[title]
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear...New York. Happy birthday to you! Exactly 350 years ago today, 150 British sailors landed in what is now Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn. Just a couple weeks later, the settlers changed the land's name from New Amsterdam to...you guessed it—New York! And that's how the best city ever came to be. New York, we love your style, we love your snark, we love your pizza. Omg, your pizza. Hell, we just love you. If you love NYC as much as we do, here are quintessential ways to celebrate the best fucking city of all time. Now's your chance to act like a tourist in your own city.
- Go to Central Park this week while it's still warm. It's smack dab in the middle of Manhattan and since it's a New York staple, it's understandably the most visited urban space in all of the United States. Obviously. Go birding, go boating, go biking, go see Belvedere Castle, Central Park Zoo, and of course laying out in the sun is always an option.
- Nobody can deny the warm, cheesy truth that New York has the best pizza. Honestly, as long as you're not hitting up Sbarro, or at a place that requires fork use, you can't really go wrong at any of NYC's "pie" shops. But since it's New York's birthday, it only makes sense to head to one of the city's most established pizza places, out of pure respect. There's Lombardi's of course, or spots like John's Pizzeria and Joe's are great, too. If you're on a health binge, try Two Boots.
- Go to MoMA PS1. Little known fact; this Long Island City (Queens) contemporary art institute is the oldest and largest of it's kind in the U.S. There's still time to hit up PS1's weekly summer party Warm Up, where they have DJs, live art installations and just quality fun, you guys. Go have fun.
- Walk or ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's one of those "typically tourist-y" things that is not overrated. The scene from the middle of the bridge is so stunning you'll lose track of time starring at it.
- Head to the Bronx Zoo. It's arguably the best zoo in the city, and right now there's an exhibit called Dinosaur Safari where you can witness life-like replicas of species in what look like their natural habitats. Our inner nerds love this exhibit.
- Go to a show at Bowery Ballroom. Ok Go will perform there pretty soon. Remember their treadmill music video? That was cool.
- Greenwood Cemetery is a secret treasure of New York City. Brilliant New Yorkers like artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and Boss Tweed rest there , and the site has bizarrely fantastic events like reenactments of New York battles, trolley rides and walking tours that tell you all about the cemetery's history.
- Do a Historic Flatiron Walking Tour. You'll learn about some of downtown's most notable buildings, which you may often walk past without a second thought. Before you know it, you'll become a sort of New York historian in your own right.
In true New York fashion, there is no official celebration for the best city's birthday. Nah, Mayor de Blasio has no surprise bash planned. But we kinda like it that way. New York doesn't need a birthday party. As far as we're concerned, every day living in NYC is a party.