New York, London, Paris. I would rate these as my three favourite cities in the world to visit, for their grandeur, their culture, their spectacular architecture, their magnificent museums, their overall buzz, their entertainment options and the staggering number of things to see and experience that they have to offer. I started my international travels in earnest in 2001, and these were the first three places on my list. I tried visiting New York, but my US visa application was turned down because this was soon after the Sept 11 terror attacks. I was told "You are not married. You have no property in your name in India. We are not confident that you will come back." I then carried on that year to London, Paris and some other European capitals, but in 2003, I managed to visit New York and other cities in the East Coast of the US. I stayed with a close cousin in New Jersey, and for 12 days, I would leave her place early in the morning, catch a train to New York, and return late in the evening. I got to explore the city quite extensively in those 12 days. I also got a chance to go back on work trips in 2006 (for about a week) and in 2008 (for just a couple of days). So I've spent a total of close to 3 weeks in New York, and I think I would say that for me, New York even scores over London and Paris, and that is saying a lot!
New York has a population of over 8.6
million and is the largest city in the USA and in all of North
America. The city has a per capita income of over USD 90,000 and a GDP of over
USD 800 billion. The Metropolitan Statistical Area of New York has a population
of over 20 million. New York City lies in the state of New York, and consists
of five boroughs – Manhattan (1.7 million inhabitants), Brooklyn (2.6 million
inhabitants), Queens (2.3 million inhabitants), The Bronx (1.5 million
inhabitants) and Staten Island (0.5 million inhabitants). New York is often
described as the financial, cultural and media capital of the world, and is
also home to the United Nations.
New York was founded in 1624 by the
Dutch Republic as a trading outpost and was called New Amsterdam. In 1664, the
city came under English control and was renamed New York, after King Charles II
of England gifted the land to his brother, the Duke of York. New York was the
capital of the USA from 1785 to 1790. In the 19th century, the city saw major expansion as there was a huge
influx of European immigrants. The Great Irish Famine led to a large number of
Irish immigrants coming in. There were also numerous German immigrants who came
in. In the early 20th century, there was a large immigration of blacks from the American South.
In the 1920’s, New York overtook
London and became the world’s most populated urbanized area. The city saw major
construction activity, and became synonymous with skyscrapers, with buildings
like the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, which came up in the
1930’s. After World War II, the United Nations Headquarters opened in New York
in 1952, enhancing its status as an international city without parallel. On
September 11, 2001, the city suffered a mega terror attack, as the towering
twin towers of the World Trade Center were brought down by two hijacked planes,
killing more than 2,000 people in the process. The new One World Trade Center,
also called the Freedom Tower, was subsequently built at the same spot, and at
541 meters was even taller than the original, symbolic of the country’s ability
to bounce back.
Most of the sites of New York are in the borough of Manhattan, as are the financial district and the entertainment district. Manhattan is actually an island, and has a staggering number of skyscrapers. It is in the shape of a grid, so it's quite difficult to get lost. The Avenues run vertically with the numbers going up as one goes westwards, and the Streets run horizontally with the street numbers going up as one heads northwards.
Statue of Liberty lies on Liberty Island close to the southern tip of
Manhattan. The copper statue was a gift from the people of France, and dates
back to 1886. It was sculpted by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and the
metal framework was built by Gustav Eiffel. The statue depicts the Roman
goddess Libertas. She holds a torch
in her right hand, and in her left hand, she holds a book that mentions the
date July 4, 1776, which was the date of the US Declaration of Independence.
The statue is a symbol of freedom and independence. The total height of the
statue, including the pedestal, is 93 meters.
The Immigration Museum, on Ellis Island
nearby, commemorates immigrants into the USA. Ellis Island was the inspection
point for 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. The museum tells the
story of immigrants into the USA and has a partial list of the millions who
arrived.
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| Statue of Liberty |
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| Immigration Museum, Ellis Island |
St Patrick’s Cathedral is a Neo Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral. It lies along
5th Avenue. The cathedral was completed in 1878. The cathedral has twin spires that
stand at a height of 100 meters. At the time of their construction, the spires were the tallest structures in New
York, though now they are dwarfed by the neighbouring sky scrapers.
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| St Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Pieta, St Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Elizabeth Ann Seton Chapel, St Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Side View of St Patrick's Cathedral |
Central Park is a large urban park covering an area of 843 acres.
The park was set up in 1857. The park’s many attractions include the Bow
Bridge, Bethesda Fountain (with its Angel of the Waters statue), Belvedere Castle, a carousel, several lakes,
Cleopatra’s Needle, the Mall (a pedestrian esplanade), the Wollman Rink , the Victorian
Gardens (a seasonal amusement park) and a zoo. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
lies to one side of the park.
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| Bethesda Fountain, Central Park |
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| Bow Bridge, Central Park |
Times Square is a large commercial square at the intersection of
Broadway and 7th Avenue. It is known for its neon lights. It also has
the Broadway Theater District. The square was originally called Longacre Square but was
renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters there.
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| Times Square |
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| Times Square, Looking Northwards |
Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge that connects the boroughs of Manhattan and
Brooklyn and goes over the East River. The bridge was completed in 1883, it has
a length of 1.8 km and it has a height of 84 meters over sea level.
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| Brooklyn Bridge |
Empire State Building was built in 1931 and stands at a height of 443 meters.
From the time of its completion till the World Trade Center came up in 1970,
Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building. There is an observatory
at a height of 373 meters, from where there are great panoramic views of New
York. Empire State Building houses close to 1,000 businesses.
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| Empire State Building |
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| Interior, Empire State Building |
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View from Empire State Building
overlooking the Chrysler Building |
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View from Empire State Building
overlooking the Flat Iron Building |
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View from Empire State Building
overlooking the MetLife Building |
St Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church was completed in
1930. It was built in a Byzantine design. The church has a tile patterned
exterior and a large dome. It is also famous for its stain glass panels.
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| St Bartholomew's Episcopal Church |
Grand Amy Plaza is a square at the southeast corner of Central Park,
just next to 5th Avenue. The landmark square was completed in 1916. The Pulitzer Fountain at the square is dedicated to newspaper publisher
Joseph Pulitzer, who died in 1911, and left USD 50k for a memorial fountain to
be constructed. The Sherman Memorial at the square has an
equestrian statue of William Sherman, who fought in the American Civil War, and
an allegorical female statue of Victory.
Plaza Hotel also lies on the
square and consists of a luxury hotel and apartment complex from 1907.
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| Pulitzer Fountain, Grand Amy Plaza |
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| Sherman Memorial, Grand Amy Plaza |
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| Plaza Hotel, Grand Amy Plaza |
Rockefeller Center is a large complex on 5th Avenue, consisting
of 19 buildings. The complex was largely completed in 1939. The construction of
the project, with its Art Deco buildings, was one of the major achievements
during the Great Depression. The complex includes Radio City Music Hall, the famous
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, an ice skating rink, the Channel Gardens,
the 156 meter tall International Building, the Atlas Statue, and the Prometheus
Statue.
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| Rockefeller Center |
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| Prometheus Statue, Rockefeller Center |
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| Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Center |
Chrysler Building is an Art Deco building that was completed in 1930. It
stands at a height of 318 meters. For almost a year, it was the world’s tallest
building, till it was surpassed by Empire State Building. The building was the
headquarters of Chrysler Corporation from 1930 till the mid 1950’s.
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| Chrysler Building |
The Woolworth Building was completed in 1913 and stands at a height of 241
meters. From 1913 till 1930, it was the world’s tallest building, till it lost
its status to the Chrysler Building. The building housed the headquarters of
the Woolworth chain of department stores. The building now houses offices and
residential flats.
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| Woolworth Building |
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building was built in 1905.
The building stands at a height of 213 meters. It was the world’s tallest
building from 1909 to 1913. The building has a clock tower and is modeled along
Venice’s Campanile. The luxury New York Edition Hotel opened inside the
building in 2015.
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| Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building |
The MetLife Building is a 59 story building on Park Avenue. The building
came up in 1963 as the Pan Am Building and initially served as the headquarters
of the airlines.
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MetLife Building, with the
Helmsley Building in front |
New York City Hall is the country’s oldest city hall and was built in 1812.
The office of the mayor and the New York City Council operate from the
building.
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| New York City Hall |
The Wall Street Bull is an outdoor bronze statue of a charging bull, made in
1989 by Arturo di Modica. The statue weighs
3.2 tonnes, has a height of 3.4
meters and a length of 4.9 meters. The statue is a symbol of aggressive
financial optimism.
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| Wall Street Bull |
New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest stock exchange. It was founded in
1792, but moved to its present location on Wall Street in 1865.
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| New York Stock Exchange |
Federal Hall was a Greek Revival building built in 1703 and was New
York’s first City Hall. In 1789, it became the first Capitol of the new nation.
George Washington was sworn in as the first President on its steps. It was
demolished in 1812 but the current structure, a Neo Classical building, was
built in 1842. Outside Federal Hall, there is a statue of George Washington.
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| Federal Hall |
Trinity Church was built in 1846 and stands at the intersection of Wall
Street and Broadway, dwarfed by the skyscrapers in the vicinity. The church has
a Gothic spire that has a height of 86 meters. At the time of its construction,
it was the highest structure in New York.
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| Trinity Church |
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| Trinity Church, dwarfed by the Skyscrapers |
Union Square is a large square at the intersection of Broadway and 4th Avenue. The square has an equestrian statue of George Washington, unveiled in
1856. Street chess is a common sight at Union Square. The square has also been
a popular venue for speeches and demonstrations.
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George Washington Statue,
Union Square |
The United Nations Building was completed in 1952 and has served as the headquarters
of the United Nations since then. The complex includes the General Assembly and
the Security Council. Other main centres of the United Nations are in Geneva, Vienna, The Hague and Nairobi.
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| United Nations Building |
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| UN Flag, United Nations |
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Persian Carpet with the Image of
Secretary General Kofi Annan |
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| Non Violence Statue, United Nations |
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| Peace Globe, United Nations |
South Street Seaport is next to the East River and close to the financial
district of New York. The area has 19th century buildings,
restored ships, and eateries. There is also the South Street Seaport Museum.
The first pier in the area was set up in 1625 by the Dutch West India company.
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| South Street Seaport |
Shrine
of Elizabeth Ann Seton was
built in 1965. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who
was canonized by the Roan Catholic Church in 1975, lived next door. She lived
from 1774 to 1821 and stayed in the area from 1801 to 1803. She founded the
country’s first Catholic girl’s school.
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| Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton |
The US
Coast Guard Memorial
lies at the southern tip of Manhattan.
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| US Coast Guard Memorial |
Metropolitan Museum of Art, also called The Met, is the largest museum in the US.
The museum’s vast collections include art from Ancient Egypt, Africa, Southeast
Asia, and Islam; sculptures from ancient Rome and Greece; musical instruments,
costumes and weapons; medieval European sculptures; American paintings;
paintings from classical European masters and impressionist artists. The museum
opened in 1872.
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| Sphinx, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Dancing Girl, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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Cezanne's Mademoiselle Cezanne,
Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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Modgliani's Reclining Nude,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Monet's Haystacks,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
|
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Monet's Four Trees,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
|
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Van Gogh's Cradle Rocker,
Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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Van Gogh's Irises,
Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) has a great collection of modern and contemporary art. The brain behind the museum was John D Rockefeller's wife, in 1929.It has gone through several rounds of renovation and expansion. The collections include famous works by Van Gogh and Picasso, among others.
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Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Museum of Modern Art
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art
|
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Cezanne's the Bather, Museum of Modern Art
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art |
The Guggenheim has an impressive collection of impressionist, modern and contemporary art. It was set up by the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation in 1939. In 1959, it moved to its current location in a uniquely shaped cylindrical building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
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Cezanne's Man with Crossed Arms, The Guggenheim
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art
|
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Franz Marc's The Yellow Cow, The Guggenheim
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art
|
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Modgliani's Nude, The Guggenheim
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art |
The
Frick Collection houses the collection of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), a wealthy industrialist. The collection is housed in his erstwhile mansion. After his death, his widow continued to stay in the house until she died in 1931. In 1935, the house was converted into a museum. The museum has a collection of three paintings by the Dutch master Vermeer. It also has painting by Boucher, El Greco, Goya, Ingres, Rembrandt, Renoir and Velazquez, to name a few. The museum also has sculptures, porcelain and furniture.
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El Greco's Saint Jerome, Frick Collection
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art |
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Ingres' Louise de Broglie, Frick Collection
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art
|
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Vermeer's Girl Interrupted at her Music, Frick Collection
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art |
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Vermeer's Mistress and Maid, Frick Collection
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art |
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Vermeer's Officer and Laughing Girl, Frick Collection
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art
|
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum lies on Times Square.
The museum has life-like wax sculptures of American and international movie
stars, singers, politicians and other notable people in public life.
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| The Beatles, Madame Tussauds |
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| Elvis Presley, Madame Tussauds |
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| Michael Jackson, Madame Tussauds |
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Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,
Madame Tussauds |
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| Bill Clinton, Madame Tussauds |
New York has so many sites worth exploring that for the 12 days that I was there the first time round, I was in a tizzy from morning to evening just trying to cover all the places I had marked out to visit. In most other big cities that have a lot of attractions, I usually manage to cover my list in 3 to 5 days. The city's pace of life is frenetic, and I'm yet to come across another city that's as dynamic. The underground subway network is very extensive, so I never had to worry about getting around. For foodies, there's no dearth of restaurants and cafes all over the city. There are countless options for shoppers, and of course the iconic stores on 5th Avenue are legendary. Broadway has perhaps the world's best known musicals, and I was fortunate to have caught a spectacular rendition of The Lion King. All in all, whichever way you look at it, it's tough to match the New York experience!
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