I’ve been to many big cities in my life, all of them with their personal charm and beauty. From the busy downtown areas, the skyscrapers, the coffee shops, restaurants and everything they have to offer. What thrills me the most about cities are not all of the above though; it’s the unexpected things that show me what a city is all about. The pleasant little surprises that make a city unique, the things only the locals know about, away from what all of the travel agencies would like you to see hear and taste. I found many of those surprises in New York, sadly I didn’t have a good camera to register everything I experienced. It would have also taken many trips to NYC to see it all. We will have to be content with what my phone was able to provide. I will not speak in facts and figures, or argue dates and history about the city. These are some of my personal views and experiences, of the city of New York.
The subway
One knows that to get anywhere fast and not having to spend money on cabs the metro is always the way to go!
Even though it’s old and rundown it holds its little and big pleasant surprises! One most of the most notables for me was getting off at the various stops and running into amazing artists and their performances.
This guy and his drummer are called “too many zooz” amazing electronic style all with the sax and drums
On my way to Central Park, this group and their “a Capella” voices just made my walk to Central Park amazing!
I’ve been in and out of many metros (or subways/underground depending where in the world you are) and I’ve seen many performances by buskers and street artists, but none gave me the feeling of awe and admiration as did the Metro of NYC! This experience set the NYC metro apart from others I’ve been to so far!
The world from above
Going up the empire state building was a huge thrill especially because if you’re a lover of heights as I am you feel a “high” that only being up there can give you. This is one way you can get to know the city from a different “point of view” and if you’re patient to look at things from above, you might find really interesting things you never would have imagined before!
View of the ESB from below
At the top! You can see the whole city
The mix of the old architecture mixed with the modern, they go perfectly well together!
View of the 34th street and Macys department store.
Blue print and the tale of how it was built
Getting “lost” in NYC
If you like walking and don’t have a huge list of things to do when visiting I suggest getting lost in NYC! Just get on the subway and get off at any random stop and start walking! You might be surprised. Don’t worry; it’s easy to find your way back home if you’re tired and weary there is a metro stop on most of the main streets. To me it was seeing the mix of old and modern, the mix of cultures, the way things ended up getting to where they are, the little and big monuments, reading the local newspaper, hearing what and old timer has to say about a specific building or street. Try stopping a local, and asking them about the city or a monument in it, they will love to boast about the greatness of their city, I tried it and didn’t regret it! Those are the things that made a difference to me.
Old and new mix. Outdoors from the 60s beside modern building, still conserved !
In the middle of NYC an old little “run down” but very cute apartment joint.
Squeezed between two buildings is an old pub. You want good stories? Come here and listen to the locals talk!
I did go to some of the well-known places such as; Madison square garden, Central Park, Wall street, Times Square, Broadway and a couple of museums. But they did not provide as big a thrill as did the places described above. Here are a few more pics of NYC.
Times Square and all of its buzz
Leaving downtown, catching the ferry
On my way to Staten Island passing the statue of Liberty.
Museum of natural history
Central park lake view
Biking at central park, a great experience if you have the time!
Broadway and its many attractions
I must say sometimes the best things in life are not what you plan or expect to happen but what is unexpected. By not having a big list of the mainstream places to go where everything is happening, the pressure of getting to all the points on time, having to wait in huge lines together with all the tourist’s, is what made my visit to NYC amazing and worth it! I was able to see and experience more of what I felt was the real New York City! I will definitely have to return and get lost once again! I must say, that city hasn’t put me down!
