Hi all! I'm hoping you all might be able to help.  I'm running out of places and this seems like a good crowd to ask.

I have a blog about those places around the US and Canada that have managed to defy the commercialization of our cities and stay unique.  I'll be touring the US and eastern Canada next year and need new places to write about, but I need to know what you think might be worthy.  Past posts have included things like The Owl Bar in Baltimore, Fred's Records in St. John's, the Palms Bistro in Milwaukee, the International Spy Museum in DC, Crown Candy Kitchen in St. Louis...you get the idea.

If you have a second, would you mind telling me the one place that the locals think defines your hometown?

Any help is appreciated...thanks!

Kate

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www.defiantlylocal.com

Honestly, I can't speak for "locals" in New York, because you can talk to an Italian from Brooklyn, a Columbia professor and a Village artist, all of whom are "local" and they'd all have wildly different answers for you . . . But I will tell you a few places that I love about my hometown :)

Place 1 isn't so much a place as an event . . . in the spring and summertime, several times a week, Union Square turns into a farmers' market. You can wander the stalls, buy some excellent cheese, bread, homemade preserves, etc. (even wine from this AWESOME local winery, Tickle Hill . . . cheap and yummy), then find a bench in Union Square Park and eat while people-watching. ALL sorts of people wander through Union Square. It's really a great way to spend some time.

Place 2 - Cleopatra's Needle on 92nd Street and Broadway. Now . . . the last time I was there was a few years ago, but I hope what I am about to say is still true. It's a great, unpretentious jazz bar - a little crowded, a little divey, and (at least a few years ago), after it gets late enough, random people start getting on the little stage to jam together. Every so often, the jazz really is electrifying. It's not as famous as other jazz clubs like the Blue Note, but, for me, Cleopatra's Needle was the epitome of what I imagined a "jazz joint" to be. 

Place 3 - Karma Bar, 1st Ave and 3rd Street. Now, this might turn you off - it's one of the last remaining places in New York where you can smoke. But I just love it - it's the perfect balance between divey and comfortable. The decor tries to be a little Eastern-chic (it's a hookah bar) and mostly fails; the crowd is unpretentious and not very loud (I've never seen the college crowd there); and I once had a bartender tell me that the only drink he really knew how to mix was "a pint of beer." Considering that most other Manhattan bars are staffed by wannabe models who earn their tips by setting perfectly good drinks on fire while twirling in place and flexing their pecs, I appreciate a scruffy, slightly surly bartender who has no intentions of trying to impress me.

Place 4 - Brennan & Carr's in Brooklyn, Nostrand Ave and Avenue U. They've been slinging what some consider is the best roast beef in NY since 1938 and they are still scruffy and relentlessly un-glam. Eating there is a very Brooklyn experience. If you do make it out there, try the cheese fries. (BTW, if you do venture to Brooklyn . . . please take a trip to Coney Island! It's not as pretty as some might like, but it has a very old, very genuine "smell" around it, if you know what I mean.)

Place 5 - the cathedral of St. John the Divine at 112th and Amsterdam. BEAUTIFUL cathedral, quite well-known, but, because it's so far uptown, it doesn't get that much tourist traffic. Be sure to take a long walk around the grounds of the cathedral. There MAY be some sorts of tours, but I have no idea - I went to school near it, and a walk around there never failed to calm me down. It has a very serene, unaggressive beauty about it. Oh, and Grant's tomb is right around the corner as well, as is Riverside Church and Columbia University (not a bad campus to bumble through for a little while).

Place 6 - the UCB theater - home of the Upright Citizens Brigade, if you're a fan of improv. It's at 26th St and 8th Ave, I think. I think a couple of their graduates have gone on to shows like Saturday Night Live (Amy Poehler, for sure), but their shows are still dorky and fun, they still have free admission to their 9 o'clock show, and there is nothing at all pretentious about them.

I could probably keep rattling off random places and activities, but I think I should stop now :)
 

You are looking for individual buildings/establishments, as opposed to whole neighborhoods or areas?

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

What a great list!  I actually get a couple of weeks in NYC, so I may try to hit all of these.  Thanks so much!

 Kate

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www.defiantlylocal.com

MikeB:

You are looking for individual buildings/establishments, as opposed to whole neighborhoods or areas?

It could actually be either...I love traditional neighborhoods and have written about them as well as individual establishments.  Could be arts centers, could be restaurants/pubs, could be a landmark...whatever that one place that hasn't sold out completely to corporate and has a unique local vibe - the place that works because it's in the city it's in - is what I need.

Thanks for your help!  Would love to hear any thoughts.

Kate

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www.defiantlylocal.com

B

About 30 miles north of Boston, Cape Ann is a little peninsula sticking out into Massachusetts Bay that boasts some popular beaches - Crane Beach in Ipswich, Wingarshaek Beach and the beach at Manchester-by-the-Sea with its singing sands.
Out at the tip of Cape Ann lies Gloucester, a fishing port, and Rockport a small community that is know for its artist colony.
If you like to browse art galleries and little shoppes, bask in the warm salt-scented sea air and people watch, Rockport is a fun place to visit for a day or just an afternoon!
If you like to Kayak, bring your own
 

or rent one  - the waters are almost always calm here



or take a more leisurely 1-1/2 hour schooner cruise (you can see the two masts of the boat behind the famous "Motif #1" fish shack here



From a Rockport guide:
"ROCKPORT'S trade mark is the dark red shack on a Bearskin Neck wharf. "Motif No. 1" is recognized in far-away places, thanks not only to visitors who spread its fame, but to the innumerable paintings and prints that have carried its likeness abroad. One story says that a Yankee traveling in South America found a picture of the house: it had been painted in Czechoslovakia. He brought it to his home in New Hampshire.
As we have noted, America's most-painted building received its name in an impulsive exclamation by Lester Hornby. This illustrator and etcher taught in Paris in the winter; his pupils, in the French manner, drew certain standard subjects or motifs

During his summer seasons in Rockport, Hornby noted that many pupils chose the venerable, dilapidated shed on the edge of the inner harbor. Its prominence and its simple but interesting proportions made it a natural model for sketches and paintings, good and bad. One day when a student brought for criticism a pencil drawing of the house, Hornby exclaimed, "What-Motif No 1 again!" It has been that ever since."





If you prefer to laze on the beach while your traveling partner shops, there is a small sandy beach nearby



or just walk to the end of the Neck and watch the calm ocean.  East:  next stop England!



Bearskin Neck is the place with most of the shops and galleries and a few food places - 2 or 3 ice cream places and the famous Roy Moore's Lobster Company where you can get fresh steamed lobster served on a paper plate for only $8.95 a pound!  Note they close at 6pm!

 

 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

Oh my gosh....I live in Texas  and  think the whole state is unique  lol. I have  lived in  several different  towns across  the state  so here we go with  some  recommendations...having worked  in tourism, I   just love telling people  where  to go  .

Amarillo....The Cadillac  Ranch without a doubt is a must see.  Seven  vintage  cadillacs  buried at an  angle  out  in a field.  Why?  Because  the very eccentric Stanley Marsh  3  wanted  to .  The cars  sport  quite  alot  of  graffitti tho I heard  that  the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation  recently  painted them pink  as a fundraiser. The neatest  thing  is  the way the wind sounds  blowing thru the  cars and  their  silloutte  against  a  sunset  or  thunderstorm. While  you are out that way,  stop by  Palo Duro  Canyon.  Second largest  canyon in the  United States, it has a lot of history   and  is  just pretty  darn cool.

Waco.....the  Dr Pepper  Museum!   Visit the  place where  this  soft  drink  was invented and  have  a  good old fashioned  soda  jerked  Dr Pepper  at the  soda fountain...add a  scoop  of  BlueBell  Homemade Vanilla  Ice Cream  and  you got a little bit of  heaven.  BlueBell  is  made at a small  creamery  in Brenham, Texas....their  slogan is  "we eat all  we can and  we sell the  rest". You can also drive over to Brenham and  take a tour of the  creamery...free samples!!) BTW.....There  is no  period  after  the  'r"  in Dr .....visit  their website  to find out why.  Dr Pepper  was originally called  a  "Waco"  and  you  would stroll into your favorite corner  drugstore  and tell  the soda  jerk  to "shoot me  Waco".  Good thing  the  name  changed  early on  as the  events  at  nearby  Mount Carmel  and the Branch Davidians  kinda gave  that  a  different  meaning . Also in Waco...the Texas Ranger  Museum and Texas Sports  Hall  of Fame,  Cameron Park ( ride the  mini train,  look over  Lovers  Leap  waaayyyy downnnnn  to the Brazos River).

San Antonio.....I could write a  book about my adopted  home town.  The Alamo, The  Spanish Missions,  the parks,  the museums, the  Riverwalk. I love  the  central downtown area....no matter  how the  powers that be  try to  modernize  with  new buildings....the essence of  old San Antonio  survives because  of  the  historic  buildings.....San Fernando Cathedral,  the Alamo, La Villita, the  Spanish  Governors palace...all  right downtown surrounded  by  progress.  Oh  and  lets not forget  St Josephs Church....surrounded  by  Dillards Dept Store and  the  River Ceneter Mall.  San Antonio's history, 25 years or  250  years  is  right  there  if  you just  look for it.

Austin....music  on Sixth Street,  Zilker Park  at Christmas (  spin  under the tree of lights....just dont  eat or  drink before you do  ).  Waterloo Records  and grab a burger  at  the original  Waterloo IceHouse  next door.Watch nearly a  million  bats  fly  from under the Congress Avenue  Bridge  from March  til September  every night  just about  dark-thirty. Eat  supper at the  original Threadgills  near  the  long gone and sorely missed  Armadillo World Headquarters  where  Janis  Joplin and  many others  got their start. And  since  this is  Austin  home of  the University  of Texas,  check out the  campus.  Lots of  really cool  old  buidings  and  dont miss the  famous ( and infamous)  UT clock Tower.

Corpus Christi,  beaches and beaches and  did  I mention beaches?  Take your pick  from beaches  on the calm  Laguna Madre  (Intercoastal Waterway)  or  the downtown bayfront or North Beach  areas  facing  Corpus Christi Bay...or  go out to  Mustang  and North Padre Island  and  spend the day on the  Gulf. Wear sunscreen.  Downtown and  North Beach are home to  the seawall, parks,  the  Selena  statue, the Lexington  Battleship, Texas State Aquarium,  the  Columbus ship replicas. Eat at the  Surf Club  downtown....or  Snoopys after  you cross the  causeway  headed  toward  North Padre. Take  a  day trip up the  coast  to Rockport/Fulton ( two little towns that bump against each other) and  visit the Fulton mansion  that has  faced the elements  since the  1850s. Visit in winter  and  drop in on the  wildlife area  for a  look at  the  whooping cranes. Drive over  from Fulton  and take a look at what  is reported to be  the  oldest tree  in Texas....a  massive and  drooping  live oak tree.

Brownsville.....park your car and  walk to Mexico  for  lunch and  shopping. Listen to the  flocks  of  wild parrots  fly overhead. Drive over to South Padre Island  and  eat at Blackbeards.  Ask  if the  Turtle Lady is still  rescuing  sea turtles.

The  little town I live in now, Temple,  has  a  railroad museum and  great barbecue and all the little towns  around have  festivals  celebrating  their cultural and ethnic heritage. The  little  town I moved from back in May, Georgetown, is  just north  of Austin. It also has  its  share of  festivals...the  Red Poppy Festival being one of the  biggest. nearly every red poppy  in town  is  decended  from seed  sent  by a soldier  to his mother  from the  red poppies in  Flanders  Fields  in Belgium. 

Some of the things  are  sorta  commercialised,  but they  add  to the  uniqueness  of  their  area. I Texas!!

 

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Sing loud wherever your journey takes you ~ Great Big Sea 2004

Ditto  Eily  on  Austin  &  San Antonio.   It's  been  11 or so years  since  I vacationed these 2 cool cities  and it's still one of my fave destinations.

Threadgill's is a must in Austin.  San Antonio Squash Casserole and their version of Mississippi Mud Cake is sinful!!   Soon after we got back, my husband  (at that time  managed  a bookstore) came across a new book that came in and bought it for me......THREADGILL'S  THE COOKBOOK.....It's awesome.  has all their recipes, stories and photos. 

I've always wanted to be in the right place at the right time to be in an audience for Austin City Limits.  I used to never miss it on PBS because it was a great way to sample music.

San Antonio  -

I loved the Missions...taking the drive to see the 4 out of town.  Maybe this is just me  but I wish there had been less people at the Alamo.....There's probably no good time to go with fewer people. Even so it's a must.  It's really cool at night.  Nearby is an old historic hotel and I forget the name....

BBQ - if your a meat eater you need to find your way to one outside the city.  We went to 3 different ones while there and Rudy's was my favorite. I believe it was west of San Antonio in Leon Springs? which is just a crossroads. 

There was a restaurant we went to that had one of the best burgers I've ever had.  The chicken fried steak looked wicked.  They had a 1 lb cinnamon  roll  which  looked  fabulous. If there had been more than the 2 of us we would have  bought one to split up.  Everything  is big in TEXAS! I can't remember  the name of this place but they had an electric chair in the lobby....(weird but once you got past it you're ok) Also tons  of black & white photos all over the place.

The B&B we stayed at was really cool.  Our room was separate from the main house decorated Spanish mission style.  At night  we would  go up on the roof on the main house  w/drinks and take in the view.  

Will always be one of my favorite vacations.

Thanks to Eily for stirring up some great memories! 

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It's music that matters!

Thanks, Eily!  I've actually done some of the Austin things but as there are several Texas stops next year, I'll definitely check these out!  Thanks so much for the insight - greatly appreciated!

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www.defiantlylocal.com

Thanks, JAnne!  I'll check it out.  I'm also in Ohio more than I should probably admit...anywhere there I should look into?  I've already written about Collingwood Arts in Toledo...

 Thanks for your help!

Kate

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www.defiantlylocal.com

Mike - It all looks great!  Thanks for the help.  I was just in Boston in May and had no idea I was so close to such great stuff.  We drove up 1A nearly to Maine and found a lot of great spots, but I'll have to check these out on my next trip through.  Thanks!

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www.defiantlylocal.com

JAnne...to avoid Alamo  crowds,  visit December  thru  January. Crowds  pick up  in  mid February as  the  time  of  the  Alamo Siege  rolls around   and then  it slides  in Fiesta  in April  and  before you know it  tourist season is in full swing.  The  historic hotel  next to the  Alamo is  the Menger  Hotel.  Teddy Roosevelt  gathered  his Rough Riders  at the  bar  at the Menger   before  he  went up San Juan Hill.

Glad I was able to stir up some fond memories!

And  urbanbluesky.....when  you get down this  way let me  know, maybe we can get together  and I can  buy you an original  recipe  Dr Pepper  :)

Eileen

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Sing loud wherever your journey takes you ~ Great Big Sea 2004