Guide to: NYC

By: M. E. Ferreira

 This is not like any guide to New York that you have ever seen. It’s not meant to guide you to tourist sites such as the Empire State Building or to the Statue of Liberty, but to things that may not seem so grand, but are still very fun. This is a guide to my top 5 hidden secrets of New York.
 
1. Union Square Saturday Fair 
The Union Square fair is made by many different local business men located in the Union Square park in the Southern Side of New York. You may have heard of the Union Square Holiday Market (November 16th- December), but even though it has the same idea, it is not the same thing. The fair which I am talking about is not as big and grand, but still much fun. You can find almost anything there: peach preserves, beautiful flowers, pastries and even ostrich eggs (I’m not kidding!). There are other days in which some tents are up, but the real deal happens on Saturdays.
 
2. Black Tap
The Black Tap restaurant can be found throughout the city of New York (SOHO, Meatpacking, Midtown...). But you must be thinking ‘why should I go to this restaurant?’ Well, the Black Tap is a unique restaurant, because there are many delicious burgers on the menu, as well as burger salads of their own creation. However,  one of the main reasons why its always so full is due to their crazy milkshakes! There are the original ones like vanilla, chocolate, Nutella, but there are also the crazy shakes like the Brooklyn Blackout, a diverse kind of chocolate shake with a whole brownie on top. There is also the Cookie Shake which is a cookies-and-cream shake topped with an ice-cream sandwich. There is also the Sour Power, Cotton Candy and many more, so I advise you to go there if you are ever in town.
 
3. Cupcake ATM
You might be surprised by the subtitle, but this is no joke: in front of Bloomingdales there is a fully working Cupcake ATM by Sprinkles Cupcakes. It offers you a variety of choices like chocolate, red velvet and even chocolate marshmallow. There is a Sprinkles Cupcake store and Sprinkles ice-cream next to it if you would prefer, but if you are ever in a hurry and want a cupcake or if you just want it for the fun, I really recommend it.
 
4. Eataly
You might already know about this one since we have one here is São Paulo, but I recommend it all the same. For those of you who don’t know, Eataly is a huge store/restaurant fit for all of your cooking and savoury needs. There is a market with everything you might hope for, like meats, pasta, wine and even truffles! There are also a few restaurants there like Manzo. One of my favourite parts of Eataly is the Nutella Bar, where you can find dozens of food and drinks made with Nutella, like crepes, ice-cream and even lattes. You can find huge pots of Nutella and even Nutella books. So, if you are a Nutella addict or just a foodaholic, this is a must-do in New York.

5. Highline
​And, last but not least, the Highline. The Highline was originally an abandoned railroad in which was transformed into a linear park and Greenway. It runs 2.33km into the city and extends from Gansevoort Street all the way to 30th street, and it can take you anywhere in between as there are stair descending every few yards. There are food carts and vendors throughout the line, in case you want some food or a tangible memory. There are parts which look out to beautiful landscapes of the city, and it is definitely one of my favourite places.
 
I hope you take this guide into consideration and actually go to these places, since they are amazing. They are some of my favourite stops in New York, so if you go, I hope you really like them!