Weekend in NYC

New York – the City that never sleeps, that which is considered the Big Apple, city of the Yankeess and many more terms associated with it. Most of my impressions of this city are based on what I had seen on television and what I had heard from friends. Hence it was quite exciting to finally visit it. We took off from Washington D.C. by road and after five hours, we knew we were nearing the city, when we passed, as Ashit introduced me to, the ‘Armpit’ of the country – New Jersey. However, entering New York City is a different experience. It seemed like its skyline had a gravitational pull since our heads constantly went upwards. When driving past the tall-structured streets, we had this vague imagination of Spiderman swinging along those narrow traffic lanes. Our hotel was perfectly located, just minutes from the Times Square. Hence there was no trouble of tagging the car along – that’d infact have been a terrible mistake.

Broadway: We did our first introduction to the City by taking thehop-on-hop-off bus, starting from the Broadway. This name is justifiably famous, but its geographic demarcation can be misunderstood. This road cuts across, totally irregularly, the graffiti-streets of the city and creates distinctive intersections all along i.e. Times Square, Madison Square, Herald Square and so on.. Our first halt was at the Greenwich Village, not only the NYU Hub but also located on its Bleecker street is the famous Indian Katti Roll. We then took the bus and drove past the Empire State Building that stands imposing on the streets. We ended up not going to the top; decided to save that for our next trip, in case we are in the city in winter and choose an enclosed view of the city. We also drove past Chinatown and Little Italy where apparently all the history of the City is; this is where it all started. Also, seen were - Flatiron building, Cannon Street, Madison Square.

Ground Zero: We then visited Ground Zero. On our way we crossed the St. Paul’s Chapel. This is considered the oldest church in Manhattan and literally across from the Ground Zero (formerly, World Trade Center). Apparently, when the towers fell, this chapel did not face any damage, not a single window broke. The surrounding view of the chapel is quite pleasant and unique, considering such an old church around the skyscrapers. We then walked towards ground zero. The site was a somber but at the same time the rebuilding that was going on. There were several posters on a new construction that’s underway and hence all we got to see was a huge trench. Somehow I was not sure whether I went to this place to show respect to those who lost their lives or really just visit it as a touristy spot. However, when I saw the pictures of drawings that some people had made, it did make me sad of such disaster. I only read one that said, “You are in our Prayers”.

Towards the last half hour of the ride, we just did not bother hopping off. This leg of the tour just drove us around the nondescript apartment buildings and tress. We instead began taking random photographs, which was fun. Overall the tour was good but most of it towards the end was about, “In the distance you would normally see…” By the end, even the guide was bored out of his mind, who was mainly working for tips that he explained at each stop, would be shared with the driver.

Times Square: We got off at Times Square, where we started from. This place totally amazed me. Like our bus guide told us, “Here you see the world far far away from reality”, and that was one of the few things I agreed with him! All over this place, you see big name stores, factories and other attractions. We could sample some of the finest chocolates at the Hershey’s factory, check out the latest movie flicks at one of the few theaters around, the Virgin store flaunting newest tunes and much more. Vendors around were happy to draw our portraits, some offering play tickets (genuine ones incase you thought, we get mugged by them) and some selling great variety of paintings at decent rates (Ashit thought these were not as good). After a nice dinner at the Italian restaurant, Osteria del Circo, we walked towards the Rockefeller Center. I have always wanted to visit this and I was glad it exceeded my expectations. This place incites feelings of care, kindness and love for near and dear ones. People were just sitting there, enjoying the warmth of this center. The rink was filled with kids skating around, some doing the balancing act well, some falling off. The various nations’ flags added color to the place.

Our day two began walking along Fifth Avenue. We were surrounded by the rich and the famous, the typically busy New Yorkers. This is where the fashion diva was born! Stores galore, it was a shopper’s juxtaposition and the people here love their lives around Gucci, Dolce and Prada.

Central Park: We then made our way away from the tall structures into the largest open space the city offers. Walking from 54^th towards 59^th Street is when you hit the 843 acres of greenery, in the heart of this concrete village – that is Central Park stretching from 59^th to 110^th. Since we had walked enough, when we reached the Park we realized we had to again walk. Hence that plus the time constraint led us to take the horse carriage ride. While the ride was a rip-off, we did get a glimpse of the park – where one could do just about any sort of activity imaginable. That includes walking, jogging, biking, skating, bird-watching, tanning, sports events, concerts, plays, animal viewing at its Zoo, grassy landscapes to relax! Sad we could not do much here but then it is said, you always leave something behind for the next trip.The last sites of the city were visiting the BULL and the Statue of Liberty. Some call it the ‘charging bull’ and some the ‘wall street bull’. This is almost a 7,000 pound bronze statue, quite popular not only among tourists but also for the natives. I wonder if it symbolizes the financial district or the financial power this city (the borough) has over the country/globe!

We noticed few things about walking around the streets of this city. First, the city is less of a walker’s city unlike a few of the famous cities around the globe, particularly in Europe. The streets here change their neighborhoods along the blocks. Another thing when walking is that people completely ignore the ‘Do not Walk’ signs. The drivers here ignore all pedestrians and rightly so.

Considering that New York is indeed that never sleeps, this city of cabbies, chic trends and super stars, it would be difficult to find peace and quiet. It is alive with round-the-clock action. And what one views in Manhattan is a feast of senses with the heart and soul. Trend-setting fashion, culinary delights, shopping renowned world over for both, luxury and bargain, theater, art and most important of all, the financial power. There is so much to see, much more than our typical fleeting visit and of course, a lot more to experience from this city that never sleeps! And hence a Big Apple - “Because everyone wants to take a bite off it”, says the local out there!