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| Times Square in the day |
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| Times Square at Night |
New York - the first thing that hits me when we arrived at Penn station by way of an Amtrak train from New Carrolton, is the sheer amount of people on her streets. The atmosphere is so different compared to Washington. D.C. feels more aloof, proper, and well slightly depressing. New York on the other hand is so full of people, bustling energy, so full of life. Skyscrapers tower over us on both sides of the street and their enormity accentuated by her narrow streets. People march at a fast pace here in New York, their averted gazes and shoulder bumps seem to suggest a lack of hospitality or warmth but that could be deceiving. Beneath the thin veneer of hurried self centeredness, there actually lies a deeper New York brand of hospitality. I had a first hand experience of this when we got lost while trying to walk to Times Square from our rented apartment. A New Yorker who happened to be standing on the pavement while we were lamenting our predicament, offered (without asking mind you) to point us in the right direction. Such random acts of kindness certainly puts a smile on my face and definitely changed my initial opinion of New Yorkers.
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Tickets to visit the Empire
State Building |
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| The view up there is breathtaking |
New York is certainly filled with breathtaking sights and sounds (not to mention tastes as well). We made the best of our short stay here visiting many historical and famous landmarks like the Empire State Building (which we did on our last day here, almost made us miss our train back to College Park). The 86th floor was certainly worth it, the clear weather gave us great visibility 360 degrees around the building and the cool crisp air seems to heighten my senses as I take in all the sights. My kiasu-ness did not serve me well this time as I bought tickets to the 102nd storey thinking the sights on the 102nd floor would definitely be better than the 86th one. However, the experience paled in comparison to the one downstairs. But well, some lessons you learn for free, some cost you more.
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A view from the High Line -
A park built on an old railway line |
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The city lights of Manhattan and the
Brooklyn Bridge |
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Apparently couples put their names on
locks to symbolize a promise of love |
We also took a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn on a sub 10 degree night. It was an amazing sight as we looked back at the famous Manhattan city lights. I saw some padlocks being chained to some of the bridge's cables and names written on it. William shared that these were written by couples who wanted to make a promise to each other, that their hearts were "locked" to each other and they will never separate. We also visited a park at Chelsea called the High Line. An old disused railway line transformed into a park. There were many works of art in the park as well. And houses that were found in the vicinity seem to also have a more artistic flair in their design and colors.
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| A bicycle with square wheels? |
The Museum of Math was fun. There were many puzzles and applications of patterns in everyday life like tile making, feedback fractals (when you use 2 video cameras to shoot the image they produce on a screen, kind of like having 2 mirrors facing each other and seeing an infinite number of images). There was also a square wheeled bicycle! I took a ride on one of those. It was actually easier than it looks. But what do you think is the math behind it?
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Tickets to Spiderman the most
expensive Broadway production |
We decided to watch Spiderman the broadway on an impulse and it cost us $80 a piece but it was worth it. The show was littered with high flying trapeze stunts as acrobats dressed as Spiderman fly around the stage and even the theater on wire harnesses. The music was good as it was written by U2. Of course, who can forget my first visit to the Apple store at the Grand Central Station. It was such an open concept, like having a night market just selling Apple products. There was their signature wooden tables, and the Genius Bar (which was thoroughly packed) and I got to try the new iPhone with the thumbprint sensor. There were not any checkout counters found and every iPhone staff carries a modified iPhone that is able to act as a POS machine. They scanned the barcode, slide your credit card on the iPhone and queue up a receipt to be printed. Of course I took the option of having my receipt sent to me on my email instead.
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| Apple store at the Grand Central Station |
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A truck filled with stuffed animals - a work
of art or something more... |
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| A visit to the 9/11 memorial |
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A tribute to the 343 fire-fighters who lost
their lives in 9/11 |
The most memorable experience for me on this New York trip, was the visit to the 9/11 memorial - something that I always wanted to do. I know I lost a German business associate there when I hosted him in Singapore. That was when I was still working for EDB Singapore - before I became a teacher. But what struck me was not so much the incomprehensible needless slaughter of innocent civilians, rather it was the determination of individuals, the will of the city of New York and the resilience of the nation of America to weather through the storm. Indeed may we never forget, not the terrorists or the fear they were trying to incite, not the fallen concrete or the shattered glass, but the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that others may live, the support and generosity from the national and international community in the face of such a divisive and violet act. This visit has taught me that indeed the brightest stars do shine in the darkest nights.
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| The void at the South Tower |
I did not have the chance to see the Statue of Liberty, or eat the best pizza in town (I did try a New York New York cheese cake). But my experience here have been most fruitful and enriching (by the way, the subway wasn't that bad). I had good traveling companions and learnt a great many things. But most important of all, I understood that every city has it's own character and nature. It could seem cold and distant, but once you get to know her, you will start to see her own beauty and charm.
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| NYC - a city of old and new |
