New York | Great Lawn | Central Park | NYU

SHOPPING
"Outdoor flea markets and street fairs are a big part of New York living. There's usually an advertisement in The Post, but just walk and you'll stumble across them. There's one by NYU right off of Broadway next to Tower Records. It's booth after booth after booth. Different artists sell their wares, anything from clothing from new designers to jewelry to handmade hats. There's an outdoor flea market on 26th Street in Chelsea that is all antique furniture. There is some low-end stuff, but also really exquisite high-end antique furniture. You'll see the top interior designers in the city scouring this flea market."

ONE GREAT DAY IN NEW YORK

"My husband and I were dating while we were classmates in NYU's Graduate Acting Program. At the end of our first year, we were so happy to have gotten through it that we decided to celebrate as a class. All 19 of us met on the steps of the Met. One of our classes was a circus class, so when we got there our entire class was juggling like clowns with these big juggling pins. Tourists were walking by and watching and somebody gave us a dollar in a hat. We then all went to the Great Lawn in Central Park and set up our picnic and juggled and watched other people have picnics and impromptu softball games. It was a clear, sunny day, and we could see all the beautiful high-rise luxury apartments surrounding the park, and we were all in sweat pants. We had no money. We were just students. … It was sort of a tapestry; everywhere you looked, there was another little individual experience going on: people riding their bikes or sleeping or lovers on blankets cuddling. I'd only been in New York for probably not even a year, but I sat back and thought, 'I am now officially a New Yorker.' All you have to have is a penny in your pocket and a place to sleep. All you have to do is love the city, and you are a New Yorker."