NYC

"That enfabled rock, that ship of life, that swarming, million-footed, tower-masted, sky-soaring citadel that bears the magical name of the island of Manhattan"
- Thomas Wolfe

"Last Sunday afternoon
I took the train to Hackensack
But after I gave Hackensack the once-over
I took the next train back.
I happen to like New York."
- Cole Porter

New York City consists of five boroughs: Manhattan Island, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. It is America's largest and most fascinating city, and is quite simply the wildest place on Earth. To me it embodies the best and the worst of America. There are so many glaring contrasts- the skyscrapers stand as towering monuments to capitalism, while beneath and within we have the corruption and poverty that goes with it. It is the ultimate city, the centre of the Universe, and my spiritual home, if you believe in that sort of thing (or even if you don't). It's a great place to go for shows, plays, cinema, shopping and art.

I really feel at home in NYC, (although I could never live there). It's like a jungle (the architecture, the smells, the incredible diversity / mix of cultures in such a confined space). I love the night culture and the history of the place. I love the energy.

I've now been there five times, first in December 1998 (see photos), then April 2000 (see photos), then September 2000, May 2001 and most recently September 2001.

New York through the year

Famous (ex) residents and movie locations

Places to go / things to do:

• Lincoln Center - go at night and sit at the fountain. Scores of little white jets of water that look like silk handkerchiefs. It's divine. (63rd & Broadway)
• Katz's Deli - of fake orgasm fame (E. Houston St)
• Rose Main Reading Room of the NY Public Library
• Winnie-the-Pooh, Kanga, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger at the Donnell Children's library (W. 53 St, opposite MoMA)
• Empire State Building (34th & 5th)
• 2 World Trade Center (er OK maybe give that one a miss)
• Rockefeller Plaza
• Brooklyn Heights Promenade
• Brooklyn Bridge (others are Manhattan, Williamsburg, Queensboro, George Washington)
• Shops
  • FAO Schwartz (59th & 5th)
  • Strand (8 miles of books) (Broadway below Union Square). Manhattan book stores.
  • Saks
  • Tiffanys
  • Macy's (Herald Square)
  • Bloomingdales
• Statues / busts
  • George M. Cohan (Times Square)
  • Beethoven (Central Park)
  • Garibaldi (Washington Square Park)
  • Balto (the heroic husky dog!) (Central Park)
• Parks:
  • Central Park
    • The Reservoir - great for jogging
    • Running Track - even better for jogging, provided you don't get mown down by cyclists, horses or squirrels. It's also an excellent place for rollerblading
    • Zoo - has penguins and polar bears!
  • East River Park - as featured in so many Woody Allen movies
  • Washington Square Park - laugh at the NYU students
  • Battery Park - get a ferry to the Statue of Liberty
• Squares:
  • Times Square - laugh at the nutcases. (42nd & Broadway)
  • Herald Square - home of Macy's (34th & Broadway)
  • Madison Square - Flatiron Building (23rd & Broadway)
  • Union Square - (14th & Broadway)
• Galleries:
  • The Met
  • MoMA
  • Frick Collection
  • Guggenheim Museum & Guggenheim Museum SoHO
• Events:
  • Carnegie Hall (57th & 7th)
  • Radio City Music Hall (50th & 6th)
  • Lincoln Center (64th & Broadway)
  • Madison Square Garden (33rd & 8th)
  • Cinema
  • Shows (Broadway) TKTS booth at Times Square or 2 WTC.

Getting about:

• car - only for those with a reckless disregard for their wellbeing
• taxi
• bus
• metro - NYC has the largest underground system in the world, and one of the cheapest. Map
• pushbike
• walking
• rollerblades (this is the best way)

Most of Manhattan is divided into a grid pattern, with streets running horizontally and avenues running vertically. Streets are numbered from bottom to top, with street addresses running from right to left. Avenues are numbered from right to left, with addresses running from bottom to top. 5th Avenue divides the city into East and West.

Areas of Manhattan:

NYC links

Travel