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Manhattan Skyline
Looking over the East River from Brooklyn. Three weeks ago we were wondering if we might fit in a couple of side trips out of New York. As it has turned out, however, that was never an option as there has been just so much to see and do in this amazing city.
We have been really happy with the little apartment we rented in East Village in Lower Manhattan. Over 300 years ago this area was once the country home of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Amsterdam - his family tomb is located in the historic St Mark's-in-the-Bowery church opposite us.
The area has a very edgy multicultural city feel to it with many ethnic restaurants, bars, pubs and small theatres. Students attending the nearby campus of NYU add a youthful dimension.
We found the subway system the best way to move about. Once you have mastered the concept of "Uptown", "Downtown", "Local" and "Express" trains, it is all so easy. Initially we had a few disasters but soon managed to work the system.
Over two million New Yorkers use the subway system each day, and in some stations you can have three or four trains coming and going at
Downtown Manhattan
Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan Bridge behind. the same time. Invariably there is some form of entertainment, either on the platform or in the train itself. This ranges from reggae to rock and classical to cool jazz. As we pulled out of one station a young black teen announced, "It's Showtime!" and he and his three friends gave a polished three minute rap performance to the great amusement of all passengers.
On a couple of days we did some cycling which is a popular way for many locals to move around. There are good cycleways all around Manhattan Island. One day we spent a few hours travelling along the Hudson River Parkway and over the Brooklyn Bridge negotiating the many tourists on the way.
We spent a morning on a cycle tour through Central Park. Our young guide not only had an intimate knowledge of the park but especially of movies that had been shot on location. On our stops he would run an impromptu quiz to see who knew the titles of, and stars in, the particular movie that had been shot at that location. We also had a rundown on all the celebrities who lived in the apartments that fronted the park and
Art Deco at night
These illuminated spires are a feature of the Manhattan skyline at night. the prices they had paid!
If you enjoy different styles of architecture then NY is your city! From the huge canyons of Broadway and Fifth Avenue to the quiet treelined streets of townhouses in Greenwich Village and brownstone tenements of Harlem, there is something to cater for all tastes.
What really stood out for us were the Art Deco style buildings constructed in the 1920's and early 1930's. The Chrysler and Empire State buildings are a couple of standouts.
The Ground Zero Memorial visit was a sobering experience. The two memorial pools that have been constructed on the footprints of the Twin Towers have the names of all the victims enscribed in the brass edging. Water cascades down the sides of each of the walls of the pools and falls into another pool which sits inside each of the two main pools.
Times Square lived up to is reputation as a glitzy venue. By law, 30% of each of the buildings in this area must have illuminations on their facades. The result is a real kaleidoscope of advertisements.
There is a huge array of "Broadway", "off Broadway" and "off off Broadway" theatres. We enjoyed an
Andy's statue
This interesting stainless steel statue of Andy Warhol stands in a corner of nearby Union Square. Andy Warhol was one of the famous local residents. excellent production of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" as well as "War Horse" which played at the Lincoln Centre Performing Arts.
The Lincoln sets the standard in terms of performing arts venues with performing spaces for drama, opera, ballet and concerts, all within the one precinct. We were fortunate to purchase tickets for a Wynton Marsalis jazz concert at the Rose Theatre in the complex.
One of the great American sporting passions is baseball. We went to the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to see the Yankees V Kansas City Reds game. The stadium is huge and state of the art in its facilities. It would be well suited to a 20-20 game of cricket!
We have visited many wonderful world leading museums and galleries - The Met, MoMa, Frick, Natural History, Guggenheim and Whitney Museum of Modern Art. A really interesting museum in lower East Side is the Tenement Museum. It is housed in an original tenement building and gives you an insight into the hard life endured by the millions of European immigrants who arrived in the middle of the 19th century - five floors, no running water or heating and four outdoor toilets for
Times Square
The standard photo! 120 residents.
Last Sunday we visited the Hope Baptist Church in Harlem for a gospel service. The church was packed with almost 1000 worshippers (plus a few visitors like ourselves). Everyone was dressed up in their "Sunday best". The service lasted 2 1/2 hours and had everything we had hoped for - wonderful singing (tabernacle choir, male choir and individual soul singers), plenty of interaction between congregation members and a rousing (and entertaining) 45 minute sermon.
The food has been good and really varied, as you would expect in a cosmopolitan city. Prices, at the current exchange rate anyway, seem to be on a par with home. As we had expected, quality clothing is very inexpensive, with retail stores booming.
In the past three weeks we have found New Yorkers without exception to be friendly, helpful and really service oriented in stores and restaurants.
New York for us has certainly lived up to its reputation.
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