Yo, what's up world! New York City rings in a new decade.

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Happy New Year, dear reader, and may the upcoming decade bring you peace and love. There's no place on Earth like the Big Apple, and where better to celebrate the new year than with hundreds of thousands of fellow revellers in and around Times Square, with an estimated global television audience of a billion viewers! So what's up, as nowhere does things bigger and better than New York City. I've been reunited with my dear friend from Quebec, to celebrate the dawn of a new decade together in the mighty United States of America, and she will get to experience all that New York has to offer for the first time.

To recap from the previous journal, we left off in Portland where I've been enjoying an emotional family reunion with my brother and sister. I purchased an early morning Greyhound ticket, and rode an express dog south to New York City in less than five hours. It's exciting to be in Manhattan again, and the adrenalin starts to flow as soon as the bus meanders over the bridge from Brooklyn to the island. I pre-booked in the Swiss 1291 hotel for the new years period, and met my friend as planned in uptown Manhattan just off 8th Avenue. We settled in to our hotel, and then set off to explore during our first night in the city. The hostel staff recommended the superb Bombay Indian restaurant, and we were in seventh heaven while savouring the wonderful dishes to start the celebrations.

The next morning we experienced very long queues while waiting to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and serious cold to match! Although we made an early start it was tough going waiting for nearly two hours, as the queue gradually wound it's way to the airport style security before being granted entry on to the ferries. But once security formalities were completed the NYC ferry network worked like clockwork. As the ferry approaches the majesty of the colossal statue it's an unforgettable sight, and the Statue of Liberty was the first view of the United States for millions of European immigrants determined to make a new life for themselves. But spare a thought for the sick, the destitute, and even the undesirables; who were promptly sent back from where they came on the next boat.

The next stop on the ferry trip is Ellis Island, where the mass processing of hopeful immigrants took place. The building is now an impressive museum, and makes for an entertaining and informative stopover. It's estimated some 100 million Americans can trace their history to boat arrivals at Ellis Island, demonstrating how this small island on the Hudson River played a pivotal role in the creation of modern day America. There's an excellent free movie which runs hourly, and also superb views of the Manhattan skyline on the ferry heading back to New York City. After our visit we took the subway to the World Trade Centre site, which is coming along in leaps and bounds compared to my last visit in 2006. The foundations for the new buildings are nearly complete and the architectural design of the buildings, including monuments commemorating those who lost their lives on 9/11, will be a superb addition to the greatest city on Earth.

New Year's Eve dawned with a blanket of snow covering New York City. We started our day heading in to Times Square before the lock down commenced for the evening. It was a great experience and coincided with the legendary countdown as the ball dropped for the Japanese new year, and the Japanese tourists were going off good style. Then we headed off on foot for some serious exploration of this wonderful city. Chelsea was pretty as a picture in the snow, with gorgeous apartments featured on immaculately maintained streets. Then we ventured on to Greenwich Village and stopped off for a hot chocolate at an excellent Brazilian cafe. The owner was relaxed and cool, and treated us to some home made chocolate he uses in the hot chocolates. We then headed to Soho to browse at the cool shops, and observe the even cooler people strolling around. New Yorkers are great, and nowhere near as manic as the stereotype suggests.

Our last evening of the decade started with a superb meal, and culminated in seeing in the new year from behind a police barrier. I think I caught a glimpse of some smoke from the fireworks, but we did enjoy a happy new year greeting from the NYPD officer manning the barrier. After midnight we headed back to the hotel for a passionate celebration to see in the new year. I love New York: it's a city buzzing with heaps of energy and excitement, where the locals display a genuine zest for life. I couldn't think of a more appropriate place to ring in the new decade with my special travel companion.

On New Year's Day we rose early for the two hour bus ride to Philadelphia. The bus travels through the state of New Jersey, then crosses the Delaware river before arriving in this impressive American city. Philadelphia is the heart and soul of the States, the traditional capital where in an extraordinary eleven year period within Independence Hall the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the United States constitution was formalised. It's a marvelous city to stroll around, with superb tourist infrastructure and gorgeous buildings to enjoy. Coincidently our visit was right in the thick of the annual New Years day parade, with crowds lining the street and endless floats passing by, featuring locals celebrating in outlandish costumes. It was a hoot visiting Philadelphia during the new year celebrations, with a great a great sense of camaraderie pervading the city. We've experienced so many best wishes during our brief visit to the United States it helps restore one's faith in humanity. Paying a visit to the east coast of the States and two of the world's most important cities leads me to conclude, basically all of you should be here now!

Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or the person of any other, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end." Immanuel Kant

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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Photos

Statue of Liberty, New York City
A beacon of freedom for those who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from the Old World.

Irish Pub, New York City
We experienced heavy snow in the Big Apple on New Year's Eve.

Times Square Countdown
Celebrating the start of the new decade in Japan. That's as close as we could get to a Times Square countdown on NYE.

Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
In the park with the city's impressive skyscrapers in the background.

New York City park
Following heavy snow on New Year's Eve.

Comments

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