Learning to Appreciate New York City

Living seasonally and connected to Earth-based practices during this month's jaunt to NYC

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Do you remember Aesop’s fable of The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse? They don’t understand how the other can live where they do. The town mouse turns his nose up at the food offered by the country mouse, and the country mouse doesn’t like the dogs and the environment created in town mouse’s home. They each dig their heels in and proclaim they can’t live like the other. In the end, country mouse leaves and they are no longer together. I’ve always been hung up on one aspect of the story — they don’t seek to understand.

Of course, I understand it’s a fable and, as such, endeavored to teach children that simple is better and not to envy others. And, I suppose this was an important message, especially at the turn of the 20th century (1902) when so much of life was in flux. And yet, what’s wrong with seeking to understand? For me, that seems to be the crux of this life’s journey, seeking to understand the experiences of others, the lives of others, and learning how to sustain and grow love amongst all of those differences.

A Town Mouse Who Wants to be a Country Mouse

Over the years, my dear husband and I have teased that he is a country mouse and I am a town mouse. He is a rural kid who dreams of living in the big city. I’m a town kid who dreams of living somewhere rural, with challenging topography. We’ve split the difference by living in an inner ring suburb around a city with a population of 559,266.

Unlike Aesop’s mice, our relationship is based on love and trust and support. We listen to each other. We experience each other’s interests and are open to seeing things through the other’s eyes. We are each other’s balance. We endeavor to ensure that balance for each other, in our daily lives, in our home, and when we travel.

My dear husband feels like he has done a disservice to himself by having never lived in New York City. Before I met him, I had been to New York City twice. I was not impressed by the pace, the height of the buildings, and the largeness of, well, everything. That is exactly what he loves so much about it.

Our city is just not the same for him. Keep in mind that as long as I can remember, there has been a “thing” between our city and New York City. I say a “thing” because I am certain New York City does not think about our city, they don’t perceive a competition, they don’t long for what we have. But, the other way around there certainly is. I liken it to the relationship that grows up between a younger sibling who wants to be like their older sibling. There’s a desire, a striving.

So many people I know travel to NYC on a frequent basis. I even knew a high school student who would catch the bus to NYC just to eat lunch or dinner and then come home that same day. He loved the variety of foods he could try. I loved his commitment.

As a geographer my dear husband sees New York City in so many layers that are invisible to me. Its similar to the layers in Photoshop that can come together to be the most amazing piece of multimedia art. He can see each layer and the final art piece when he experiences NYC.

On a very regular basis my dear husband travels by train to NYC with one of our kids, our adopted grandfather, by himself, or with me. For him, its about the pace, people, food, concerts, and museums. The way the city structure is intertwined with the daily acts of living. He simply loves all NYC has to offer. The Upper West Side feels like a small town to him. Hmmmm? I’m learning to appreciate NYC through his eyes.

This year we are in NYC for our anniversary weekend. A weekend filled with restaurants, bookstores, and museums. My challenge is to stay true to who I am, to live seasonally and connected to Earth-based practices during this jaunt.

It comes down to three things:

• Finding sneaky ways to connect in nature

• Grounding rituals to stay centered amongst the chaos of the big city

• Eating seasonal foods that nourish the body and evoke warmth and comfort

Finding sneaky ways to connect in nature

My sneaky way to connect with nature in New York City is to walk everywhere. When its absolutely impossible or impractical to walk, we use the subway. For example, heading out to the Met Cloisters or the New York Botanical Garden to see the gorgeous gardens. Most of the time, we just walk.

What’s amazing to me is that New York City Parks looks after 666,000 street trees and more than 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City is parkland! There are far more opportunities to explore and connect with nature in NYC than I gave it credit before I met my dear husband.

One of our treks I enjoyed the most was when we walked from Modern Love Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge and up to the tram from 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan to Roosevelt’s Island. It turned out to be about 13 miles with all of the twists and turns we took as we explored. I got to see the city from so many different perspectives that day — from the bridge, from the tram, the farmer’s market in Williamsburg Park, Four Freedoms Park — and in so many different types of weather, sunny, rainy, mild, all in one day.

Another favorite is The High Line, a 1.45 mile public park built on a historic freight rail line that operated from 1934-1980. The rail carried meat to the Meatpacking District, agricultural goods to the factories and warehouses of the industrial West Side, and mail to the Post Office. Saved from demolition by neighborhood residents and the City of New York, the High Line opened in 2009 as a public space where visitors experience nature, art, and design.

The High Line is elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. As a landscape, it serves the function that a green roof would serve on a building, reducing the amount of storm-water that runs into the sewer system by directing the water to drain into the adjacent planting beds. To me, it feels like a wild space. I love the meadow and wildflower gardens — so many butterflies during the warm months — and there are so many different landscapes to experience. The seasonal changes and the contemporary public art makes it so memorable.

I love exploring Central Park because there is just so much there, it feels like it would take a lifetime to truly explore and understand. This trip I am hoping to visit the Hallet Nature Sanctuary. Hallett Nature Sanctuary is a four-acre woodland located on a rocky hill overlooking the Pond in the southeast corner of Central Park. Its only yards away from Central Park South and the Plaza Hotel and full of native plant species and birds.

I’ve never been to the Hallet Nature Sanctuary but its story speaks to me of resilience and commitment so I am curious to experience it for myself. The area was fenced off in 1934, designated a bird sanctuary, neglected for decades, overgrown with invasive species, until 2001. Restoration began in 2001 and emphasized the ecological value of the woodlands as a wildlife habitat, expansion of trails, removal of invasive species, and diversification of native plant communities. It opened to the public in 2016.

On these treks, the things that are easy to miss, like color, contrast, design, and tiny things, are much more vivid to me. The way a leaf has fallen on the grass, an icicle on a gate, rain on a pond, greens against concrete. There’s so much to notice and wonder.

Grounding rituals to stay centered amongst the chaos of the big city

Most of the hotels we stay in have a rooftop terrace. People just love to see the iconic NYC skyline. For me, this is one of the sneaky ways I stay connected to nature while remaining grounded amongst the busy-ness of the city.

I wake up early and am usually able to get in some time alone on the terrace. During the winter, I’ll meditate in my room but I still come outside to reconnect to the Earth and begin the day. I honor the five directions. I sing a mantra or chant. I sit quietly and listen. I notice how my senses respond to the everything and everyone waking up. A few deep Ujjayi breaths, and I am ready for the day.

I carry my journal with me throughout the day. As I feel moved, I stop and sit somewhere and write. What I write doesn’t matter as much in the moment as the act of noticing and writing. The possibility of what I write is endless — observations, gratitude list, everything I notice that is a particular color, tiny things, things that awe, things I see around me, reflections, ideas.

When I feel the heaviness of the city, I return to my breath. Deep belly breathing encourages a relaxation response and is a great tool for reducing stress. Bonus, no one can tell I am doing it so I can just drop into it as necessary.

As an introvert, I need to be good to myself by mid-afternoon. A nap or 10 minute grounding yoga practice or at least a break. Time to re-charge.

Eating seasonal foods that nourish the body and evoke warmth and comfort

This section is the hardest to write, simply because my dear husband and I use our intuition when it comes to eating in NYC. We don’t go to the city with a long list of places to try. Well, occasionally, and each time it has resulted in amazing dining experiences (Nom Wah, Molly’s Shebeen, Blossom) but most of the time we just find our way to amazing places to eat. This intuitive process has led us to Zaytinya and Le Botaniste.

We love globally inspired foods that are health focused, nutrient-dense, and full of veggies. Foods that:

• provide energy and promote well-being.

• make us feel good when we are finished enjoying them.

• resemble the warmth and comfort of home cooking rather than overly stylized dishes.

Essentially, foods that are sustaining in every sense—nourishing, grounding, and satisfying.

Fruits and vegetables aren’t in season right now in NYC but there are veggies like carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes, turnips, and fruits like apples that were put in cold storage for exactly this reason. Fermentations that were begun during the harvest season are ready. And, there are always mushrooms. Chefs and cooks still have lots to work with and lots of room to let their creativity play. I’m looking forward to being surprised during this month’s trip to NYC.

One of our favorite things to do in winter is to find a local market and purchase items for a hotel picnic. This is a great opportunity to find locally baked bread from locally grown grain, local cheese, honey, jam, hot sauces, and charcuterie, locally roasted coffee, brewed beer, and wine. Its like our own small plate experience.

What sustains you when you travel?

5 Notes

Five final notes on what I’m bringing, making, reading, snacking, and practicing in yoga.

• Bringing: Trekking in the winter, even if its in a big city, necessitates preparation. I have a bag our kids call my “Mama Bag” because if you need something its in there. A bit like Mary Poppins carpet bag, I suppose. It’s true though. When they were little this bag contained extra toothbrushes, games, cards, activities, yarn to finger knit, everything needed for booboos, tissues, snacks; you name it, it was there. The bag has evolved a bit as they’ve aged and they aren’t always with us when we travel nowadays.

  For this weekend, the most important things in my Mama Bag are: a book, meditation sniffer, first aid kit, paper, pens, and pencils. It’s going to be cold and cloudy with a chance of precipitation so comfort necessities are also included - hat, gloves, scarf, extra socks, water bottle, homemade lip balm, moisturizer, sunscreen.

• Making: Hotels tend to frown on patrons bringing candles, even for meditation purposes, so I am making a Meditation Sniffer blend to bring with me. Essential oil inhalers are easy to use: Drop the essential oils onto the organic cotton wick of a blank inhaler, place wick inside the inhaler, and snap on the end cap. Unscrew the cover to inhale. If you haven’t seen or used one before, this is the one I use. For this meditation blend I use (note: this is an adult blend and not to be used with children):

  • Frankincense - to support clear, deep breathing, 6 drops

  • Clary Sage - to relax the mind, heart, and body, 4 drops

  • Jasmine - to settle and open the heart, 3 drops

  • Lavender - to encourage peacefulness and discourage negative energy, 2 drops

• Reading: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. I loved the Winternight Trilogy and am so excited to have this new story to accompany me on the train to NYC. It’s very different as it is more historical fiction, set in World War I, whereas the Winternight Trilogy combined magic, folklore, and history. Her writing voice is gorgeous. In 2023, she read the trilogy on her Instagram and I highly recommend searching for it in her saved stories. It was so good.

• Snacking: I admit it; I’m a snacker. I find that there are times during the day when my energy needs a boost. Mainly it is because we eat dinner late so a quick bite in the afternoon gets me through. Not much, just a bit of something. In my mama bag for this trip can be found a variety of nuts and homemade snacks.

  Granola bars are my favorite option - easy to make, varieties are endless, and they can be stored in the freezer until I grab one or two for the mama bag before I head out on an adventure. I wrap them in little parchment paper sleeping bags so they do not stick to each other and so they are easy to locate in my backpack.

Here’s the Granola Bar recipe:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup shredded coconut
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup each: dried blueberries, cherries, sultanas, currants, chopped apricots or other preferred dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a pan over medium heat, add butter, vanilla, honey, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Add the oats, pecans, walnuts, and coconut. Stir. Remove from heat. Fold in the dried fruit. Press into a pan firmly. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool prior to cutting.

Granola Bars in their Parchment Paper Sleeping Bags, 2025

• Yoga - 10-minute or so grounding afternoon practice when traveling helps me deal with any overwhelm that arises during the day. With the Full Wolf Moon this past Monday evening its also a good time for some grounding practice - full moons can be intense. The first one of the year is a good time for me to take the opportunity to include some breath work to release and help move out anything that is lingering from 2024 and the holidays. I haven’t fully jumped into 2025 yet and this practice supports me in being ready. May be by the time the moon starts waning next week I’ll be ready for what come next. Until then, a short grounding afternoon practice is available as I need it.