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Published: January 2nd 2014
I emerged from the dull yellow tinge of the metro system into an early evening. The sun was snugly settled beyond the horizon but a kaleidoscope of lights danced in the streets. Billboards smiled brightly exhuberating a thrill I had forgotten to expect. I stopped mid foot traffic, eyes wide and searching. Skyscrapers were lit up by screens on all sides, flashing Coca Cola advertisements, current plays, TV shows, and restaurants. Shop windows showcased everything from the finest jewelry and fancy clothes to gift shops and knockoff designer bags.
I was in a hurricane of people. Life sized super heros and Disney characters patrolled the street. Mickey Mouse gave a kid a high five while Iron Man posed with a Japanese family of four. Feet shuffled furiously all around me. Each person had somewhere to be and wherever it was, they moved as though it was fiercely important. With no awareness of self or environment, three different people ran straight into me, looking up from their cell phones just briefly enough to apologize or glare before they continued on their way, eyes back to their phones with hands scurrying across their surfaces. I started to move with traffic, carrying my
backpacking pack and pulling a rolling carry on. I had arrived on Broadway.
I was headed to meet Jhene on the corner of 42nd street towards 8th outside of a pizza place. My roommate from Alaska has been living in New York for the past month. When the pedestrian light flashed white, I crossed and we both squealed as we embraced. We hadn’t seen each other for a few months. Despite there being over eight million people in New York City, Jhene was homesick and ready for the company of her favorite roommate and travel buddy.
We walked a few blocks into Hell’s Kitchen. Though in the Early 90s, a walk down the streets in this neighborhood would be ludicrous for two young women alone, now Hell’s Kitchen is one of the most desired residential areas in Manhattan. She was renting a room from a friend of a friend for quite cheap, at least by New York standards. For a more than fair price I was able stay with her for 12 days. Having never spent more than a night in New York before, I wanted to experience it all.
I am a thrifty traveler, but I
knew spending 12 days in NYC would be anything but cheap. This would probably be my only extended New York experience, so I was bound to see and do everything I wanted to in my time there. The first night we went out to dinner with our roommate, James. He teaches self defense classes and is starting his own health food line. Together we shared a one bedroom apartment. Jhene and I shared the room and the queen sized bed while he curtained off the living room at night and slept on a fold out bed. Our 3rd floor apartment, which was approximately 200 sq ft with a kitchen the size of a small closet, rented for around $1,700 a month. I was more than happy to pay the $200 for the time I was crashing there considering I couldn’t even get two nights in a hotel for the price.
AIA Architecture Tour
The highlight of my trip was the Architecture Tour hosted by The New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). I wanted to learn more about the city, get on the water and up close to the Statue of Liberty and
Jhene on the AIA Tour
Yay! She came out of the cabin finally!!! this offered all three. We took a yacht around the entirety of Manhattan and saw every angle of skyline. We had an incredibly knowlegeable tour guide who filled us in on the history of hundreds of buildings and monuments, the 15 connecting bridges and the other Islands.
The weather was rainy on our way to the Chelsea Piers, but as we set off, the sky calmed and we had a rain free trip. The yacht was covered and heated indoors with cushioned benches and tables, and then outside we could stand along the rails and feel the wind rush up off the water. Also unbeknownst to us, we got a complimentary cocktail and fruit and cheese platters on the trip. If I were staying longer I would have gone back out on one of their Jazz or wine tasting tours. Jhene was a bit hesitant to go, but in the end was glad that I drug her along.
Training for the Circus
My time in New York was a commitment to fitness. I took five classes at the Body and Pole Studio: two Aerial silks classes, two hoop
classes and an INVERTables class. I am now in love with the hoop. As you may have seen my christmas video 😊 (
hope to play more with one in the future! The INVERTables class was humbling. I can barely do a headstand and these girls were all like gymnasts. So I hid in the corner trying to balance on my head while the others were doing the splits while on their hands. Spoiled with 30 foot ceilings at Dragonfly Aerial Arts, the silk classes were uninspiring. They taught material I mostly knew and additionally they allowed a new person to skip the intro class and come. The teacher spent most of the time teaching her the basics while the rest of us waited around. At $25 a class I want to feel like I get my money’s worth! On top of the classes, I walked between two and five miles a day, went to a gym, and ran in Central Park. I felt great!
Nature and Wildlife
Overall Manhattan crowded and crushed me, leaving me very claustrophobic at times. I enjoy the bustle of city life, but I NEED to be out in
nature. The first day I went to Central Park and ran while Jhene was in her French class. The park was beautiful still holding on to its fall colors. There were bridges running over streams, and a web of paved trailed mixed in with dirt trails. But no matter how far a ran into the park, the large trees felt like wilted flowers against the backdrop of the skyscrapers towering over.
Walking home one night I caught a glimpse of a creature running along a building. We got closer and saw that it was a opossum! In Central Park there are squirrels and birds everywhere. I even saw a black squirrel. Filthy little pigeons scrounge every inch of the city, and we even got to see rats playing hide n seek in a wet subway tunnel. My Great Aunt Kathy told me that sometime you can see raccoons and on rare occasions coyotes in the parks.
Recently in Chelsea the Highline park was opened. This park runs on an old railway about 25 feet above the streets. After the AIA tour we walked along the wooden path stopping to admire random “art” and sit in nooks with benches
overlooking parts of the city.
Green was a color I could not see enough of. When we were walking in Chelsea I looked at my handy Google Maps to see what was nearby. A whole block was sectioned off for Madison Square Garden. Excited I shared showed Jhene. She was in. We walked eight blocks over and stood on a corner. Confused we looked back at the map and then up at a massive concrete structure on the block where our gardens were supposed to be. I never knew Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena. Some lessons you learn the hard way.
Broadway
On Broadway we saw two different musicals. We had hoped to catch Book of Mormon or Wicked, but neither show offered ½ tickets the day of the show. They did however each have a lottery. If you show up two hours before the show and enter your name, you can win front row tickets. We went through the whole process for Wicked, showing up two hours before the show and then waiting an hour for them to draw the names. A large crowd of people showed up and the
odds were not in our favor. We took the experince for what it was and ended up buying ½ tickets to see Mama Mia. Another night we saw the Phantom of the Opera. I have ALWAYS wanted to see Phantom of the Opera live and Jhene is a big fan of Mama Mia. Overall, the Phantom of the Opera was very good, however I was disappointed with the lead actress who played Christine. Rather than smooth and full, her voice seemed nasally and squeaky, making it hard to really enjoy her solos. Mama Mia however was quite powerful because of the lead actress. Her emotion and energy were so powerful that one of her ending solo unexpectedly left me with a tear rolling down my cheek.
Museums and Family
While in Manhattan I got to reconnect with my great Aunt Kathy. Going to the Cloisters was pretty high on my list and she was eager to visit it as well. She said it was the first museum she ever went to. Walking through the stone halls was calming. We started at the Fuentidueña Chapel where the Forty Part Motet exhibit was set up.
Fuentidueña Chapel
Forty part Quartet set up with speakers There were 40 speakers in an oval facing each other and every seventeen minutes they played the forty part quartet Spem in alium numquam habui (In No Other Is My Hope) by Tudor composer Thomas Tallis. Each speaker held the voice of an individual singer. As I listened to the 14 minute recording, I slowly walked in front of each speaker soaking in each individual voice from one direction and absorbed the collective whole from the other. At the climax I found a place in the center and felt the song flow through me as if I were once again in the center of a live choir. It was a phenomenal piece. We also walked through the gardens and other chapels and tombs that had been reconstructed from collected items previously abandoned after the French Revolution. The Medieval architecture, sculptures and artwork were outstandingly beautiful and haunting.
I also spent some time at the Metropolitan Museum Art or the MET. It immediately brought back Memories of reading and watching From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. If I had grown up in NYC, I surely would have tried to hide out overnight just so I could sleep
in one of those Victorian canopy beds.
Grand Central Station and The Scandinavian House
After the Cloisters, we walked the grounds down to the small restaurant where we had coffee and made plans to reconvene for dinner across town at the Scandinavian House. Jhene and I decided we wanted to walk to the restaurant starting from 110 Street. We walked through the length of Central Park, down Madison Avenue and to our surprise through Grand Central Station. After over an hour, we had walked the 73 blocks to our destination.
Kathy joined us at our table under the tree. Our meal was filled with a rich variety of topics, covering world travel, literature, and family history. The food was rich, sweet, and savory.
New York is a place where Magic can happen, if you make it...
One night Jhene and I were walking in Chelsea, huddled holding arms in the cold, racing past the meanderers on the sidewalk. Then as if in a movie we were surrounded by men on all sides of us. The dress tails of their suits froliced in the chill air
as their feet danced around us. Time seemed to stop as we fell in tune to the harmonies of In the light of the Silver Moon blending on all sides of us. The twelve handsome voices swelled and lifted. Their smiles joyously greeting us as they passed. We were swept down a single block with them until they turned at a passing street, voiced withering in the distance. We both had chills.
At another point on broadway we passed a choreographed flash mob. Towards the end, one of the audience members was pulled in and terribly tried to dance along. Then assumingly his girlfriend was pulled in and then as you would suspect, his girlfriend soon become his fiancé. One day on the metro, I witnessed a guy breakdancing in one of the cars. It was quite the experience! And on any given day you can find street musicians, though few are actually any good.
I learned a lot about myself in the time I spent in Manhattan. The first is that I could never live in a city with such a consumer lifestyle. All there seems to be to do is spend money and rush
around in crowd of people! However I loved the time I spent there and the never ending list of things to do. New York is not a place I could live, but it is a place I can deeply appreciate for what it is.
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Bette Morrison
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I was in Manhattan last January 21, 2013. My first visit. I met with 4 cousins for the first time and my husband went with me. We were right by NY Central Park and Time Square. My parents met in NYC park so I had to go there and walk in the park every day--amazing. We had the luxury of going to Wall Street and I had my picture taken with the BULL. We also went to the Twin Tower Memorial--beautiful but so sad. Keep me posted - I love hearing your stories and seeing all the pictures. Thanks, Rebekah.