Trip to New York, USA - 6th to 8th September 2008

After Montreal, came New York. Flying into town on a Saturday when the tail end of a hurricane was hitting hard, was an interesting experience. Visibility was next to zero, the air on the descent was pretty turbulent, and when we landed, it looked like the entire contents of the Caribbean Sea were being dumped unceremoniously on New York. Some of the roads on the way into Manhattan were flooded, and people generally seemed to be sensibly staying off the streets.

So, Saturday night was spent sheltering from the rain in a succession of restaurants and bars. We went to the Mercury Lounge, the legendary gig venue on Houston Street, to listen to some unknown New York bands. Then, we went to the Spotted Pig near Greenwich Village, a place where many a famous person has been spotted recently.

Sunday was the more productive day - once the hurricane had passed through, it was back to being gloriously hot and sunny again. My hotel was one block from the fantastic MoMA, so it seemed rude not to head over there for a quick spin around. Two blocks from there, and on a combined ticket, was Top Of The Rock, the observation deck at the top of the Rockefeller building. This wasn't open the last time I was properly in New York for sightseeing, so I was really keen to go for a look at the view.

After going through all of the ridiculous buildup, suspense and hype that the organisers make you walk through (which is typically over the top, as one would expect from New York), we got to the lift, and got to the top of the building. The view did not disappoint, I thought that the 2 main views (looking north and south, or uptown and downtown) were incredible. The first view, of Central Park, reminded you just how vital that place is to New York - tall buildings crowd right up to the edges of the park, but it provides a huge, green, empty contrast with the rest of Manhattan. The downtown view shows the skyscrapers of Manhattan in all their glory, along with the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building nearby. The view from that building is impressive, but I thought that "Top Of The Rock" was better - probably the best view in New York, now that the World Trade Center is no more.

Very much like the last time I was in New York (although that was a very brief visit), I felt instantly at home as soon as I stepped out onto the street there; and was reminded how much I completely love the place. New York and London are, for me, the two best cities in the world, by a very long way. The sheer number of big ticket attractions and famous things in New York (this is brought home when you are wandering around and see Radio City Music Hall, which is utterly iconic, but not even one of the most famous places within 5 blocks of where it is), trumps anywhere else in the world. And the unique things about the place are so familiar and endearing, they just make you want to come and live here.

This was a short trip to New York, but a great reminder of what a fantastic place it is. We hung around in midtown mostly, so on our day of sightseeing, we didn't go anywhere south of 42nd Street, north of 59th Street, east of 4th Avenue, or west of 7th Avenue. A pretty small block, with more than enough to do, but still only a tiny fraction of the city. I think its about time I "did" New York properly again - a week or so here is badly needed!