Ground zero
I love NY
While I don’t have a place in New York, I can certainly relate to the U2 song lyrics about too many choices and too many voices after my recent visit there. No trip to the States would be complete without a stay in the Big Apple.
You could spend a year in New York and not see everything. I had only five days, so I was determined to cram as much as possible in. Coincidently, a friend’s workmate was visiting NYC the same week as me so I had a companion to pound the pavements with.
Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty
Ground Zero was first on the list of things to see – please note, walking from Chelsea to Ground Zero is in fact a long way, especially in summer when the air’s as hot as a blow-drier in your face. Walking is definitely the best way to see any city. I tried to not stand out like a tourist, but I think my constant gazing upwards at all the buildings was a dead giveaway. Ground Zero was surprisingly devoid of sentiment, apart from the simple crucifix made from pieces of the wreckage and a few other tributes. Next up I joined the throngs of people on the free ferry to Staten Island to get my first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Skyline, cab, Central Park
For the rest of the week my friend and I made good use of our City Passes to some of New York’s best attractions. These included entry into the Empire State Building observatory, a Circle Line Boat tour around Manhattan, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History. I was like a kid in a candy store at MOMA, which boasts the best collection of 20th Century art in the world. Everywhere I turned, I kept spotting world-renowned artworks by artists like Cezanne, Van Gogh, Dali, Kandinsky and Matisse. Shame we arrived an hour before closing because I could have happily spent a whole day there.
cross, Chicago, ‘Chicago’ on Broadway, city lights
Other highlights included going to see ‘Chicago’ on Broadway; biking around Central Park, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at night (and then getting a little lost on the other side); going to an improv comedy club night and just soaking up the atmosphere in general.
I love NY, and I have the t-shirt to prove it! I can’t wait to go back again and explore some more.
