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Published: April 4th 2008
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Inside of Trump Tower
Right behind my office! As I walked around the park’s large pond with my overnight roller trailing behind me, neither the numerous water fowl cruising the surface of the water nor the people sitting on the surrounding benches or walking their dogs on the paths seemed to take much notice of me.
From my part, I was truly enjoying myself being an observer of the morning activity developing all around me and capturing a few images here and there with my vintage, ten-year-old Canon Powershot S20 point-and-shoot camera that I carry sometimes in my business bag (when I don’t really expect any major photographic opportunities).
Though I was quickly reminded that I was not the only visitor in Central Park with similar interests (I was amazed by the high number of photographers out and about the area I was passing through) there was something totally unusual about my situation here: for me, New York City has always been an extension of my normal work environment, not a place where you take time to visit the park (or anywhere else unrelated to work for that matter).
I would say that my attitude had to do with that propensity for the locals of any
city or town to ignore the place where they live and almost never go to the places that visitors consider interesting in their locality. I have certainly behaved that way in Atlanta. But how would New York City fit in the same category? I’ve never lived here!
The Big Apple has easily been my most frequently visited city in the World… There was a time when I would commute here every week and go back home for the weekends… At least a couple of times, I have even commuted for the day - flown in early in the morning, worked here all day, and then flown out in the evening...
And during all of these visits, I had totally failed to see this great city with the eyes of a real traveler. I have never visited any of the famous tourist sites (besides Times Square that I cross sometimes in my way to one of my favorite hotels in the city) or even been to any of the famous Broadway shows. I guess the only attractions in town that I have fully experienced have been its great restaurants... thanks to the fact that many of my broadcast clients
are based here and you do a lot of wining and dining in the normal course of business.
Perhaps another reason that contributed to my overlooking the Big Apple as a great travel destination has been how easy it is for me to get here. It takes me only a couple of hours to fly to any of the New York airports from Atlanta. My company even considers the Atlanta-New York route a commuter lane that employees can use by simply accessing the approved airlines’ websites (unlike other destinations that require more comprehensive travel processes and controls).
Inspired by one of my recommended bloggers at Travelblog.org (
capsfan2002 ) who has been doing a great job at showcasing her hometown and even her frequent business travel destinations, I decided to clear my preconceived notions about New York City and start seeing it as if I was visiting for the first time.
As in previous visits, my business schedule for this trip had been fully booked to take advantage of all my waking hours here; but on this Wednesday morning, my first meeting was scheduled to start at 10:00 AM at a point close to where West End
Ave. and 66th Street cross. The clear, early spring day acted as a magnet and instead of hiring a cab, I decided to walk to my meeting from midtown…. Not in the most direct route but following an arc that would take me through Central Park…. And that is how I got here!
I found that the hour or so detour was actually a lot more than just a “walk in the park”, since all signs of stress that are typically my companion during over-committed business trips just melted away and left me with a much better disposition for the rest of the day. Later when I finally made my customary dash for La Guardia airport to catch my flight home, not even the pervasive airport security idiosyncrasies bothered me a bit!
New York City…. I’ll be back. Maybe even with tickets to a Broadway show!
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ilchicag
Liz
Don't you just love NYC...
Oh man, I was just in NYC and seeing your pictures really made me wish I were back--especially with the Central Park ice skaters. I was there for law school visits, but did make a point to do some exploring like yourself. Even though I've been there before, there is still so much to see in that city, even if you don't go to the major sites. It's refreshing to read that just by taking a walk or changing routine that you can see the world you live in. I loved reading this! :)