I have been walking a lot in NY. I think its the best city in the world to walk around in and also the best way to get to know the city. It comes a close second to Rome which also demands that you walk through its streets to discover the small hidden treasures it holds. Back to NY..
Its a city of museums. There are over a 150 museums in the city of NY. Most of them are small and not too many people visit them, but there are a few that are a must see for every tourist even remotely interested in the world around him. The Guggenheim museum for its architectural beauty and for the interesting exhibits it has, The Metropolitan museum of Art for the sheer scale and variety of its collections, The MoMA for allowing us to gaze upon works of such masters as Van Gogh, Picasso, Joan Miro and Monet all in one place, and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum for the subtle homage it pays to man's advances in technology. The last museum is actually meant to evoke in the hearts of the American, a pride for his country and to go home feeling great about its soldiers, but for me, it was a look-see at man's incredible journey through aviation technology. I spent a long time looking at the Lockhead that can fly at speeds of about 3 times the speed of sound and walked through the Concorde which, will sadly fly no more. A tour of the submarine too was a fantastic experience.
Central Park!! What can i say about this absolutely beautiful huge park right in the middle of Manhattan? Its absolutely amazing that NY has a park that is over a mile long and half mile wide right in the center of some of the worlds most expensive real estate. Then again, the real estate is so expensive in part because of this park. Walking through this park, one just forgets that there are busy streets and a virtual jungle of steel and glass just outside of it.
The financial district has big open esplanades in the middle of every few buildings. This gives it the much needed breathing room that makes it a pleasure to wander around it. These esplanades have interesting sculptures and installations at a scale that makes me catch my breath. Soho and Greenwhich village are very chic and smart and run seamlessly into Little Italy and Chinatown which have a very ethinic look and feel. Football excitement was palpable in the air in Little Italy and the numerous roadside cafes transported me back to Europe for the brief time i spent there.
It is said that if you stand in one corner of Times Sqaure long enough, you will meet every person in the world. It surely feels like that and i was drawn to this part of the city over and over again to just soak the atmosphere in. I have yet to catch a braodway show which i hope to at some point.
What i loved about this city is the piers and walkways created near the East river which allows people to walk peacefully next to the river, surrounded by green and just a couple of streets away from the hustle and bustle. They have managed to create a balance and have brought as much nature into the city as is possible.
The Upper West side is a beautiful place to live in, and if i ever win the lottery, (of course it would have to be at least 25 million USD) I would buy myself an apartment there :) I never ever thought that i would fall in love with a city as much as i love NY. This city will hold a special place in my heart when i leave this country in about 5 weeks :)
- intrepid reporter Geeta Suthar
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