2010 Trip: New York Day 1
17th June 2010
I had forced myself to go to bed not to early as yesterday had been a literally long day. But, I still managed to wake up fairly early. I ventured downstairs to discover exactly what breakfast was to be provided.
Now, I can’t say that this is actually representative of the US or even New York, but I was a little shocked, especially having spent a month in Europe. Apart from apples and bananas, breakfast consisted of white bread (containing high fructose corn syrup) softer than any in New Zealand, this could be liberally spread with peanut butter (containing high fructose corn syrup), two different types of jelly (containing high fructose corn syrup), and whipped margarine. I saw all combinations of these in use.
In addition, breakfast cereals were provided. There were six or seven varieties with names like Marshmallow Crunch (containing high fructose corn syrup), Blueberry breakfast muffin (containing high fructose corn syrup), and various other synthetically coloured delights. Plus there were pancakes and waffles (from a packet and containing high fructose corn syrup), with syrup (containing lots of high fructose corn syrup). So when I tell you that this meal was sweet with absolutely no body, you get my drift.
I decided to try it anyway. I tucked in, but two hours later I was hungry - no substance what-so-ever! So after this decidedly sweet yet ultimately unfulfilling experience, I made my way towards town on the subway.
Perhaps at this point I should provide a brief interlude for those who aren’t terribly familiar with New York. So, the city is made up of several large regions, the centre of the city is the island of Manhattan, to its east is Brooklyn, and north east of Brooklyn is Queens. Additionally, north of Manhattan is the Bronx and to the south is Staten Island, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
The original city was in the south of Manhattan, an area now know as Downtown. Apart from this area, Manhattan is laid out in an numbered grid pattern. Avenues run the length of the elongated island, and these are intersected by streets. Just to confuse one, some of the numbered avenues/streets have names, some don’t. Manhattan, and the other districts, are divided into boroughs. I will mention a few… Downtown is at the bottom, above this is Tribeca, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Above this is the Village, and the Lower East and West Sides. Above this is Midtown. Then we come to Central Park. This is bordered by the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side respectively, and then a raft more suburbs to the end of the island.
So, most people get around this sprawling megalopolis by subway. It doesn’t have as many distinct lines as London or Paris, but lines branch and split. Each distinct route is given a letter or number to designate it and there are lots of them! These routes may be local or express on different areas of the track and stop at different stations. Stations may or may not allow you to transfer to other lines. You get the picture, it’s complicated.
The actual subway cars are usually about one and a half times the length of one in London, though on some routes, some of the time, the trains are shorter. Another difference from London is that the trains are air conditioned. But the stations aren’t. So in summer, like it is now, the stations can get stiflingly hot.
So after that interlude, I didn’t head directly into Manhattan, but, after a few changes, I got off near the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, on the Brooklyn side. I wandered down to the waterfront my first look at the classic skyline, and then proceeded across the Brooklyn bridge into Downtown.
The mighty arched stone towers of the bridge sport large American flags flapping in the breeze. Out to the south, I can see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and in the North, I can pick out the Empire State and Chrysler buildings.
When I get off the bridge, I find myself beside the town hall and make my way south down Broadway. I admire the massive buildings and get to Trinity church in the centre of Downtown, here I hang a left into Wall Street. Apart from the obvious deluge of banks, the NYSE is the central point of the street. These days, the street is a limited traffic zone - metal bollards protect the street from incursion. If you want to drive through you have to pass through a police inspection. Only one car at a time may pass, and this is enforced using two sections of the road that are designed to rotate, when open traffic may pass, when closed bollards stop traffic flow. I really haven’t been in a city quite like this before where I find myself looking up all the time at the rather fascinating skyscrapers. Maybe that is why my neck currently feels rather stiff…
From here, I wandered around Downtown, passing the South Street Seaport, and then across the peninsula to the World Trade Centre site, with two buildings slowly growing from the rubble… Only one is destined to be a skyscraper and at almost 600m tall it will dwarf all other buildings in Manhattan. They were going to build three others, but it seems that everyone has a budget.
From here, I visited the Skyscraper Museum and then wandered through Battery Park at the far south of the island. I was amused at the vast queues waiting for tours to and around the Statue of Liberty that depart from here. I decided that this was firstly, a little pricey, and secondly, I couldn’t be bothered waiting, so I caught the free Staten Island Ferry that passes closes by. A much less touristy experience!
After this I spent the next few hours making my way up north, through Downtown, Tribeca, Chinatown, Little Italy, and finally to the Village, the cities university district. I found a nice little cafe and had a very late lunch - a wrap with raspberry lemonade (real raspberries!).
From here I kept exploring north until I came to Union Square on 14th st. Two random things caught my eye - firstly there are parking areas here, some with vertical car lifts to fit more in. Many buildings feature underground parking areas, but there are next to no actual buildings dedicated to parking. And parking here is a premium, you’re looking at a minimum of $12 per hour, though if your lucky you might manage $35 for a 24hr slot. Secondly, the football/soccer world cup is a big deal here - almost as big as Britain. People ask you about your team in the street and the city goes quiet over major games. This afternoon Mexico and France were playing. Mexico won and there was a sense of jubilation in the air.
Union Square is one of the coolest places on earth. Its one of those places I would choose to spend my time. About two thousand people at any one time crowd into a two block area, the actual square is a wooded area with paths, benches, and grass to sit on. Live music can be found here now and then. It hasn’t quite been taken over by the yuppie crowd, families, old men and families as well as a lot of young people are around. It is an excellent place for people watching and the atmosphere is most excellent. It is situated equidistant from Downtown and Central Park, and surrounded at less than a block distance from a major subway hub, an organic supermarket, a 14 screen cinema, a book shop advertising 18 miles of bookshelves (The Strand), Maoz falafel, and much more besides.
I headed to the organic supermarket, Whole Foods, which had a huge pay-by-weight buffet, it seemed a popular choice for locals and many would nibble at the buffet before paying, but the staff turn a blind eye.
This buffet was quite something… Let me provide a bit of a list: 3 different types of greens, detox salads, bean salads, quinoa and other grains, roast nuts (pecan, walnuts, seeds etc), artichokes, chopped salad vege of all types, pasta salad, other made up salads, various cheeses (feta, parmesan etc), vegan ravioli, black beans, plantains, tacos, chicken, indian curries, roast tempeh, pilaf, risotto, samosas, naan, roast veges of various types… I think you get the idea.
I sat in the park and watched the sun go down and the park suddenly became all the more magical as fireflies danced above the grass in the dusk, sparking all over the place. So after my fill of people watching, I headed to the cinema to watch the A-Team before heading home to bed. The film was excellent and unlike most cinema audiences, this one was not afraid to show their appreciation.