Okay, so here’s what people will say upon reading this blog:
"But aren’t you back from your trip to New York since last month?"
"Why are you now just assessing your New York trip?"
"Get over it! It’s a month already!"
Answer to first question:Yes.
Answer to second question: Because I was too lazy to do so last month, and because I didn’t realize that someone was actually interested in reading about my trip to New York.
Answer to third question: I wish I could get over it. It’s hard. New York, especially Manhattan, is a place that is wonderful beyond all imagination. It’s the paragon of cosmopolitan living. It’s a place you really have to see before you die. It’s the capitalist’s dream. It’s the stewpan for the world’s different culture and ethnic origin (and it’s no surprise that there’s a United Nations building stationed here). It’s simply a place that others have tried, and yet failed, to imitate. How could I get over it so soon when something this awesome just completely blows my mind? How could I collect my mind so soon after having them blown to the every last bit of synapses?
So anyway, the tension I’m trying to built up here is the way I describe some worthy places I’ve visited, or if you will, my review for some of the places I’ve gone to. Without further ado, let’s begin.
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Metropolitan Museum of Arts (a.k.a. Met): This is one of the reasons why I said NY is the stewpan of all the world’s different cultures. Actually, they have so many museums in NY that you could spend a month having a brief run through to all of them (and maybe, a lifetime to get an immersive experience to each of those). The most well known museums in NY are Met, Moma, Museum of Natural History, and Guggenheim. Unfortunately, I was only able to see the Met. Fortunately, I was able to see the Met!
In Met, artifacts from most parts of the world are collected and exhibited. This makes the Museum a definite place to go for connoisseurs of fine arts, world histories and sociologies. Actually, it’s a place to go even for the most casual tourists, as there is not place like Metropolitan Museum of Arts. It’s got everything for everyone who’s got an appreciation of arts, be it musical instruments, paintings, costumes, weapons, statues, jewelries, interior designs, scriptures, artifacts, etc. In fact, if you couldn’t even find a collection that suits your tastes, or if nothing displayed here interests you, then you have no sense of artistry and you are probably a person who can only appreciate business books or technology magazines (and God help you, you are indeed a very dull person if that’s the case).
If you think that museums are boring, you should see this place and prepare to be converted. It’s that good. It’s a place I can dedicate 3 days (and then some) going to.
Admission Fee: It’s actually a non-profit organization, but it’s recommended that as a tourist, you donate $15 per visit. Expensive? Maybe. Worthy? Definitely!
Empire State Building: Unfortunately, I couldn’t give too much praise for this place. I would’ve criticized it more harshly if not for the reason that I got the ticket for free thanks to some wonderful people from United Nations’ subsidiary. That said, I don’t fancy going to this place another time. It’s very crowded since this is a very hyped up tourist spot. As a result, expect a lot of queuing, which is just plain bad.
Still, the panoramic view of New York seen at the penthouse is a sight to behold, like for maybe 5-10 minutes. It is until then that you start to realize that although this place has a beautiful view, a lot of people are intruding your enjoyment because, well, it’s still better if you can do the sightseeing elsewhere a less noisy place. One also has to consider the astronomical admission price of going to the top of the building, which is $15(?). Factor that to the long queuing, and you got a whole day wasted and a lot of enthusiasm curbed (hey, that’s the new TV show!). Before you decide to go here, think of these: "Am I willing to spend $15 per ticket just to get a panoramic view of New York? Will I be able to tolerate 1 hour of queuing before I finally get to the elevator to the top?" If your answer is yes, then go for it.
Just don’t bother with the picture the photographers take for you. They’re not good, and they’re priced at $15 too.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Ponder this: You are given almost the exact condition as Empire State Building, except that you get to ride a Ferry Boat to give you a good view of the south side of Manhattan. Then, instead of just going to the top of a really tall building, you actually get to see one of France’s greatest gift to America (that is, the statue itself), and visit what used to be the place for admission of immigrants. It’s like a buy-one-take-one bargain compared to Empire State Building since they’re just similarly priced. So which of the two are you going to choose? Quite a no brainer, really.
When I said given almost the exact condition, I meant that there’ also a lot of queuing at this place. My recommendation is that if you want to go to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, come to Battery Park at around 8 where the queue is not yet so long. This will get you to ride the ferry earlier and thus warrants more time for touring both the Liberty Island and the Ellis Island. And while Liberty Island can be toured in less than 30 minutes, Ellis Island is where you’ll be spending most of your time in.
A now defunct immigration office lies in Ellis Island. This immigration office have seen a lot of happy and sad stories. It’s where a beacon of hope for people who wish to make a living in America are either extinguished, or further ignited. A lot of depression era novels revolve around both successful and frustrated immigrants. This is a place to go when you want to learn more about how hard it was for people to get to America. Remember American Tail? This movie, if I remembered correctly, depicted this place in the animated fashion. Indeed, America has gone a long way in terms of admitting immigrants. Go to this place and find out why. But remember though, you might want to bring along a Prozac or two.
Do see the 30 minute documentary that is running in this place’s theatre. It’s wonderfully narrated (by Gene Hackman himself, no less), and it’s truly an eye opener.
Oh, and there’s also a Zagat Survey approved (which means it’s really good) Burger Joint near Battery Park.
Time Square: It’s fair to say that this isn’t my favorite place to go in NY, even if for the fact that within one month, I’ve actually gone to this place more than 6 times. Still, one would be crazy not to visit Time Square. Hello! It’s the pinnacle of cityscape, what with all the flashing lights, TV studios and broadway theatres that surround it.
What I liked about this place: the enormous Toys R’ Us, the whole lot of clothes shops, all those flashing lights, and some cheap albeit delicious brick oven pizza eateries. Plus, this is also a place for people watching, and for seeing some street performers or subway musicians.
What I disliked about this place: you get pushed around without even receiving an apology. That’s awful. Whenever this happens, my mood become bad in a snap. Also, avoid the Sbarro at all costs. What’s awful there isn’t only the food, but also the service. Believe me when I say Robinson’s Place’s Sbarro is better tasting than Times Square’s Sbarro.
Oh, and I got to see Mariah Carey at Time Square once.
SoHo and TriBeCa, New York University and Greenwich Village (they’re close to each other): A certain cute girl from NYU whom I met at the Central Park (and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ask her contact info) said SoHo is a place to shop. I’m not sure I agree, because I didn’t shop a whole lot when I was here (although I did get to buy an awesome looking American Eagle outfit). What I can say is that SoHo is a place to see all those street peddlers of paintings, some of them good, some of them not so good (it really depends on your taste). It’s also a place where you can see some private painting gallery.
It’s not all about painting though. There are also a lot of clothes shop situated within SoHo, although most of them are different in style when compared to those found in Times Square.
You can find a lot of discount music CD’s at Greenwich Village. If you are one audiophile who collects nothing but the best albums from nothing but the best artists (of which does not include Britney Spears), either modern or from the days of yore, then Greenwich area is the place to go. As a bonus, their CD’s are lower priced than what’s usually found in Virgin Records, Music Now or Tower Records.
Then, there’s also a place, called Salvation Army, for thrift shop clothes, At $5-$10, and with some skills of picking up the best clothes from a rack full of them, you can get yourself a designer wear. Just remember to first take them to the laundry before ever wearing them.
At the park where NYU students hang out (Is it Washington Park? I need to confirm that), there are a lot of street entertainers. Like the way it usually is, some of these performers are just talented, while others more than just talented; they have the style and charm as well. As a result, certain performers are more entertaining. You just have to see how the break dancers bust their moves here. They really put all those Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and Eat Bulaga dancers in shame. This park is also a place where you see the lifestyle of an NYU student. The problem is, not a lot of people get encouraged in seeing this. Some friends of mine thought NYU has too much of a hippies lifestyle, but to me, it’s fun to be a leftists. Your mileage, of course, may vary.
And for gastronomes: Do check out the brick oven pizza parlors (and maybe some other eateries) situated within these areas. They are incredible! There’s a reason why they have a TriBeCa Mushroom as a selection in the Yellow Cab pizza joints!
Lastly, for bookworms who would rather buy lower-priced version of certain books (or for those who want to sell books) compared to its Barnes and Noble pricetag, at second-hand, do check out the Strand bookstore. Just be wary of the peanut-like smell of the dusts in this bookstore. I guess some people selling their books didn’t bother dusting out them first.
Chinatown and Little Italy: Chances are, if you’re either from China (or from Chinese communities of other country or of country of Chinese communities. I don’t think I’m making much sense here), you won’t like Chinatown much. Chances are, too, that if you’re from Italy, you won’t enjoy Little Italy as much. I liked Little Italy, but felt that Chinatown, for being called one of the must-see in Manhattan, is a little bit overhyped. My reaction for seeing Manhattan’s Chinatown is: "Did I not even leave Ongpin? And there I was trying to get away from some badly mannered vendor, people-shoving-passersby and wackily-arrangements of general merchandise store in Ongpin, only to find the same thing in NY’s Chinatown".
Be sure to grab yourself a Gelato (Ice Cream) in Little Italy. There are reasons why they have brands in the Philippines like Fiorgelato or such. Italian Ice Creams are great-tasting, and unconventional as well. Rasberry-Flavored Gelato is awesome.
Central Park: I don’t know if this is one of the world’s biggest park, but it’s definitely one of the world’s best park. It’s a place where you can bring your children with, your spouse with, your significant with, or your crack with (um, kindly keep quiet about the last comment :grins:). Although not a very safe place by the night, Central Park is one of the more wholesome places from morning to afternoon. Besides being a perfect place to breathe fresh air (after walking miles of cosmopolitan Manhattan), you can actually catch some parade that takes place on the Fifth Avenue on certain occasions (I saw the Colombus Day parade, by the way), or buy some book at another Strand stall, or, for $6, go to Central Park Zoo to see some Penguins, take pictures of those adorable Polar Bears, and for 50 Cents (pronounced as Fifty, not Fitty!), you can buy some feeds to feed the sheeps. Just don’t feed the cow. It has a black tongue and some sticky brown-like saliva. I was stupid enough to try, and ended up cringing nanoseconds later and washing my hands 2 minutes later (after I found a restroom, of course).
I’m sure I haven’t seen nearly half of central park yet. It’s enormous. Here’s the thing: you’re at Manhattan. It doesn’t cost a money to go to Central Park. You would be completely nuts to not ever check Central Park out.
Barnes and Noble: Accuse this bookstore of "destroying it" for non-chain bookstore all you want. Editors despise all the B&N’s, Borders, etc. The fact is, Barnes and Noble is still a treasure vault of books, although maybe it’s just not too friendly to certain genres. This is definitely a place for bibliophiles. It completely blows Fully-booked and Powerbooks out of the water in its sheer quantity of books, and one doesn’t even need to find a chair to sit down (actually, you can sit anywhere you like since the floor is carpeted). Just note though, books here are not so cheap, so be sure to have enough money. Sometimes it’s better to just buy the books elsewhere like in Strand or over the Amazon. Nevertheless, this is a good place to visit, if only to read those books.
Lincoln Center, Trump Tower and Carnegie Hall: They’re not close to each other. It’s just that I have similar feelings in witnessing all of these places. They’re good, but maybe not great. I perhaps enjoyed Carnegie Hall the most simply because it’s THE Carnegie Hall, but it would’ve been better if I could actually catch a show there. Lincoln Center has Juliard, a library, some eateries, the Tower Records and a 4-story Barnes and Noble, but for some reason I prefer the 2-story one at 3rd Avenue, nearer to where I live in. Trump Tower, while not being a "Must-see" tourist spot, is still a place worthy of visit, if only to feel like you’re a candidate for "The Apprentice". Spoiler (for those who is watching the behind the times edition at ABC5): I’m still moaning at why Randal didn’t let Rebecca win as well. He could have!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral: This isn’t just a church. It’s architectural ingenuity! Admission is, as it should be, for free. Pictures taken at this place can, however, inspire a lot of wows, especially from people with a fine taste for architectural designs.
Between 2nd and 3rd Avenue East 23rd Street: This is not exactly my kind of place, but there are a lot of thrift shop here, which includes another Salvation Army, Goodwill, and City Opera. City Opera is a little different from the rest. Whereas the remaining two specialize more in selling second-hand clothings, City Opera focus more on selling second-hand furnitures. It’s the cheap Ikea.
Grand Central: A lot of movies take place here, and there’s a museum at Grand Central to prove that. In essence, it’s supposed to be just a central station for buses, trains, and subways. The people behind Grand Central, however, found a way to make it much more than that. Besides having brilliant Architectural design, and a wonderful gold-inspired sceneries throughout, Grand Central is also a place for eating, be it in the cheap food court manner, or in the posh restaurant manner.
Brooklyn Bridge: It’s, duh, THE Brooklyn Bridge. It’s one of the longest bridge before Jonesbridge was created (hahaha! Just kidding!) What’s amazing about this place is that the car is at the bottom, while pedestrians walk at the top. It’s as if you’re at a higher state of existence than automobile, which isn’t saying much, because in a society where people gawk at the sight of expensive cars, it’s good to be the one in control of the car every once in a while, as opposed to the other way around. I’m not even sure what I’m saying here, yet you keep reading. You’re my kind of people!
Anyway, before I digress too far, Brooklyn Bridge is another place where you can look at Manhattan from afar. It’s also where you can leave Manhattan and go to Brooklyn. Although being more run down than Manhattan, Brooklyn is also a pretty nice place to loiter in. I recommend that you walk the entire bridge. It’s not that long (being just a kilometer) and it’s a good way to exercise.
Secret site: Normally, I wouldn’t do this. Heck, I’m not gonna do this.
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Okay, you got me! I’m referring to West 45th at Fifth Avenue.
What’s with this place, you say? Well, if you’re tired of spending so much money, yet still wants to quality in the things you buy, here is the place to go. There are shops here that sell cheap, yet nice looking clothes, the awful I >heart< New York notwithstanding. Then there’s a 99 cents grocery store where everything costs for 99 cents (which is quite cheap for NY’s standard). Finally, they have this well known shoe store whose name I can’t remember yet I’m sure are very popular among celebrities. Upon entering this place, I saw authentic signatures and testimonials from celebrities who visited this place, which include some basketball players, rappers, Jay-Z and Paris Hilton. And boy, is this ever awesome: I got a pair of old-school Reebok sneakers for a mere $20! That’s a very good buy indeed!
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That’s all I can think of. I’m pretty sure that there are more places we have gone to than are listed here, but these are all I can remember for the time being.
