Here's the second and final installment of my New York City trip summary. Part 1 dealt with my overall impressions of the city. This one focuses on the sightseeing aspects of the visit.
Rockefeller Center
Got there early enough to watch some of the Today show being broadcast live, there was even a Broadway show performance for School Of Rock outside the studio. That made the whole thing worthwhile, since there isn't that much else to see or do. Fortunately, the skating rink on the plaza had just been opened, so I got to see that as well, I'm sure it would be better to be there when the Christmas tree is also there and lit. Also walked by Radio City Music Hall, which is just a block away. Overall grade: A-
Times Square
With all of the huge lighted signs, restaurants, theaters, and tall buildings, it had a very Las Vegas feel to it. Picture-taking tourists were everywhere, belying its seedy past. I didn't realize the famous Times Square New Year's Eve ball was in view all year. We mostly saw the area during the daytime, but went back the next evening, when the large crowds and glowing signs gave it even more of a Vegas-vibe. Overall grade: B+
Ed Sullivan Theater / Hello Deli
Just up Broadway from Times Square, I had to go see where David Letterman, and now Stephen Colbert, taped The Late Show. There was no taping that day, ergo no line, but we did go around the corner to buy a sweatshirt at the Hello Deli, and had a nice visit with Rupert Jee, the man Letterman made famous. Overall grade: A
Statue of Liberty
This was a bit of a disappointment, partly because I only viewed the statue from the Manhattan shore. It was great to see it, but the bottom line is, it’s a statue. Did not want to spend the time and money to ferry to the island to get a closer look, and if I did, I’d be as interested to see all of Ellis Island. Overall grade: C-
Wall Street / NYSE
There really isn’t that much to see in the financial district. The New York Stock Exchange is walled off by security, you can’t even go through on a tour these days, so you’re stuck with outside pictures. Touring it, like I did the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade many years ago, would’ve made all the difference. It was cool to be there, but I didn’t get the feeling it was the financial capital of the world. Overall grade: B
Columbia University
Wanted to check out Columbia, since I know some kids who attended school there. Enjoyed the openness compared to the skyscrapers of mid-and-lower Manhattan. In the end, it looks like a lot of urban college campuses, nothing more, nothing less. Overall grade: C
Macy’s
The largest department store in the world, and it is crazy big. Eight floors of retail items, representing all of the big, expensive brand names. My best story here came from the first floor, where the cosmetics folks present a virtual gauntlet for one to walk through – if you can do it without someone spraying perfume or cologne on you, congratulations. Overall grade: C+
9/11 Memorial Site and Museum
This was definitely the highlight of the trip. The outdoor waterfall memorials, in the footprints of the original World Trade Center buildings, were beautifully done. They included the names of all those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, including those at the Pentagon and in the aircrafts. The museum itself was awesome, with so many facts and artifacts from that day. It’s a sobering reminder of what happened, and of the loss of so many people in the prime of their lives. I was inside the museum for four hours, and could have stayed much longer. A must see for anyone in New York City. Overall grade: A+
Central Park
An vehicle-free oasis of greenery in a place with virtually none of that. Lots of people exercising, sharing space with many horse-drawn carriages. Also, got to see and have a beverage at the famous Tavern On The Green restaurant. But at the end of the day, it’s just a park (a really, really big park), and after a while, trees and squirrels can get boring. Overall grade: B-
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
New York City, Part 1
Made my long-anticipated, first-ever visit to New York City (or is it New York, New York?) last weekend. There was so much to see and do, it's too much for one blog entry, so I'm going to break it up into two parts. This first part will be my overall impressions, and I'll devote the second part to the sightseeing aspect of the trip.
As prologue, recall that I'm basically a child of the 70s, when NYC was the consensus murder capital of the world, a gang-infested, dark and dirty place. I know that it changed since then, especially in the 90s and beyond, but to me it was still a place you only saw on TV.
So to start, I found the people there to be more friendly than I expected. I'd set the bar low, but there were at least two occasions where help was given that was not expected. The first time happened right away at the airport, where someone offered help when buying train tickets into the city's Penn Station. Granted, this was that person's job, but she was still very accommodating. The second time happened the next day, when a random Yo-Pro noticed a bit of confusion in our search for the correct subway train, and offered his help.
Speaking of the subway, it was also better than I expected. I was prepared for something much more grimy, with panhandlers at every turn. Turns out it was clean enough, and other than a few homeless souls wandering around, it was just a whole lot of folks trying to get somewhere else as quickly and inexpensively as they could. It was actually pretty incredible to think of this huge, efficient, subterranean train system existing several stories below ground. (Note: I did see a couple of official subway rats.)
Which brings me to the next thing -- New Yorkers are in a hurry. It was easy to tell the tourists from everyone else, because everyone else was walking at breakneck speed to wherever they were going. I had no problem with this, I just wonder if they're always running late to get somewhere, or maybe they just hate where they're at now.
Another observation has to do with food. Namely, ready-to-eat food, and the great number of food carts and restaurants and bars on every city block. I suppose with so many residents and workers, New York City has to have a lot of places to eat and drink, it just seems like there are too many of those vendors to survive. Here's another thing: In three days of walking around Manhattan, I didn't notice one grocery store. Not one. They must be there, hidden in the nooks and crannies of buildings, but you aren't going to see any supermarkets.
Finally, one peculiar thing I'll always remember about NYC, especially after staying at a hotel in mid-town Manhattan, is.....car horns. The sound of people honking their horns -- typically at other vehicles, not at pedestrians -- was always there, even very late at night. So many cars (mostly taxis or limos or delivery trucks) on so many narrow streets made for lots of folks honking at one another. And unlike Iowa, it wasn't to say hello.
As prologue, recall that I'm basically a child of the 70s, when NYC was the consensus murder capital of the world, a gang-infested, dark and dirty place. I know that it changed since then, especially in the 90s and beyond, but to me it was still a place you only saw on TV.
So to start, I found the people there to be more friendly than I expected. I'd set the bar low, but there were at least two occasions where help was given that was not expected. The first time happened right away at the airport, where someone offered help when buying train tickets into the city's Penn Station. Granted, this was that person's job, but she was still very accommodating. The second time happened the next day, when a random Yo-Pro noticed a bit of confusion in our search for the correct subway train, and offered his help.
Speaking of the subway, it was also better than I expected. I was prepared for something much more grimy, with panhandlers at every turn. Turns out it was clean enough, and other than a few homeless souls wandering around, it was just a whole lot of folks trying to get somewhere else as quickly and inexpensively as they could. It was actually pretty incredible to think of this huge, efficient, subterranean train system existing several stories below ground. (Note: I did see a couple of official subway rats.)
Which brings me to the next thing -- New Yorkers are in a hurry. It was easy to tell the tourists from everyone else, because everyone else was walking at breakneck speed to wherever they were going. I had no problem with this, I just wonder if they're always running late to get somewhere, or maybe they just hate where they're at now.
Another observation has to do with food. Namely, ready-to-eat food, and the great number of food carts and restaurants and bars on every city block. I suppose with so many residents and workers, New York City has to have a lot of places to eat and drink, it just seems like there are too many of those vendors to survive. Here's another thing: In three days of walking around Manhattan, I didn't notice one grocery store. Not one. They must be there, hidden in the nooks and crannies of buildings, but you aren't going to see any supermarkets.
Finally, one peculiar thing I'll always remember about NYC, especially after staying at a hotel in mid-town Manhattan, is.....car horns. The sound of people honking their horns -- typically at other vehicles, not at pedestrians -- was always there, even very late at night. So many cars (mostly taxis or limos or delivery trucks) on so many narrow streets made for lots of folks honking at one another. And unlike Iowa, it wasn't to say hello.
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