New York, New York
I want to wake up in that city
That never sleeps…
Frank Sinatra, 1980
Ah yes, ol’ blue eyes loved his home town, having been born in Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson from Manhattan. The lyrics go on to say that if you make it in NY, you can make it anywhere…and it certainly worked for him. Below is the pier from which Frank would travel to Manhattan, located in Hoboken.
So, picking up from where we left off, NYC is a buzzing metropolis that enlivens your senses. Take Times Square…the neon lights are not just advertising, they are almost artworks, stunningly mesmerising and awesome. You could call this square (which does not actually have any resemblance to a square, but let’s go with it) a crossroads of the world – all sorts of people and nationalities congregate here, regardless of time to witness and experience the eye-popping neon wattage. It is, in my mind, the gateway to Broadway.
…and below are the girls, after seeing The Lion King on Broadway…
…and my attempts at artistic flair…the only time it rained in NY was when I was to meet the girls in Times Square after the show…at least the rain was warm.
Near Times Square, we regularly walked along the Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave). This is the home to Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Centre and the gateway to Macy’s on 35th at Herald Square. Seriously large store (9 floors across one whole city block) with some good prices!!
We spent some time walking around midtown east, taking in the UN headquarters, Grand Central terminal and Madison and Park Avenues.
In midtown east, you get an appreciation of the art deco style of the Chrysler Building, which in my view is probably the nicest building in NY.
We took in a guided tour of the UN Headquarters, thanks to James who arranged the tour for the family. The tour took in the Security Council, General Assembly (temporarily in the trusteeship chambers due to renovation work taking place) and the social and economic council chambers. All very fascinating.
Grand Central has been in so many movies and shows, that I cannot remember how many time I had seen it…to see it in person was awesome. The terminal is cavernous, with large arched windows and stars painted on the ceiling. And then there is the clock in the centre of the concourse.
…to be continued…
