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Published: March 23rd 2007
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And so I find myself at the final destination. After travelling for over a year on a fantastic journey, it really feels like the end now. This brings mixed emotions. I'm happy and even slightly relieved to be heading back to the familiar faces of friends and family that I haven't seen for so long, but naturally dissapointed that the ride has to come to an end. New York offers a totally different taste of the US from LA. The palm-tree lined boulevardes of Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills make way for housing blocks and skyscrapers in a colder, greyer and bleaker metropolis. The place is also a hive of activity, 24/7. People hustling on the street corners, the flashing lights of Times Square by night, the heaving mass of people on the Metro and the tourists and shoppers downtown.
The Empire State Building was a real frustration. One hour in line to get to the ticket booth, another hour to reach the lift taking you from the ground to 80th floor, then another half hour to get the next lift from 80th to 86th floors. Add to that the time spent viewing and photographing from the top, plus
at least another half hour to get back out again, and it almost becomes a daytrip in itself!! You can skip most of the queuing with an 'Express Pass' for $45 instead of the usual $18, but there was no way I was paying that sort of money to go to the top of a building. And to go slightly higher again costs another $15 whichever pass you purchase, no chance!!
I didn't make the same mistake when I went to see the Statue of Liberty. I was on the Staten Island Ferry before 9am and it was practically deserted. The ferry is free and takes around thirty minutes to sail between Liberty Island and Governor's Island across the Upper New York Bay. Rode it straight back and headed to the ferry for Liberty Island but the queue was already enormous. The view of New York's iconic statue was good enough from the Staten Island Ferry, so figured I should skip the wasting of several hours standing in line and pressed on northwards across the city. My first stop was the site of the World Trade Centre's 'Twin Towers', now referred to as 'Ground Zero' after their demolition following
Statue of Liberty
Viewed from the Staten Island Ferry. the 9/11 attack. Basically just a big hole and the remnants of foundations that looks like a building site, so not much to see. Strolled across to Chinatown afterwards (always a good spot to find a cheap and tasty meal!) for some lunch and made my way up onto the Manhattan Bridge pedestrian walkway. A great view of Brooklyn Bridge and the mountainous peaks of skyscrapers shaping New York's downtown skyline.
The weather really warmed up towards the end, and I spent my remaining time making the most of the springtime heat to have a look around Central Park and the uptown area near my base on the upper west side. The unseasonable warmth brings out all the joggers and cyclists and even an unexpected amount of wildlife, ducks and geese, and squirrels digging up their winter stash of food. It is also surprising how peaceful Central Park is despite being solidly surrounded by the busy city.
New York was not at all what I expected. The stereotypes portrayed by music, movies and television that formed my only ideas of the place tend to portray New Yorkers as pushy and rude and that gang violence and muggings make
certain areas just too dangerous to go to. Admittedly there are a couple of small areas in Harlem and the Bronx that wouldn't be too safe for a white tourist to be wandering around alone, but the people of New York I found to be friendly and helpful without exception. Even taking shortcuts through the nearby housing blocks of the upper west side late at night, with groups of dodgy looking guys hanging around in the streets everywhere, I never got any problems. I have to admit that I came to America with fairly low expectations, and it has been a pleasure to be proved wrong. That isn't to say that there aren't plenty of complete arsehole Americans or that the place isn't fucked up politically, but if there is one thing I have learned from my time immersed in other cultures, it is that all people the world over irrespective of race, religion or politics are basically the same, they are just trying to make the best out of what they have got to provide a good life for themselves and their family...
So, that is it for now. An end to the travel blog for my round
NY Panorama
Empire State Building. the world trip 2006/2007. I'm really hoping it is an experience I will get the opportunity to repeat. Already thinking and planning for another (even more exciting!) adventure, but first I have to make the necessary money Which involves getting another 9/5 and serving some time in another boring office!! A big thank you to all the good people I met on my travels, (you know who you are!) it makes travelling alone a lot easier when you find people on the same wavelength or who just have a good sense of humour! Hope I can catch up with a few of my new friends from around the globe in the future, the world feels a slightly smaller place now so maybe it's not so unlikely? Goodbye for now, and in the words of steroid fuelled, former actor and current governor of California, "I'll be back"!
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