id NYC (Otherwise Known As "Why It's Still Good to be a New Yorker")

UPDATE: Since writing this post, and due to the popularity of this new program, the city is now requiring you make an appointment at an enrollment center instead of just showing up. Do it fast! I just made my appointment and the earliest one I could get was April 24th! Wowzers...

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Every which way you look, there's a lot of bad press coming out of NYC these days, and most of it's justified. It feels somewhat murky to live here right now -- maybe it's partially due to the bitter cold of winter -- but my attitude towards my home has seen better years. Between the tragic loss of Eric Garner, the response from the NYPD, the two policemen who were killed in Brooklyn and whether or not you approve of the job Mayor de Blasio is doing, not to mention rising rents and what seems like the closings of city institutions on a weekly basis -- even newly minted Ambassador Taylor Swift can't save us (and I'm not really sure how I feel about that, either)!

I saw a small break in the clouds yesterday... have you heard about id NYC yet? This new identification card for NYC residents will give you discounts on many citywide services (even serving as helpful documentation to opening a bank account or filling out a prescription) and FREE year-long memberships to many cultural destinations. Oh, and movie and Broadway show discounts, too. Woohoo!

I am SO excited about this program, and not just because I like to save a buck. id NYC benefits every city resident, including those in the most vulnerable communities who may have difficulty obtaining other government-issued ID. If there was ever a time for "all for one and one for all" -- this is it.

photo credit: id NYC website

Many of our favorite places to visit are on the list, including the Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo, and I look forward to taking advantage of the Museum of the Moving Image and the Brooklyn Museum as a result of my new id NYC card... and those are just the tip of the iceberg.

Obtaining your card is pretty simple. Simply go to the id NYC website and download an application. Once filled out, visit one of 12 enrollment centers to submit your form along with proof of address, and get ready to start taking advantage of the country's newest (and biggest!) municipal ID program.

I want to remember why I first fell in love with NYC. Perhaps having a card to prove my "membership" to this amazing yet flawed metropolis is a step in the right direction...