Even though Ellie Seymour, a magazine writer, author, and blogger over on New York On My Mind (a blog all about NYC), is based in Brighton, England, and might not have better knowledge about it than a true New Yorker, her passion and curiosity for the city and traveling motivates her to find new places and get to know it more.

She fell in love with the city when her mom took her there for the first time in 1995. Now, she visits the Big Apple once or twice a year to get her fix and is pretty much always planning her next trip. 

“When I’m there, I love discovering the city’s small backstreets and hidden local haunts, and much prefer quirky, independent establishments to big glitzy chains—although I’ll make the odd exception like my ‘First night in New York trip up the Empire State building,’ she writes on her blog. 

“When I’m not there, I love keeping up with what’s going on; culture, events, stories, that kind of thing, and delving into its history books.”

During our interview via email, she described the city as one of the most thrilling places in the world to visit. “The ultimate must-see bucket-list destination of dazzling skyscrapers, elegant avenues, honking yellow taxis and iconic landmarks, infused with an intoxicating energy that draws you in,” she continued, painting the picture of the most populated city in the U.S.

What she most enjoys about it is wandering around its cinematic streets and neighborhoods. To her, they feel like a giant real-life movie set. “Especially the West Village with its brownstone houses and cosy corner bars and restaurants.”

While New York exudes cinematic, elegant, and thrilling charm, it can also at times be a bit weird, and the strangest thing that Ellie has seen while visiting it confirms it. It was people traveling without pants for the No Pants Subway Ride.

Yes, that is a real tradition (if one may call it that), which started in 2002 in New York as a way to confuse and amuse people. Initiated by Improv Everywhere, the comedic performance art group, it invited people to take their daily commute in their underwear and jackets. However, this event hasn’t returned since 2020, as the pandemic has put it to a stop. And it seems that it won’t be returning this year either.

Having covered the amazing and strange aspects of New York, we were also curious about its hidden gems that most people overlook. “On the Met Museum’s rooftop is a kind-of ‘secret art gallery’, that hosts an installation every summer from May to October, and incredible views over Central Park,” shares Ellie.

Some other less-known locations include: “The city’s old-school luncheonettes, like B&H Dairy in the East Village; a gated street on the Upper West Side called Pomander Walk built in 1922 that looks like a traditional English village.”