New York city, the centre of the world as people call it or the place where everything is huge as I call it, needs no introduction. Having been the major port of entry for immigrants into the United States, New York has developed a great cultural diversity throughout the years and this is where all the charm begins, at least for me. However, the wonder doesn’t end in demographics since this city is also the capital of fashion, arts, commerce, diplomacy, technology and the list goes on indefinately. Needless to say, having the opportunity to visit this place for ten days with my three girlfriends was an experience of a lifetime.
SIGHTSEEING, A NECESSARY EVIL
As far as I am concerned, New York for the most part is not about sightseeing, nevertheless, as an art enthusiast, I just had to visit the museums. Fortunately, my friends also wanted to visit some of the ‘can’t miss’ places, therefore we made a list of the most important and went for it. MoMA was the first one in the list, which exhibits the most famous painting of Vincent Van Gogh, the “Starry night”, a priceless piece of art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or just the MET, was the next one to visit and although we spent one full day there we didn’t even scratch the surface of the exhibitions. Yes, so huge the MET is that I got totally lost trying to find the exit, even though I had a map in my hands! We also visited the Museum of Natural History with all the real size dinosaurs and the Statue of Liberty by boat, the latter just for the selfies (please don’t judge).
ENDLESS WALKING
In order to feel the vibe of a city one need to wear comfortable shoes and walk around the streets and we definately did that. Everyone in New York use the subway going places by foot, especially in Manhattan, so we followed suit. Among the best strolls we had was walking around Chinatown and Little Italy where someone can find hundreds of little stores and restaurants, wandering Soho with all the market places selling handmaid clothes and jewllery by independent artists and designers and of course Cental Park. A huge park in the centre of a city with huge buildings, this is Central Park and it’s beautiful. Moreover, Times Square and Broadway district is a must for tourists and we did go there too. No local people hang around Times Square, I saw that for myself but admittedly, it’s an impressive place with all those lights and billboards.
THE BROADWAY EXPERIENCE
In Midtown Manhattan there is an area packed with theaters called the Theater district and this is the Broadway I’m talking about. My friends and I watched an all time classic play in Broadway, the Phantom of the Opera with actors, orchestra and scenery being of the best quality. To say that it was totally worth our money and time would be an understatement. I just wish the women sitting in front of us had shared the same opinion with me and stopped being so annoying all the time talking and recording the play with their cellphones (strictly forbidden).
NEW YORK IS NOT ONLY MANHATTAN
It’s an accepted fact that Manhattan is very impressive but New York has other amazing places too, especially if someone seek a more local experience of the city. For instance, Brooklyn, with its beautiful two-storey rawhouses and the biggest ethnicly diverse population imaginable, has an ambience like nowhere else. Far more cheaper and less touristic than Manhattan, it has a place for everyone. Williamsbourg for the hipsters, DUMBO for the mainstream, Smorgasburg food flea market for those who love street food and Bedford-Stuyvensant for more hardcore travellers, where we discovered a great live jazz bar, the Lunatico.
THE FOOD
Street food again and again, that’s the spirit. When in New York you have to taste as many different cuisines as you can. Chinese, mexican, classical american burgers, soul food and any other ethnic food you can imagine. Being a city with such a vast ethnic diversity, New York has it all. Damplings, noodles, donuts, pizza, pretzels and of course bagels. I loved the bagels and you can find them everywhere in the city. Naturally, we tried as many cuisines as we could, with the food flea in Brooklyn being the highlight, where I literally couldn’t decide which one to choose among dozens of street food carts.
WHAT I LEARNED
- If you are a smoker don’t go to New York or prepare to quit. It is allowed nowhere, not even in parks.
- The locals are far more friendly than I thought and happy to help you out if needed.
- Someone get used to the skyscrapers around them after a few days and no longer pay attention to them.
- Wall street is just a street and please don’t make fun of me for thinking differently (now I know).
CITIZENS OF THE WORLD
All in all, I tend to believe that New York is about the people and the urban multicultural ambience that someone can feel all over the place, either riding the subway or simply walking down the streets. The essence of this city is its diversity which might stimulate some thinking about people being so different and so alike at the same time.