself), Queens and Brooklyn (which are actually physically part of Long Island, though inhabitants of those boroughs will fight you tooth and nail on that point), Staten Island (which really seems like part of NJ to me…and probably a lot of others, too), and the Bronx, which is north of the city and the gateway to “upstate” and western New York. The Bronx is actually the only one of the five boroughs that is attached to the mainland of New York state, and not an island.
NYC is home to many famous landmarks you all know of: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center. Those landmarks draw a LOT of tourists: a record 67-million in 2019. We have fantastic museums and restaurants and live theater and shopping and fashion…and interesting, kooky, fun, artistic, entertaining people! I think NYC probably has the best people-watching in the world.
Being mostly islands, Long Island and New York City have a LOT of bridges. Eleven biggies, to be exact, connecting all the islands to one another, to the mainland of New York state, and to New Jersey. If you don’t like bridges, this is not the place for you. I used to have A Thing…when driving over a bridge I would have to really control my hands from not turning the steering wheel and heading off the side of the bridge. I never did it, but I always felt like I was about to if I didn’t really keep myself in check. My friends love hearing that story, ha ha, especially when I’m the one doing the driving.
Incidentally, the George Washington Bridge, which connects NY to NJ is the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge. Lots of comings and goings here. Millions of people work in NYC but it’s so outrageously expensive to live there that many live in the outer boroughs, New Jersey and even Connecticut.
Being “water-locked” (Is that a term? Like “land-locked,” but water?), NY also has a lot of lighthouses. Fifty-one. A lot are down here on the islands and the Hudson River…but I think there are even more in Western New York along the Great Lakes.
Did you know that New York goes so far west that it butts up against the Great Lakes? And to the north it borders on Canada. NY is pretty big! A lot bigger than tiny New York City. It’s the 27th largest state, so right about in the middle size-wise…but with 20-million people, it’s the 4th largest, population-wise. And most of those people are in the five boroughs of NYC and Long Island.
Once you get north of the Bronx and head “upstate,” the geography changes from beachy and urban/suburban to mountains and forests. Towns are smaller, homes are further apart. It’s quieter and more peaceful.
And it’s cooler, compared to Long Island’s humid, subtropical weather. They get a LOT more snow up there. Like 100-200″ in a winter. That’s a lot of snow! And upstate is where you go leaf-peeping in the fall as you get wonderful views of the mountains painted in all the shades of autumn.
Both Long Island and upstate are home to many wonderful historic mansions and estates.
The capitol of New York is Albany, which is upstate. I’ve never been there.
It will be interesting to see how Emily of Dust&DogHair describes NY as she lives here also but is one of those “Western New Yorkers.”
I admit I have not traveled to western NY at all and haven’t really been too far up into northeastern (? is that a thing?) NY much. But I would like to start making some little mini-trips to the parts of NY I have never been.
You up for a visitor, Em??
Have you ever been to NY? If so, what was your favorite thing? And if you haven’t, why not? It’s awesome and there’s something here for everybody.
Don’t forget to check out the other ladies today to see what they’re sharing on this month’s edition of Where Bloggers Live!
Carol Ahuja
This was really interesting and super informative! The photos are beautiful and the map really highlights the various areas of the state. New York is really diverse and so much to offer in terms of culture, history and scenery. I have been to The City a few times as well as West Point and Hyde Park. Much different than SoCal where I live! This would be great to submit to a travel publication.
bettyewp
Funny, SoCal is my other favorite place! It’s different, but equally as wonderful in its own way!
Hayley
I had no idea how big New York was, and how much natural beauty was actually on offer. We have a visit planned for the end of the month (coronavirus permitting) and had not factored any of this into our visit. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It certainly requires a rethink. Kind regards, Hayley x
bettyewp
Ooh, hopefully you’ll be able to take your trip…though with the way things are moving along here, I don’t know what’s still going to be open! More things in the city and the Islands are closing every day. Where were you going?
Hayley
We’re staying in Upper West Side to be close to Central Park. But like you say, what will still be open for tourists by then is looking bleak. Thankfully we only have the hotel and flights booked and they can be changed if Mr Trump decides to deny our entry or if our travel company cancels. We can then get a refund or defer our trip (we cannot make this decision if we wanted to, at the moment). It’s a waiting game for us now. The timing sucks because the trip is to celebrate hubby’s 40th birthday, however if it means that fewer people become unwell then of course that is paramount.
For once in our lifetime, the world is working together…but what a cost!
Stay well. Hayley x
Joanne
I live in Ct so I’ve been to NY quite a few times– we’ve gone into the city to catch a show or do some shopping a few times. We’ve toured the Statue of Liberty and looked out from the top of the Empire State building. We’ve also driven up to Niagara Falls a few times and even stayed there for a full week exploring the whole area on both the US and the Canadian sides. It really is a pretty state and your opening remarks reminds me a bit of where I live. We’re about an hour from 3 cities, the beach, the mountains, an we live in the country with farmlands not much of a drive away at all.
bettyewp
Well, my mother would have liked Connecticut then, too!
Iris
Great geography lesson. I probably knew at least some of that back in another life. Have visited the state a couple of times – many years ago. Haven’t looked at a map in eons so didn’t really realize how tiny NYC and the islands are in comparison to the rest of the state.
Have a grandson who recently moved to Buffalo (I know, it’s COLD there) and he really likes it so far.
Great job on the Blog.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
I’m ALWAYS shocked when I look at maps! Things are NEVER where I imagine them to be.
Marceline Miller
So interesting — taught me things i never understood about NY — having only ever been to Manhattan — thanks! I agree with the other commenter – this would be great for a travel pub or tourism info for your state!
bettyewp
Thanks! It always seems more complex to me than other states, geographically, culturally. I remember many years they (“they”) were trying to make Long Island its own state. I don’t recall what the arguments were, for and against, obviously it never happened. But that’s how NY is – each section seems SO separated and distinct from all the others – like they’re really not part of the same state at all!
Kimberly F. Malkiewicz
Unfortunately, one does kind of forget the NY exists outside of NYC. It really is a beautiful state. I’ve been to Champlain and Niagara Falls, can’t forget those Buffalo wings!
bettyewp
Ha, yes, Buffalo wings!
Em
Dang…the post in draft stage is what you were looking for…but the weight of the moods around me took me to a different interpretation. Sorry…my post will disappoint.
There is SO much to see and do across NY! I enjoyed all that you shared. Very informative.
I’ll look forward to that visit when all this madness ends!
bettyewp
I don’t understand your comment 🙁 Maybe when I get to your post it will make sense?
jodie filogomo
We are big NYC visitors..I always said that if it weren’t so expensive, I would live there. Well, maybe. Yet we’ve never made it to other parts. Maybe we will start exploring more now that we are retired!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Daenel T.
It’s always funny to me to read other people’s experiences with New York…. Mine are so very different.
I’ve been to The Met. Loved it but was incredibly nervous the whole time because…
When I was a kid, we visited my dad’s family who live in Jamaica, NY, and we decided to hit the tourist spots. We had so much fun. I saw Mayor Ed Koch and he waved at me. I was thrilled. I was a weird kid.
Anyway, we were heading back to the car because my mom or my aunt forgot something. As we’re walking back, we see a guy picking the lock on the door. He did not stop. Even as my dad and his brothers approached him. Finally, they flexed a bit and the guy took off running.
It was the most bizarre experience. Even Mayor Koch waving at me couldn’t get that out of my head. LOLOLOLOL
bettyewp
Yes, NY (especially the city and the 5 boroughs) (well, the city IS a borough so it’s really the city and the other FOUR boroughs but…) has been (and can be still) a threatening and even dangerous place. There aren’t MANY places I won’t go…by day. But I’m sure there are areas I wouldn’t relish walking through at night. But it’s SO MUCH better than it was up through…I guess the early 90s? It WAS a dangerous place.
Was that the last time you were in NY??