New York City - a microcosm of the Universe

New York City has been eluding me for a while, and I finally cought hold of it during the Thanksgiving weekend. I have been thinking about posting something on this for quite some time now, but I haven't got a clue on where to start, and how to go about describing my experiences. But I have realized that if I keep waiting for the best idea, I will probably never be able to do it. So, here it goes.

By New York City, I just mean the Manhattan area. The first thing that catches your attention is the clear difference between people who have come to visit NYC and people who stay, live and work there. The best place to catch this difference is probably at the Times Square. People who live and work in NY might not hit the Times Square in the first place, but if they have to go through Times Square, they do not look around much, walk straight and fast, and probably take the stairs down to the nearest subway. Visitors go around Times Square with their jaws half-dropped, eyes half-popped, and walk around aimlessly, blocking others' way on the footpath, and flashing their cameras around, not knowing that flash cannot be used to capture night landscapes.

Another aspect you'll notice is the variety of ethnicity. You find people from all over the world. Its probably like a good stamp or coin collection, where the collector tries to ensure you have as much variety as possible. People representing differnt nations, speaking entirely different languages, come from all over the world, but all enchanted the same way experiencing the city.

I liked the way the subways serve to take people around the city. The subway system is easy to follow, tickets are easy to procure, the waiting time at the stations is pretty less, and its definitely a very convenient way to go around. I never felt the need for a car when I was going around in Manhattan. You just buy a day-pass and keep hitting the subways.

I will have to mention about the crowds. I never thought that Thanksgiving was such a touristy time. I thought I will not find any Americans around, as they would all have gone to their grandmothers' to enjoy a big lunch and a get-together. But the crowds proved otherwise. Do you know it took me two full hours of waiting in the queue before I could reach the top of the Empire State Building? I could get to the sanctum sanctorium in Tirumala in less time than that, shelling out much lesser in terms of money.

And then the sights and sounds. I don't think we'll have any other place in the world where you feel the roar of the trains going under the road, smell fresh hot-dogs and hear a guitar strumming a few feet away, and a tourist shouting in some unrecognizable language, all at the same time, and at the same place!

One part I missed was the night-life. I spent only one evening in the city, and was so tired by night, that I had to call it a day and settle down in my room. I am sure it would have been awesome if I could have a couple of drinks at some nice pub, but then I have to ask the locals for directions, so I don't pop into some gay bar of some sort.

Other than all this, the visit to NYC went pretty eventless, like getting to see the Statue of Liberty etc. (Of course the Statue of Liberty was something I really wanted to see, but it doesn't count when I compare it to the other experiences I had).

New York City is indeed a microcosm of the Universe. Yes, not just the world, coz it's not that difficult to spot a couple of aliens from our neighbouring solar systems if you watch closely enough. I would also like to visit London, because I feel both these cities are pretty similar in terms of the diversity of visitors, the underground trains, and both represent the best in terms of being cultural hubs in their own right. Another compelling point pulling me towards London is the fact that a lot of good friends of mine seem to be hovering around there.

I look forward to visiting the NYC again, as I haven't had enough of it yet.