This summer my dream came true, I went to New York. So besides the usual tourist attractions like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty I was especially intersted in experiencing the New York which is described in Suzanne's lyrics.
The following tour through New York could be a guide for everyone who tries the same:
The walk begins at the Upper West Side, the neighborhood where Suzanne spent her teenage years. You can start your day with a breakfast at Tom's Restaurant, 112th Street/ Broadway. It is just a few streets away from Barnard College, where Suzanne went to. When you're eating at Tom's Diner, try the French Toast! Perhaps you can even hear the bells of the cathedral ringing and if it's also raining you can't resist to hum the song quietly.
After your breakfast you can walk down Broadway, as Suzanne used to do to go to her dance class. As you walk through the Puerto Rican quarter try to catch some of the atmosphere of the busy and crowded streets. If you want, walk down to your right towards the Hudson and the Riverside Park. The lyrics of "The Silver Lady" came to my mind when I stood there by the river. Probably "Cracking" was also written inspired by this surroundings. When you've reached 79th Street, take the subway No. 1 down to Columbus Circle and then the C, E or A train all the way down to 14th Street. You now are above Greenwich Village and if you go down Hudson Street you're passing Little West 12th Street which is mentioned in "Language", Horatio Street, where Suzanne used to live and the meat market which inspired her to write "Fancy Poultry". You can find a beautiful description of this area in the article "Blue Sky and Blood on 10th Avenue" in her song-collection "Bullet in Flight".
When you walk further downtown you will come through the Village. Unfortunately "The Speak Easy" on Macdougal Street doesn't exist anymore. But there are still a vast amount of music and folk clubs on Bleeker and Macdougal Street and most people started their singer/songwriter career here, including Suzanne.
On your walk you shouldn't miss Soho with its galleries and boutiques. Here you can get yourself a knife pendant from Robert Lee Morris for $180 on West Broadway and suspender pants from the clothing store of Suzanne's friend J. Morgan Puett for $230 at Wooster Street.
Walking back to Hudson Street you are near the river again and on you way downtown you come to Tribeca where Suzanne supposedly lives now. You can have lunch at Bubby's "if you know what's good for you", a restaurant where Suzanne eats from time to time. (Try the Melon & Berries - Salad. It's delicious!)
If you still can walk then, take the Staten Island Ferry at Battery Park which Suzanne took "if I was very drunk in the morning and wanted to go on a trip. I've taken the ferry sometimes in the middle of the night." The toll is 50 cents and you'll have a great view at the overwhelming skyline.
In a city like New York with its eight million inhabitants the life of the individual is often overseen. The single person gets lost in the busy and pulsing larger than life atmosphere. But with her songs Suzanne manages to remind one that the life of every individual can be dramatic and interesting, even if you're only sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner...
Philipp Hofmann