New York, Je T’aime
Given the long and extensively documented histoire d’amour between France and New York, it is fitting that the city’s most famous landmark should serve as a very visible reminder of this connection. When the French people gifted the United States with sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty in 1886, it marked a high point in a relationship that has spanned centuries and enriched the culture and atmosphere of both countries immensely. Today, one can see French influence in New York’s architecture, styles, and, of course, food. The relationship is reciprocal – the City of Light and the City that Never Sleeps have created a new culture that is neither wholly American nor French but something truly international.
Beyond art, music, literature, architecture, and all of the other areas in which New York and France have influenced each other, there are the people themselves. The French Consulate estimates that New York is home to almost 70,000 French nationals – expatriates who came, fell in love with the city, and never left. And then there are the tourists: based on the amount of French I often hear while wandering the side streets in the warmer weather, it seems that many French citizens choose to come to Manhattan for their long summer vacations.
Expats, tourists, and interested locals can all appreciate New York’s plethora of French brasseries, cafés, boutiques, antique stores, and even churches and schools. Our site features too many amazing places on the side streets to include here, but below we have included a few of the gems that the Francophiles at Manhattan Sideways love best.
And for even more French favorites, check out our story dedicated entirely to Celebrating Macaron Day!
