Sitting in my zero gravity chair in the back yard listening to the chirps and tweets of the birds, the rustling leaves on the trees and the distant barking of a dog, I can hardly to believe that just a few short days ago I was in New York City. The tranquility of my back yard is the absolute opposite of the hustle factor of the greatest city on earth.
My daughter Megan, myself and my friend Norma spent two days in The City That Never Sleeps. I thought it was just a song but no, this is a fact: New York City is the buzz city of the U. S. A., if not the world. It doesn’t matter what time of day you are in Times Square, it always looks the same. The billboards offer up a sort of imitation sun. The bright lights put even Las Vegas to shame.
Our mini dose of New York City, a four-day trip, of which two days were spent getting there on the bus, was filled with plenty of walking, map reading, and the odd break here and there to ask someone, “Where do we go to get from here to there?” We almost always seemed to have no trouble at all finding one of New York’s finest to help us out!
We had taken notes before we left of where we wanted to go, and with our map in hand we followed that map as though it were our lifeline. Starting at the Guggenheim Museum and finishing up an exhausting two-day walkathon in the financial district around Wall Street, we the pilgrims of fine art, music and television savored the journey and every so often would exclaim in happiness, “This place is awesome!”
As I reflect on this incredible journey I realize just how much one can accomplish in two days. And though our sojourn into each facility was timed if not by minutes then by seconds, we can and will say with a distinct badge of New York honor, “Oh, the MET, yes, I was there. Isn’t it glorious!” Though we spent only an hour there it felt as if that was long enough for us was to say we were there. We’d made our mark. Our two days in the city were two days of fast-paced, no-hassles, what’s-next kind of days. No time to eat, sleep, nap – or go to the bathroom for that matter. We were on a mission!
Our first day was spent on Museum Alley. We went to the Guggenheim, the MET and the M.O.M.A. Each museum was filled with the most precious artwork from around the world and from every century. It was overwhelming to say the least, but we did see the Van Goghs, the Degas, the Cezannes and the works of other such fine artists. Each of us had decided what exhibits we wanted to see. This narrowed things down somewhat as to where we went in each museum.
Too much culture can make you dull, so our next stop was Top of the Rock. What a view! Breathtaking sights of the city below. From here we went to F. A. O. Schwartz; we had to see the piano from “Big.“ Tom Hanks was not using it at the time nor was he on the observation deck of the Empire State building at midnight when we were there. Norma and I were sure he would have showed up but to our disappointment he didn’t.
We had a most enthralling ride through Central Park provided by a lovely young man named Yousef, an absolutely terrific guide. He drove us through the park on his bike carriage and showed us the sights as though he had lived in New York all his life, although he has only been in the city for six years. He showed us the “Friends“ fountain, the fountain from a scene in “Serendipity,” the bridge from the movie “On the Waterfront,” the bridge where Elf has a snowball fight. Yousef went on and on about so many things I couldn’t process it all. Finally, we arrived at the sight I had been waiting to see for a long time: Strawberry Fields. It felt so good to finally see “Imagine” written in slate across a path in Central Park. Imagine what? Peace? Peace would be good; it’s what John would have wanted. John Lennon: this corner of Central Park is a tribute to a man who lived by a code of peace and died by the hand of violence. Not far from the spot where we can imagine is the spot where John Lennon was shot on Dec 8, 1980, a day I will never forget. The Dakota stands on one corner of an intersection, a hulking building that looks almost ominous. It’s here that the world lost a man who finally had found peace in the only real place that matters – inside himself. It was unfair that he was taken from us so soon. What he could have accomplished in the years he might have had, we can only imagine.
After Yousef took some pictures of us with the Dakota in the background we made our way down to the Plaza Hotel, leaving Strawberry Fields to others to imagine.
While we were In The Big Apple we saw two plays: “Newsical the Musical” and “Once.” “Newsical” was an off-Broadway production performed in a small theatre of 99 seats. It was hilarious. And we were so tired by the time we sat down in the theatre the comedy was a welcome relief.
We met Harry the following day. Like us, Harry was on a mission but his was a different kind of mission. His mission is to educate you and me and everyone about what happened on 9/11. I feel very proud to have met this man and shaken his hand. He stands at the copper wall of the Station 10 Fire House. Kitty-corner to this memorial is the site of the twin towers. Trees are growing there now in a circle, a symbol perhaps of the circle of life. Harry told us that nothing would be built where the twin towers once stood. Nothing but those trees will grow there. Being there was a very emotional experience for all of us. Even after all these years the memory of that day still haunts us whether we like to admit it or not. When Harry found out we were Canadian he couldn’t say enough about how we Canadians were the first to respond, grounding air traffic at our Canadian airports and offering our help. That was when I couldn’t contain the tears.
It took us some time to regain our equilibrium after speaking to Harry. Having walked up to Wall Street and having fought our way in to have photos taken with the “bull,” we decided Wall Street was a tough gig. It was now time to see the Lady! We took a cab to Pier 83 and hopped on a boat that took us up the Hudson. I couldn’t help but think about the pilot who landed the plane probably right where our boat was. The skyline was stunning; the Freedom Tower glass gleamed in the midday sun. The tour boat approached the Statue of Liberty. Looking up at the face of this lady, a symbol of hope and freedom and the pursuit of happiness, was again a humbling experience.
Ellis Island is closed due to damage during the Hurricane. From the boat it looked oddly enough like a shopping mall to me. Ellis Island will have to be on the itinerary of my next trip to New York.
Did I mention we went to the Strand, a bookstore in Greenwich Village? We had dinner in Little Italy one night. Our hotel was near the Manhattan Bridge and from our window we could see the Brooklyn Bridge off in the distance.
We saw another play, a musical called “Once” that had me again in tears. A spectacular play with some wonderful musicians and actors. Nothing like I have seen before. In fact, during intermission you could get a drink at the bar which was on the stage!
We shopped and ate and stood in awe of one of the greatest cities on the planet. The limos and taxi cabs, the cars and buses, policemen on foot, on bikes and on horses. Did I mention all the people? So many visitors and New Yorkers trying to maneuver around the city without losing their patience with people stopping and staring and taking photos. Firemen and fire trucks seemed to be everywhere and all of them honking! The city is loud and yet in some areas it’s as peaceful as my back yard.
What a trip it was to see New York City in all its wonder. I will have to go back sometime when I have digested this trip, which might be a long way off. When I asked my daughter and Norma what the best part of the trip was, they came to the same conclusion as I had: there was no “best part” – it was all “THE BEST”!
I am grateful for having had the opportunity to see The City That Never Sleeps, but am thankful, as always, to come home!
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