New York State of Mind

I can't let it pass without mentioning on here that last month (already, 'last month') I was in New York. Finally made it. There's really too much to say, so I won't say much, and give you a few photos, of memorable places. The view down Manhattan from the 'Top of the Rock' was simply stunning, but the Empire State Building was the most impressive, all beautiful Art Deco. Took much longer to get to the top than I'd expected, you don't just get in a lift, you have to go up escalators, have your photo taken, go through security (understandable). I don't remember Meg Ryan doing that in Sleepless in Seattle!

So much of NYC is like being on a film set - because you've seen so much of it in movies. Central Park, The Lincoln Center, Times Square, the bridges, the brownstone buildings. Fire escapes that are just waiting for Tony and Maria from West Side Story... You're constantly craning your neck to look upwards. Yellow cabs, Avenues and streets, getting the hang of the grid system until you get into the Village and it all falls apart. Chinatown, Little Italy, distinct neighbourhoods, yet changing over the years. Fascinating stories of how different nationalities of immigrants settled in particular areas.

Times Square: so bright at night that you almost need sunglasses. Lights, theatres, bars. Yet it felt familiar, not strange at all. There's so much to see and do that we barely scratched the surface. We saw all the main sights that we wanted to, we saw a show, we drank cocktails in a revolving restaurant high above Times Square.

Next time, I can take it all at a more leisurely pace.