New York

Good morning New York @ Times Square, United States, New York

2005-11-23T17:20:00.000Z

I arrived in New Jersey on a wednesday morning after spending the previous day exploring Seattle. New Jersey's Newark airport is a huge, soulless facility and everyone around looked as tired and murky as I was. The overnight flight passed in countless attempts to get a bit of sleep on planes and airports, and I was beat (I had to transfer in D.C.). All I wanted was to find a shuttle or taxi, get to the hotel as soon as possible, and hit the sack.

By pure chance, I jumped on the SkyTrain in the wrong direction. This took me to the airport's train station instead of the shuttle area and, since I was already there, I ended up on a New Jersey transit train, headed towards New York. The train ride was short and pleasant. I had a most extraordinary companion for the duration of the ride: A chubby middle aged somewhat gay owner of a company that produces and sells products for the hot "lubrication" business. He spends his time between attending to his customers, seeking medical approval for his products, and traveling around the globe to visit fairs of the intimate business.

An hour later, I was in New York's Penn station. I emerged from of the underground world of staircases and subway tunnels smack into the middle of the busiest city in the world. It was quite a walk from the station to the hotel, but I soon learned that walking is a big part of the New York experience. The streets are filled with people, all rushing to get somewhere. All you have to do is to join the stream of people in the direction you are headed, and keep pace. Around noon, I finally checked in to the Carter hotel - a crummy, run-down joint just off Times square. I dropped down on the bed and literally passed out.

I woke up around 5pm. It was time to get a first relaxed look at the city, so I took the camera for a spin at Times square. It was dark by then, but the city was as busy as ever. The square was lit up like a christmass tree with a slew of electronic displays, and the traffic was almost suffocating (both on the roads and on the sidewalks). Indeed an appropriate first taste of the city that never sleeps.

Macy's Thanksgiving parade @ Greenmarket, United States, New York

2005-11-24T11:36:46.000Z

Macy's, the "trademark" NY superstore, traditionally organizes a gigantic Thanksgiving day parade for children. Although this is quite an event, for me, it was also quite a nuisance. Broadway and the surrounding streets were shut down completely and the place was packed with people - mostly children and thier escorts, as well as a whole lot of bewildered tourists. It took me about two hours to escape the masses, but I was in no particular hurry. After all, what could be more interesting than a procession of 20 meter high cartoon characters, slowly making their way through the center of one of the world's greatest cities.

Incidentally, you otherwise don't see many kids in New York. It seems noone really wants to raise children in this tough, chaotic city - people are too busy for that here. I'm pretty sure that every kid in New York went to see the parade, though. ...And they probably still had to ship some in for good measure :-)

Tiles for America @ Mulry Square, United States, New York

2005-11-24T13:30:44.000Z

I came across this installation in Greenwich village. A rather large collection of tiles donated by artists in memory of the 9/11 attacks on New York. Get over it, guys.

Chinatown @ Public School 23, United States, New York

2005-11-24T15:26:13.000Z

Anyone ever tell you about that time they were walking down the street and it was raining on one side of the road and sunny on the other? Well, visiting New York's Chinatown is the next best thing. Just cross a small street that separates Chinatown from the rest of Manhattan, and all of a sudden, everyone around you is Asian, and nobody speaks English anymore. You're handed leaflets in Chinese at every corner, people talk to you in Chinese and expect you to understand. The streets are filled with shops selling herbs and traditional medicine.

Lower Manhattan @ Foley Square, United States, New York

2005-11-24T15:42:53.000Z

New York's financial/business district is studded with skyscrapers and public buildings. It's fair to say that this place is the heart of world trade and finance. Honestly, there's not really much to do here, unless you're here on business. When I was there, the place was deserted because of the holidays and I can only imagine what it looks like on a busy weekday.

Manhattan Ferry @ Liberty Gateway, United States, New York

2005-11-24T16:41:25.000Z

I took a ferry from Battery park to Ellis island in the afternoon. The weather was really bad (much worse than it appears). The wind was blowing like crazy and it also started to rain pretty heavily at that point. The view from the ferry was magnificent, though.

This ferry trip was the first time I realized how tight security is in this city. Tight security checks are not limited to airports, like in Europe. The same kind of security measures are enforced at large buildings, and especially tourist attractions. To board the ferry, you have to go through a huge tent with about 10 lines of x-rays and metal detectors, take off your shoes, coat... The works.

The ferry stops by Ellis island and the statue of liberty, and since it was pretty late, I only had time to visit one of these prime attractions. I decided for Ellis island, since I already got great views of the famous statue from the ferry. I also learned that its apparently no longer possible to visit the observation area at the top of the statue. Something to do with terrorism - that's a shame.

Ellis Island, United States, New Jersey @ Ellis Island, United States, New Jersey

2005-11-24T17:20:53.000Z

Ellis island is a great place to visit. Most immigrants that arrived in the first part of the 20th century were "processed" here before being allowed entry into the US. The facility has long outlived its usefulness as sea transportation was superseded by air travel. After being left to decay for a time, it has been restored as a museum.

The entire complex has an eerie aura to it, you can feel that it played a role in history. If I recall correctly, about 1/3 of all Americans can trace their ancestors back to Ellis island. The rangers that are employed at the facility try hard to describe the conditions in which the facility operated as humane for the hundreds of immigrants that poured in here daily. Some facts indicate otherwise, but its a hard call, since the US was literally bombarded with immigrants at the time, so I suppose some measures had to be taken. Frankly, the asylum seekers home in Ljubljana looks like the Hilton compared to this.

It's kind of cruel that the facility is on an island. It makes it so clear that you're at the gates of America, but you're not there yet. And the magnificent view of the Statue of Liberty is ironic, to say the least. In the old days, ships would typically arrive in New York where the rich 1st and 2nd class passengers were allowed to disembark, regardless of their citizenship. The ship would then go to Ellis island to discharge the remaining passengers, which had to go through processing before being allowed entry. Although only 2% of people were actually sent back home, many people were detained here for weeks before being allowed to enter. Many families were broken up in this way. In fact, the entire procedure was better fit for cattle than for people.

The irony is that although the US seemed weary of all the immigrants, it actually gained from the mass immigration tremendously. A quote from one of the nameless immigrants describes the situation excellently: "I was told that the roads were paved in gold in America. Whe I arrived here, I learned 3 things: The roads were not paved in gold. The roads were not paved at all. They wanted me to pave them".

Manhattan skyline by night @ Ellis Island, United States, New Jersey

2005-11-24T17:59:18.000Z

These images were taken from the ferry on the way back from Ellis island. The Manhattan skyline at night is one of the things any visitor to New York *must* see. If I had realized that it gets dark so early here, I would have cut my visit to the museum short and taken some shots of the Manhattan skyline at dusk from the island. I had to handhold these shots, so they're a bit blurry.

Remnants of 9/11 @ Battery Park, United States, New York

2005-11-24T18:30:12.000Z

This sculpture was located in front of the World Trade Center before the 9/11 attacks. It is surprisingly well preserved, although it does have some holes and dents in it, which they are not planning to restore. They say it's the only recognizable remain from ground zero that survived the attacks.

Museum of Modern Art @ Bryant Park, United States, New York

2005-11-25T15:31:44.000Z

On Friday, I started the day shopping for some much needed supplies. I forgot to bring the camera charger, so I set out to buy one (I ended up buying a spare battery and having my old one recharged). It was freezing cold, so I also bought a cap and scarf. Although the temperature was just below freezing, the wind here makes the cold get right down to your bones.

Anyway, next stop was the Museum of Modern Art. I'm not much of an art lover and rarely visit museums, but that's something I would like to remedy some day. The MoMA in New York was definitely worth a visit. I spent more time here than I anticipated. The museum has a great collection, to the extent that it gives a rather complete overview of (visual) modern art. It is probably the definitive collection of modern art in the world. Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, Gaugen, Klimt, Klee, Munch... you name it. Van Gogh's "Olive Trees" particularly caught my attention. If I happen to visit again, I'll take the audio guide that is also available.

Grand Central Station @ Bryant Park, United States, New York

2005-11-25T22:22:47.000Z

On my way back to the hotel, I visited Grand Central Station. It's a magnificent old building from the times when train travel was still prestigeous (besides probably being the only reasonable form of land transportation). It still serves its purpose today. Interestingly, there are a number of fine (i.e. also very expensive) restaurants at the station.

An evening stroll @ Bryant Park, United States, New York

2005-11-25T22:52:11.000Z

Here's a few photos from the way from Grand Central to the hotel. They're all New York stereotypes: ice skating, electronic displays, the subway and Broadway theaters.

Later that evening, I met up with Peter Sovinc, a Slovenian architect that lives in New York. He told me a lot about life and people in New York. Simply put: It seems challenging, but also very rewarding. We ended up in a bar with his Japanese friend Nikki somewhere in central Manhattan. We had our last drink at 4AM.

Empire State building @ WCBS-FM (New York), United States, New York

2005-11-26T12:56:03.000Z

The Empire State building, once the highest in the world and twice the highest in New York. This is a must-see attraction. You have to see it, you simply can't come back and say that you haven't been on the Empire State. But in order to do so, you also have to wait in line for about 3 hours, pass through a series of the now-familiar security checks, etc, etc. The view is amazing though. I wasn't sure whether the observation area is outdoors. Well, it is and that's great. They put up a fence around the terrace not that long ago, because there were too many people committing exhibitionist suicides by jumping off this building.

Subway @ Garment District, United States, New York

2005-11-26T14:17:36.000Z

This is just a snapshot from the subway. The NY subway looks really run-down. Peter's theory is that New Yorkers like it that way, since the city has more than enough money to replace the trains and give the stations a new paint job. The subway actually looks a bit scary. I didn't feel comfortable enough to take pictures on the subway until the last day. New York's crime rate has gone way down though, and the subway is perfectly safe to travel.

SoHo @ Garment District, United States, New York

2005-11-26T14:39:59.000Z

SoHo is the coolest part of Manhattan that I visited. It's really laid back and relaxed. A lot of cafes to chill out. Lots of stores selling music, funky used clothes, designer accessories, cool sports brands, and the likes. My main mission here was to spend too much money on iPod accessories at the Apple store, a mission in which is succeeded admirably.

Central Park @ Grand Army Plaza, United States, New York

2005-11-26T17:17:07.000Z

After the electronics shopping spree, I unloaded my bags at the hotel and headed for Central Park. Central Park is HUGE. It's not so much a well-maintained park, it's more like a vast recreation area serving millions of joggers. I really liked the views of New York's skyscrapers through the trees.

It was pretty late and it was already beginning to get dark when I reached the park. Central park empties surprisingly (or rather, alarmingly) quickly after dark. There was one thing that I still had to see here though - Strawberry Fields, a small area dedicated to John Lenon, one of New York's most celebrated residents.

Lined around Central Park is some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Blocks upon blocks of buildings with fancy entrances and doormen in long coats and white gloves. The sheer fact that there's so many people in the world that can afford to live here strikes you.

Trump tower, 5th Avenue @ Friar's Club, United States, New York

2005-11-26T18:19:23.000Z

I walked down Fifth avenue on my way back and stopped for some coffee at the Starbucks in Trump Tower. The coffee was just about the only thing I could afford in this place. Judging by how busy the coffee shop was, I guess I wasn't the only one :-). Wasn't too much bothered about it, though. Just looking at the store displays revealed that the ridiculously expensive stuff sold here was also some of the most useless junk you could come across. Its merely the consumer culture that we live in and the billions of dollars spent on advertising these worthless luxury products that make them attractive. It's a shame that people this rich don't have the imagination to spend their money on anything really worth buying.

Goodbye New York @ Association of the Bar of the City of New York, United States, New York

2005-11-26T20:20:13.000Z

This was the last evening I spent in New York, and there was one more thing that I had to do - see a Broadway theatre show. I chose to see "The Producers", a hilarious comedy produced by Mel Brooks. The show was great, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone.

After the show, I walked leisurely around Times square and the Theatre district before returning to the hotel. I took a bus to D.C. the next morning to catch the long flight back home.