NY - the first full day

Our first few days have been amazing and busy, chaotic yet full.  We have seen so many strange and amazing things already and are consistently amused any time we are walking down the streets here. We have fit in many of our top sites and have already visited with our friends in the area over the first 30 exhausting and fun-filled hours after landing.  

I was lucky enough to have a window seat on the flight and as we drew closer to landing the captain announced that Manhattan would soon be visible out the left side windows.  I started bouncing in my seat like a kid - "I can't believe we're finally going to see New York!!!".  I leaned my head on the window so I could see as far forward as possible, straining for my first glimpse of Manhattan.  It took about 10 more minutes before it came into view but I was in awe.  I've seen plenty of skyscrapers before but these were massive.  And there were so many of them!  First a smaller group appeared, then a larger and taller group, then a third group, across the water, came in to sight.

I was snapping photos while gabbing away, trying to identify things from the air - orienting what was within my sight with the map I've looked at so many times in the past month.   My first reflections were on the the buildings, both the quantity and height, then the compactness of the island, Manhattan is such an important place yet it is only 23 square miles.  We came in from the north so after the awe of the skyscrapers, I spotted lady liberty on her tiny island just next to Ellis.  She is dwarfed in stature when compared to the skyscrapers on the land just across the water from her.  The third thing I really noticed about the city was the stau (German for traffic jam).  Bumper to bumper, a constant stream of unmoving lights tracing lines across the bridges and and in the cities on both sides of the water.  After landing we would get a closer look during our 2 hour, 31 mile journey from Newark airport to our hotel in midtown NYC.

During the longer than expected, but fairly reasonable priced taxi ride to our hotel, the time difference had a chance to hit us and we decided we were exhausted.  I tossed my original plan of spending a late night out on the town for a more modest steak and a martini followed by a small stroll near Times Square, Broadway, and Rockefeller Center.



We turned in at a reasonable hour Friday and then woke up earlier than expected the next morning (gotta love jetlag!) so we decided to meet our friends for the first Circle Line harbor cruise of the day. This three hour tour goes around the entire island giving a water side view of each city and borough that touches the waters edge along the Hudson, the East, and Harlem Rivers, including a jaunt further south to get a closer view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  

After the tour we decided to head to lunch at a restaurant that might be able to compete with my love of chicken and waffles called 'Burgers and Cupcakes'.  Their double thick bacon was more like a half inch slice of pork belly, fried crisp and amazing.  It was an affordable meal that definitely did not disappoint.

Later in the evening, after we parted ways with our other friends, the three of us headed off on foot to explore some of the interior sights of midtown by foot.  We went to the New York Library, Bryant Park, Grand Central Station before heading back to the hotel by way of Madison avenue.  I had a strange curiosity about it courtesy of my love of Mad Men but I'm not sure it gave me a clearer picture of the area as it may be the same place but the environment has changed since the 60s setting of the show.

We headed back to the hotel after an exhausting day and had just enough time to take a quick shower when one of our other friends in the city managed to finally catch up with us after an afternoon of missed connections.  What should have been the end of the day if we were sane humans, was the beginning of a third exciting part of our day.  We took a taxi to the East Village and headed off on foot to find a good meal and pint to catch up with a friend we haven't seen in nearly 4 years.

We first tried for a pint and wings but found a packed bar and a $10 cover charge to watch the UFC fight.  It was so loud in there, we couldn't even manage to get off a drink order before giving up and heading off for someplace more conductive to conversation.  We wandered for a bit, taking in a completely different part of the city.  The restaurants, bars, shops, and people of this neighborhood were justa as fascinating in a completely different way than the hustle and touristy bustle of Broadway, or the more business feel of midtown near the library.  It reminded me a bit of my college days in Tempe and for the first time since arriving, I could imagine NY as a place that people could actually enjoy living.  

After an interesting dinner of sushi and beef cooked over a small fire pit in the center of our table, we decided to call it a night.  It had started raining while we were inside which wasn't such a big deal but makes a huge impact on your ability to catch a taxi.  We ended our first full day with a 24 block hike in the direction of our hotel, attempting to flag a taxi the entire time.  Despite the conditions we passed many amusing things and even found the Stuyvesant park and neighborhood where HONY(*) seems to photograph many of his subjects.



In our over half hour walk in the drizzly rain a few hundred either occupied or off duty taxis rushed past us in the opposite direction.   We found 5 taxis with their lights on but it seems that wherever you happen to be waving your arm in the street, there is someone else at least 10 feet ahead of you who manages to catch the ride.  At the time I was exhausted and cold but even before we made it back to the hotel I was amused to have had the experience of attempting to hail a taxi on a busy, rainy, Saturday night in New York City.
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* HONY - Humans of New York
I have been following this photographer over Facebook for the past month or so and it has change the way I look at portrait photography.  Amusingly enough, after so many faces witnessed and stories read, as I walk down the streets of NY, the people have more depth for me, I can imagine their stories, and I'm curious about strangers as I never have been before.
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/


Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/cruise-details.aspx?id=1