Welcome to Our Crazy Island, the independent, uncensored guide to New York City.


New York is a city of amazing diversity of culture. On a typical day you might eat breakfast at a Cuban restaurant, spend the day strolling through Chinatown or Little Italy, dine on sushi for dinner, and spend the night at an a Arabic belly dancing cafe followed by a Brazilian samba party. Cultures from across the world display their unique qualities in Russian, Polish, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Jamaican, African American, and Hasidic neighborhoods. And lets not forget about Wall Street, the world-class museums, galleries, dance troupes, and ground-breaking art movements.

Yes, there is certainly a lot to see here. And while it is easy to find the well-trodden tourist sites and popular restaurants, neighborhoods and art venues, it can be quite difficult to find those unknown gems, even if you live here. And of course all this doesn't come cheap. This city can devour you budget in a New York minute, if you aren't careful.

That is why we created Our Crazy Island. Most of us are travelers who have been in your shoes, so to speak. We all know what its like to be a new city, with a small budget, and no idea how to find the unique and undiscovered places that make for amazing travel experiences.

Here at Our Crazy Island, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite undiscovered New York things to do, the little cafes we like to eat at, our favorite dive bars, the places we like to go at five in the morning, the places we like to people watch, the parks we like to relax at. In fact, in the making of this site, many of us discovered our friends' suggestions, and have kept going back. So, enjoy. And if you find someplace you really loved, send us a write-up with your name. If we find it helpful, we'll be happy to put it up here.

NOTE: This is not a comprehensive travel guide. If you want directions on how to use the subway or need to know the Museum of Natural History's hours of operation, buy a guidebook. Our site is best used as a supplement to help you find hidden gems.