A New York City street scene filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of everyday life. Photo by Brian Kachejian.
When I’m talking about the smell of New York City, I’m not just talking about Manhattan. That’s what tourists think about whenever they hear the words New York City. No, I mean the smell of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Yes, I know Staten Island is a borough of New York City, but it’s different; it’s more suburban. I was born in Manhattan, I grew up in the Bronx, and I work in the city all the time. If there’s one smell I know, it’s New York City, and I love it.
Of course, it’s not all good. New York City has a lot of pretty horrific smells, but this article is about the ones that bring you back, so we need to talk about all of them.
The Overall Smell of New York City
The Scent: I had to start out with this one because anyone who’s grown up here understands that there is a certain smell to the city that changes by the time of day and time of year. But it’s always unique, and it’s always there. It’s a combination of everything: each individual smell that I’m about to talk about and everything else that makes up this one wonderful smell that brings you back.
The Memory: It’s more than a smell; it’s life itself. I guess it doesn’t matter where you’re from; every place has its own distinct smell. New York City is just so big, and there’s just so much going on. It’s filled with wonder, many different types of businesses, food, people, and transportation. There’s so much to this city that it all combines to give it a unique smell. The second you arrive, you smell it. You remember it, you love it, and you’re glad you’re back.
1. Honey-Roasted Nuts on Midtown Winter Street Corners
The Scent: Sweet caramelized sugar and honey coating warm peanuts, cashews, almonds, and other roasted nuts as the aroma drifts from the street carts.
The Memory: Walking down Fifth Avenue, 34th Street, or through the Rockefeller Center crowds in December with freezing winds whipping between skyscrapers. That distinct sweet cloud rising from the nut carts is an unmistakable signal that the holiday season has arrived. It always brings me back to being a kid and my mom taking me on the subway from the Bronx to see the window displays at Macy’s.
2. The Subway
The Scent: Hot metal, brake dust, electrical equipment, machine grease, damp concrete, and the heavy underground air of a subway platform, especially in the summer.
The Memory: This one’s not just based on smell; it’s also based on sound. If you’re a New Yorker, specifically someone who lives in the city, there’s a good chance you spend a lot of time on subways and buses. Owning a car can be expensive and aggravating when you’re dealing with garages, parking, and alternate-side parking rules. So many of us are tied into riding the subway and buses. The smell combines the mechanics of the subway cars and tracks with everything else that finds its way into an underground station, including the smell of urine in some corners. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s very memorable.
3. Steaming Soft Pretzels from the Corner Cart
The Scent: Warm yeast dough, toasted coarse salt, mustard, and that unmistakable heated-cart smell that surrounds a fresh New York street pretzel.
The Memory: The metal carts parked outside Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Columbus Circle. Getting a giant pretzel wrapped in a brown paper napkin, crisp and salty on the outside and chewy on the inside. It’s probably one of the most filling foods for the money you can get in Manhattan. They used to be better. I remember the old carts and the way those pretzels smelled when they were really hot. Every once in a while, you still get one that tastes the way you remember, and the memories come roaring back.
4. Pizza
The Scent: Hot mozzarella, tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, baked dough, and the toasted flour smell that escapes from a busy New York pizzeria every time the door opens.
The Memory: The number one food that I’ve eaten most of my life as a city kid is pizza. I actually remember when it was 25 cents a slice in the ’60s. Now it costs a whole lot more depending on where you go. Nonetheless, there’s nothing like the smell of pizza on a New York City street. Grab a slice and walk down the street with it folded. That’s the way to do it.
5. Sabrett Dirty Water Dogs and Warm Sauerkraut
The Scent: All-beef frankfurters warming in hot water, mixed with warm sauerkraut, mustard, and that sweet-and-savory red onion sauce coming from the cart.
The Memory: The blue-and-yellow Sabrett umbrellas dotting New York streets. Lifting the stainless-steel lid releases a burst of steam that can stop you in your tracks, followed by a hot dog served in seconds on a plain bun. It’s amazing how something so simple can taste so good. And just like pizza, it’s classic New York street food. Prices can vary tremendously depending on the vendor and location, especially in tourist areas, so I always look at the posted price before ordering.
6. Corner Delis
The Scent: Fresh bacon, eggs, and American cheese sizzling on a flat-top grill, dark-roast coffee brewing behind the counter, and home fries cooking with onions and garlic.
The Memory: Well, everyone talks about pizza and bagels defining the taste of New York, which of course they do, but any New Yorker will also tell you there’s nothing like a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll with salt, pepper, and ketchup in the morning. This isn’t just a memory; this is still reality. This is the way we do it. And it smells amazing.
7. Bagels Boiling and Baking at Dawn
The Scent: Yeasty dough, boiling water, toasted sesame seeds, onion, garlic, and the warm baked smell of fresh bagels coming out in the early morning.
The Memory: As a musician, I would always look forward to stopping at a bagel store at 5:30 in the morning after the gig. That’s when you get the best bagels, when they’re just out of the oven. And that smell, Lord help me.
8. Fresh Rain in the Hot Summer
The Scent: Wet concrete, damp stone, cooling asphalt, and the heavy smell that rises from city streets after a sudden summer rainstorm.
The Memory: A humid summer heat wave in July or August broken by a sudden afternoon downpour. As the rain hits sizzling city sidewalks and avenue roadways, it produces a heavy, distinct vapor that cools the streets in minutes. There’s always something very romantic about this smell. It’s one of my favorites.
9. Coney Island Boardwalk: Salt Air, Funnel Cake, and Suntan Lotion
The Scent: Atlantic Ocean salt air, a sun-warmed boardwalk, deep-fried funnel cake covered in powdered sugar, suntan lotion, hot dogs, cotton candy, and all the other boardwalk foods.
The Memory: I lived in the Bronx, in the Norwood section. We were near the last stop on the D train at Norwood-205th Street by Bainbridge Avenue. The last stop in the other direction was Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. We didn’t go there often because it was an over-an-hour train ride. But when we did, getting off the subway felt like we were in another world. We still knew we were in the city, but it was the smell of the ocean that hit you. And then, of course, the smell of those hot dogs, the carnival atmosphere, and the cotton candy. It was a different world.
10. Food from Open Apartment Windows
The Scent: The smell of home-cooked food from cultures all over the world drifting out of apartment windows and into the street.
The Memory: What I love most about growing up in the city, and still do, is the diversity of culture. It’s what makes New York City the greatest city in the world. People from all over the world have come here to live, raise families, and just have a chance. They bring their culture with them. The smell of Italian food, Puerto Rican food, German food, Indian food, and food from all over the world all mixing together and drifting onto the streets makes for a smell that is unique and filled with wonder and hope. It’s New York City.
For more on the New York experiences behind these memories, read our History Of New York Pizza, History of the NYC Subway Token, History Of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs At Coney Island, and Top 10 New York Amusement Parks.
