New York City
New York City Regional Engagement
New York City, and the surrounding area, is home to over 1330 alums. Use the links below to connect with your local ‘Cats!
Regional Leaders
Have an idea for a program or event? Looking for a way to get involved? Want to get an update on what’s happening in the region? Contact your leaders below!
President
Randall Mardus '99
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Co-Vice Presidents
Angelina Darrisaw '09
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Jacquelyn Rasulo Kasulis '98
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Young Alumni & Communications Co-Chairs
Olivia Carey '21
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Catie Goodell '21
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Events & Service Co-Chairs
Jack Hartman '72
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Scott Reeder '98
Alumni Events Calendar
Learn about upcoming events to reconnect and network with members of the Davidson community.
A Crowd-Sourced Guide to New York City
Fast Facts
- A little over 8 million people live in New York City. That means 1 in every 38 people in the United States call the city home.
- More than 800 languages are spoken in New York City, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. 4 in 10 households speak a language other than English.
- The New York Public Library has over 50 million books and other items and is the second largest library system in the nation after the Library of Congress. It is also the 3rd largest library in the world.
- The borough of Brooklyn alone would be the fourth largest city in the United States. Queens would also rank fourth nationally.
What We Wished We'd Known: Advice for Alumni New to the City
- Reach out to alumni - they want to help! But also, don’t be afraid to make friends outside of the Davidson network.
- There are some extreme highs and extreme lows to living in NYC as a young alum. The cost of living makes the day-to-day that much more of a grind, but the advantages of all the city has to offer–the diversity of job opportunities, of cultures, and of activities–makes it all worthwhile in my opinion. Even if you do not love it or it's tough for you in the beginning, if you hang in there and stay if it's the right place for you to be for your career and you give it all you've got socially and professionally, and you reach for the stars ...it will love you back!
- Consider commuting to save money. New York City can be big and overwhelming, so I think it's important to find your niche or your communities. If you don't know what neighborhoods you like, sublet for a month or so and figure it out before committing long-term. You don't have to live in Manhattan to get the NYC experience—with public transportation, everything is a hop, skip, and a jump away!
- Get out there, and don't stay in your apartment. Get out of your neighborhood and explore all five boroughs. They're a treasure and you don't want to miss them.
- Learn to love the subway. Public transportation is really very easy--don't be afraid of it. It's the cheapest and quickest way around town. That and walking. Sometimes walking 20-30 blocks is quicker than any form of public transportation.
- A yellow taxi cab with its roof light on is available; if its roof light is off, that means the cab is occupied. This will save you lots of frustration!
- Embrace the city and its idiosyncrasies. Take advantage of all the city has to offer, but don't get overwhelmed. You really don't have to go out every night!
- Get out of the city to be out in nature for weekend breaks. My happiness in NY is largely due to the balance I find on the coast and in the mountains.
- Dress for success! Buy a good pair of high rain boots—the puddles accumulate and don't drain at the crosswalks, and stay for days. Buy a nice, heavy winter jacket. It gets cold and there are wind tunnels and you walk outside a lot, so it’s a worthwhile investment.
- Learn how the streets and avenues work and that 5th Avenue is the divide between the east and west sides.
- EVERYTHING can be negotiated.
Must-Do Activities in New York City
- Get outside: Visit Central Park, have a picnic, and take advantage of its many programs, like the Film Festival and SummerStage. See Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun is aligned with the east-streets of the main street grid of Manhattan. Do a Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunt. Explore the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Jump on a Citi Bike and RIDE! Visit the Olympic-sized Sunset Park Pool. Ride the SeaGlass Carousel at Battery Park.
- Enjoy being close to water: Ride the Staten Island Ferry, and visit Governors Island. Visit Coney Island and Luna Park, and swim with the Polar Bears on New Year's Day. Kayak on the Hudson for free during the summer months. Take a quick trapeze class at South Street Seaport. Take the Circle Line Tour (boat tour around the island of Manhattan). Check out Honorable William Wall, Manhattan Sailing Club's floating clubhouse.
- Cheer on NYC Sports: The Rangers and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York City FC and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The New York Mets at Citi Field. The New York Jets and the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty at Barclays Center. See a Harlem Globetrotters show. The Brooklyn Cyclones at Maimonides Park. Run or watch the Brooklyn Half Marathon and the NYC marathon.
- Soak up the art and history: Watch a Broadway show and get discounted tickets at TKTS. Visit all the museums, like the Met, MoMA, American Museum of Natural History, the Frick, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, the Tenement Museum, the Queens Museum, The Met Cloisters, Intrepid Museum, The Hayden Planetarium, Brooklyn Museum (free first Saturdays), and the Studio Museum in Harlem (free Sundays). Catch music at the Lincoln Center, Madison Square Park, and Smalls iJazz Club. Explore the Financial District. Visit the NY Aquarium. Check out some lectures or art series, like The Moth and Secret Science Club. See the free exhibitions organized by the Public Art Fund. Check out Fraunces Tavern, where Washington bid farewell to his troops. Visit the Teddy Roosevelt birthplace.
- Experience the culture of the city: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and get a chance to explore DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Walk The High Line. Visit the 9/11 Memorial. Go to the top of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. See the city from the Top of the Rock. Take the M4 bus–the ride will introduce you to a lot of Manhattan, from Penn Station, over to 5th Ave., across 100th Street to Broadway and up B'way. Check out some of the fairs and festivals, such as the Hester Street Fair, the Union Square Holiday Market, AFROPUNK, and the International African Arts Festival. See the Daily Show or SNL. Visit Eataly, and get transported to Italy.