Well I didn’t plan this well. 4 calendar days to get to New York, tour it and get to Niagara Falls for the border crossing into Canada.
3.5 days actually, including the trip up from Philly.
And I picked the perfect weather for it too – cold, wet, dreary. The rain would escalate to biblical proportions whilst I was there.
A la Washington, the plan was to park outside the city and catch public transport in. Two of the easiest and quickest places are in Jersey, and I opt for the North Bergen Park and Ride. 10 bucks for the day which includes a return bus fare to the city. As the bus fare is $10 parking really is for free.
I arrive on a miserable afternoon around 1 pm, park Charlotte and hop the bus into New York. I arrive pretty centrally at the Port Authority.
Where to start? So many possibilities – the list of landmarks is endless – Hells’ Kitchen, Broadway, the 9/11 memorial and Freedom tower, Highline, Central Park, Statue of liberty, Ellis island, Empire State Building, Rockefeller plaza. I can’t all that done in 2.5 days can I? (No!)
I decide to ride the subway, hopping on and off, changing lines as necessary to get a feel for the city. I’m meeting up with the first friends I made on this trip, Tim and Sian, back in Napa down in the west village, so I head in the opposite direction for the next few hours.
New York is so full of iconic places, within 2 mins of reaching the street I find my first – the New York Times, one of the last bastions of true journalism in this country.
From there it’s off to Times Square, which to be honest, is a little underwhelming. Sure it’s as seen on tv – lights, screens, people, noise. I grab a hot dog from a street vendor (meh) and continue pottering around. I slowly make my way up to Central park, and before you know it, it’s 3 hours later and about to hit rush hour. I’m meeting the guys around 7 and it’s only a short subway ride south, so I stay at the park, even managing to pop in for a solitary (and expensive) beer at Tavern on the Green
Looking at the words on paper it doesn’t seem much, but it’s hard to accurately describe the feeling of just walking around this great city. It’s not as busy as I expected (the weather might be keeping people indoors), the pace isn’t as hectic,and the great unwashed are the same as any big city, but it is still exciting to be here, matching physical places to ones only ever experienced on screen and in books. And making memories of it all.
Eventually though I had to brave the subway and get down to Tavern on Jane a local bar just around the corner from where Tim and Sian live. It’s a true local, they know the staff and the staff know them. The food is absolutely sublime, and it’s great to bookend the US trip with my NYC friends.
Next morning I get up and head back to North Bergen to repeat the trip into town. However there is a problem – the car park is full and there is line of about a dozen cars. Bugger. There is another park & ride a few kilometers away, so I head there. That’s full too. No queue, but also no one managing cars in and out, and it’s smaller than Bergen. So I retrace my steps and line up with the rest of the schmucks, though by now the queue has reduced down to half a dozen cars.
I wait – it takes about 45 mins for people to return from the city and drive out. The queue is managed on a 1 in 1 out basis by a guy with a broad New Jersey accent. When I get the to top of the queue we have a good chat, and as he finally lets me in, he tells me to make sure I grab an umbrella and a warmer jacket than I am wearing. Who said NYC was rude?
Finally I get to the city but by now it’s approaching lunchtime. I’m struggling for time, but of all the things to visit I decide on the 9/11 memorial. I can still remember where I was on that awful day (Perth), and this trip has been a lot about learning how people live in this country. The memorial to it’s greatest modern tragedy is an appropriate place to focus on.
It takes 3 hours or thereabouts to walk through the memorial. It’s disturbing in parts (particularly the photos of the people who jumped rather than burn), it’s magnificent in others – the blue memorial wall is inspiring. Throughout it demonstrates the mix of pride and grief that New York feels – grief at the tragic loss of life, pride at the countless acts of bravery and heroism and the resilience of the community. It is moving, as is to be expected of such a place, but it avoids the pitfall of wallowing in depression and sadness.
After such an emotive few hours, I feel the need to simply wander the streets of New York. The Village, Hell’s Kitchen, Soho all come and go, again with picture perfect iconic scenes – fire escapes, yellow cabs, hipsters walking toy dogs, busy sidewalks during rush hour.
The weather hasn’t completely closed in yet, but I’m glad for the warmer jacket I took as the air is chilling as rush hour passes and the sun starts to set.
II’m hungry, and I remember a tip ftom my friend Sonia, to go check out the Chelsea Markets
It’s an old school market hall, renovated and renewed, full of cafes, restaurants and the ubiquitous “oddities” shops. A bit of research takes me to Cull and Pistol, a modern take on a fishmongers cafe, with freshly shucked oysters and the famous Connecticut Lobster Roll
A dozen oysters and one roll later, washed down with a couple of glasses of wine and I’m more than a happy camper.
An evening constitutional around Broadway, and the off broadway area is a perfect way to end the night.
