The Big Apple

When I set off from India, visiting new york city was at the top of my agenda. I've always being fascinated by what I heard and seen of this city. So after a lot of aborted plans due to bad weather, work and "evil" forces, I finally made it there.

Got off early from work on friday and drove straight to Boston, picked up a couple of friends and set off to the capital of the world, after running a couple of errands. The fact that we were going to stay in downtown Manhattan came as an icing on the cake, courtesy, my friend's smart sibling, who happens to work in wall street.

After 3+ hours of driving, around midnight, we entered NYC, where my eyes were thrown wide open to the breathtaking steel skyline of Manhattan. It was the one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. But the best was yet to come.

The pace of the city was terrific. Even at 2AM the roads were filled with cars, with people driving in a hurry. One could sense the state of urgency in everything they were doing. It was truly like the "city that never sleeps".

The following day we were treated to a terrible weather. It kept raining in intervals dampening our spirits. a li'l. It took us till late in the afternoon to get out. The first stop was the wall street due to its proximity. The place was abuzz with a lot of tourists. It was lined with skyscrapers on either side, with the landmark buildings being the NYSE and the Trump building. But the main attraction was the Charging Bull, the iconic sculpture, which epitomizes the market prosperity. It was funny and shocking to find tourists grabbing the Bull's balls. I was told abut a myth that doing so, helps your cash flow it seems. If only! And no, I didn't touch anything! But in retrospection, maybe I should have.

The next stop was the Brooklyn bridge, the integral part of the NY skyline. This connects the NY boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn. We walked over the pathway on the bridge which spans a little over a mile. And on our way back it was dusk, making everything look so beautiful. And from there we took the subway and went to the Times Square. Its the stop to make for anyone visiting NYC.

As we came up from the subway, the sight I saw will remain fresh in my mind for a long time. I felt like walking through the wardrobe into Narnia! The lights, the energy, the huge animated billboards was just spectacular. It was truly fantastical.

I could see people from different ethnicities, cultures and walks of life. It was like the confluence of the people of the world. No wonder its sometimes referred to as the "Crossroads of the World". It was a dream come true!

After walking a round a while we went to Hard Rock Cafe, had a couple of drinks and an argument with a few drunk locals. It was fun ;)

The next day, although not very keen, we went to the Liberty island which has the statute of liberty. Considering that more than 3 million people visit this each year, we didn't want to go back and say that we went to NY, but didn't see the statue. But it was worth the visit. Its truly a wonderful piece of monument, where the woman wearing a stola, with a torch in her hand, breaking the shackles is surging ahead. Its a wholesome personification of freedom.

After getting back from the island we were treated to an awesome show of street dancing by a group of afros at the battery park. They were very acrobatic too. It was simply mind blowing.

After roaming a round a while and some shopping we got back to the apartment in the evening, waiting for a friend to head back home.

In between I went up to the roof deck. And what I saw there will probably be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The whole city was glowing. The skyscrapers were lit. The bridges were lit. The water underneath the bridge sparkled. I could see the city stretch far and long. The light from the headlight of the cars seemed to flowing like water. And I was all alone. It was like an unseen dream come true. But for some reason it didn't fell like complete.

However, It was the prefect view to say goodbye to the city.