*Note: Since I’m traveling, these posts are only lightly edited for obvious spelling errors. It’s more important to experience the trip than to edit thoroughly, so hopefully you can forgive the bloopers!*
Well, the first part of this adventure has commenced! The day started at 4AM and I wouldn’t trade it—along with travel meals consisting of airline peanuts, pretzels, and a Kind bar—for anything in the world.
On the plane between Minneapolis and JFK, my awesome row-mate, Tom, and I discussed the finer details of New York’s history and appeal, editing, and being a closet writer (which he is). A New Yorker from birth, Tom agreed that folks wanting to experience the city as it truly is should not only focus on the major attractions but also walk around a good deal. Here are some of his suggestions for things to do, besides the obvious ones like Times Square:
- Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan and grab a slice of what he called the best pizza known to man.
- Take a walking tour through Free Tours by Foot, which he said are some of most informative in the city.
- For bookworms like me, check out the Strand Bookstore. Multiple stories of stacked books, ripe for the picking.
- Take the Staten Island Ferry, a free service that takes visitors past the Statue of Liberty.
(In addition to those fine ideas, I’m thinking of visiting the Museum of Sex, just because I think it would be amusing to visit each of the related museums in NYC, Reykjavik, Amsterdam, and Barcelona, and then do a comparison. Montana, you’re behind the curve ball…)
Once the plane landed in NYC, Tom and I parted ways, me with his number in hand and an offer to call if I needed help. I had a longer wait to check into my Airbnb rental, so the first order of business was bathroom and then FOOD. (Central Diner in the airport is fairly good, though be warned that New York prices for food are pretty high.)
Amarjit, my Uber taxi driver, told me all about his wife and children back in New Delhi; he makes his living here and sends all the extra income back to India so that his two kids can go to school. The average working week for him (and many others) is six days, 12 hour shifts per day. Culturally speaking, he explained that Indians value responsibility to family above, say, wanderlust. Since I don’t have a husband and children, he was completely on board with my trip. “Go adventure!” he said.
After resting at the Airbnb, I decided to eat some sushi (Sushi Suki, not a good restaurant, avoid it) and go for a walk. It was awesome! Round trip, it ended up being almost six miles, which felt great after sitting on a plane all day.
I’ve never been here before and yet it seems oddly familiar. There are so many people out walking at night, something comforting in such a large city—especially when compared to Los Angeles, where you walk if you have absolutely no other option. New York City, for all its millions of residents, actually feels small. Passing countless doorways, I saw doorman after doorman staring out the windows as they serviced empty foyers, some texting and others lost in their own thoughts to combat what must be routine but intense boredom. Many buildings of architectural interest appear to be residences or hotels, some of them reminding me of castles.
Up 83rd Street to 5th Avenue I went, passing a movie or television shoot along the way—it was reminiscent of LA, down to the crew’s lingo and conversational topics, “Yeah, when I talked with Jerry Bruckheimer…” (a hotshot producer). Name-dropping is common in that industry, even if they really haven’t met the famous person. Hearing all this definitely brought a smile to my face, given its familiarity.
The Metropolitan Museum, positioned on 5th Avenue, is a stunning structure from the outside, especially when framed with Central Park as a backdrop. Definitely going to go inside tomorrow!
On and on I went, passing people of all colors, ethnicities, and walks of life. Didn’t matter, we were all mingling in the same space. I stopped counting how many languages I heard, though it still fascinated me every time I heard another one.
My wandering took me past landmarks like Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, CBS The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Times Square. I gotta say…from the outside at least…meh. Not terribly compelling except for the cultural significance. Even Times Square, all lit up in the night, wasn’t overwhelming, large—or actually even “square”—like I’d expected. It was simply bright and popular.
Everywhere folks whipped out their selfie sticks to document that, yes indeed, they were there. I don’t have a selfie stick and have no plans to get one, BUT there was a fun way to mark the occasion: Albanian street artist Ilo Oxa.
Not too bad for a twenty minute portrait.
Finally desperately tired, it was time to return to my room where I’m now writing. It was an excellent first day, and I am surprised at how much I am enjoying NYC so far. And there were no major snafus so far either! What’s that old Sinatra song? “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere—New York, New York!”
Until tomorrow (and I’ll take my good camera),
Immanuela
