Follow Amanda's tips: AmandaGreen

Hello! I'm Amanda Green, and I live in - and love - New York. After visiting Manhattan at the age of 13, I vowed to be a New Yorker someday. (I'm originally from a Texas town so small that there's no pizza delivery.) I finally moved here in 2005 to become a public school teacher. Six years and four apartments later, I'm a freelance writer and editor. I spend my days working from home on the north side of Central Park or visiting clients in downtown Chelsea or SoHo. On a typical night, you'll find me walking around or grabbing dinner anywhere on the West side. Even when I'm at home working in front of the computer, I relish the fact that I'm doing it in New York City, and I've got the street noise to prove it!

New Yorkers are known for calling Manhattan "the center of the universe." Sure, it's bragging. But it's also true. New York City attracts the brightest, most creative people in the world. They work and innovate here. They make life interesting. They add another layer to a rich multicultural history.

Why else do I love New York -- and what do I plan to tell you about? Here's a short list: modern art, random fun, affordable adventures, and how to take it all in like a local.

You can read more about my misadventures in love, work, and public transportation at noisiestpassenger.com.

In the meantime, here are three tips to get you started:




1) "The Roses" exhibition on Park Avenue
New York's coming out of a brutal, blizzard-ravaged winter. Around Valentine's Day, sculptor Will Ryman installed 38 huge rose sculptures, along with the occasional beetle and ladybug, on Park Avenue between 57th and 67th Streets. Good news: The giant urban garden isn't covered in snow anymore. Now you can stroll the ten-block strip with a pricey ice cream cone in hand. You'll even run into real blooms -- spring's first daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips.
Google map: bit.ly/m4wdUW




2) Gotham Girls Roller Derby
You can't knock a New Yorker down easily. Especially when she's on rollerskates and goes by a name like "Bitch Cassidy." Gotham Girls Roller Derby brings together different teams from the city's five boroughs in sometimes bloody and always bawdy bouts. Events are held on weekends around the city. You can eat, drink, and be merry from the safety of bleachers, or opt for front row seats on the floor. Just don't bring your own skates - those roller derby chicks might make you use them.
gothamgirlsrollerderby.com/




3) Luna Park
Coney Island at the southernmost part of Brooklyn was once a happening place for vacationers or any New Yorker who wanted to ditch the concrete and head for the beach. The neighborhood's steadily decayed since World War II. Many people now know the area as the setting of the film Requiem for a Dream. (I promise not everyone in Coney Island has a drug addiction.) The famous Astroland amusement park was shuttered in 2008 and re-opened last year as Luna Park. Now the landmark rides - including The Cyclone, one of the oldest wooden roller coasters still operating in the U.S. - are back in business. The crowds come in June and July, but if you go now, you'll have all those game machines, mechanized thrills, and carnies to yourself.
Luna Park at Coney Island, 1000 Surf Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11224
+1 718-373-5682 (5862)
lunaparknyc.com
Google map: bit.ly/j2Wcyu

* You can follow Amanda's tips as she puts them on the site - her username is AmandaGreen

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