If you can name more than three New York City influencers, you might be a part of the problem.Â
There seems to be an epidemic in the city of “Run, don’t walk to this new location in SoHo,” and I hate it. The same videos have been flooding my TikTok “For You” page, all with the same sentiment: a growing hate for how boring NYC Influencers truly are.
Now, I’m not privy to being unmoved by their pitches of glorified cafes with $12 pastries or hidden parks that look like you’re in Europe; I’ve visited a few and enjoyed them myself. But this is an alternative form of gentrification.
Taken by this online discourse brought a sense of urgency that I had to write about. No, I’m not from New York, so take my words at what you will, but coming from metro Washington, D.C., I’ve seen how far gentrification can take away culture from its people.
Instead of complaining about these influencers and adding to the fuel that is social media, I propose an alternative — exploring the city on your own.
It seems like such a simple statement, but I cannot tell you how many conversations about places I’ve had with someone and they’ve quoted these exact sentences:
“I found this place on Instagram.”
“It was on my friend’s story.”
Or my personal favorite, “It was on my TikTok.”
I don’t blame them for this; I’ve said before that I’ve fallen in the machine too, but we need to recognize the error in this way. Also, many times, these spots are strictly in Manhattan, as if boroughs outside of this one are strictly out of the internet’s dictionary.
It’s this constant feed of platforming the same rich people to get richer, which I’d say is the reason people find them so boring in the first place. These locations they’re suggesting aren’t cheap and only cater to the same class of people. They live the same pilates, matcha, and “Get Ready With Me” lifestyle over and over again, it’s an oversaturation of content and diluting of what New York used to be.
These influencers are worse than boring, they’re gentrifiers.Â
Here are some tips on how to explore the city on your own:
1. Just start walking
I’ve met the most gorgeous people on walks out with my friends or even by myself.
One instance was in Central Park, tying my shoes during a walk in the Upper East Side and sat on a bench next to an older couple. The woman complimented my scarf, which I’d then reply was a gift from my mom.
The interaction that almost never happened, as I’m usually content with loose shoelaces, turned into a 30-minute conversation about motherhood and hosting advice. The conversation ended with a few bookstore and vintage shop recommendations she’d given me.
Walk and be present just once in a while– strangers might become friends, conversations can change you, and maybe you’ll meet a Genevieve, too.
2. It really is that damn phone
Try to separate yourself from your device as much as you can! Put it in your bag, give it to a friend, or if you want to go extreme, leave it at home.
I’ve gotten recommendations of some of my favorite spots through books of authors who are from New York or through word of mouth from my professors when discussing recent bites we’ve gone to get.
TikTok and Instagram won’t introduce you to home-cooked Malaysian food in Queens, which, by the way, was one of the best meals I’ve had since being here. Â
3. Get out of Manhattan
It is genuinely heartbreaking how the farthest people have gone in New York outside of Manhattan is Brooklyn.
Unfortunately, I’m not going to give any suggestions just because I’ll be contradicting my own points, but visit other boroughs!
4. Support small businesses
It’s easy for us to fall back on what we know — Blank Street, Sweetgreen, and yes, Chipotle.
But take advantage of living in a city rich with culture and history. You can get those chain restaurants at any turn in the suburbs, but take your wallet to that shop a couple blocks down.
It’s also a sure way to make more friends in the city, that never hurts.