New York - Part 1
Trips
9. Feb. 2021
Manfred Goschler
Our first stop on this trip took us to New York where we wanted to watch the arrival of the ship in the port coming in from the upper deck. First we passed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to later see the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline.
New York welcomed us with cloudy and rainy weather this early morning. After clearance by customs and border protection authorities, we first made our way from the shipping terminal to Time Square.
Despite the rainy weather many people were outthere as usual. Because of the oncoming rain we took shelter in a Starbucks coffee shop not far away.
There we met many young guys who were less involved in a conversation than almost of them were busy with their cell phones and tablets. I assumed that there were many travelers who took advantage of the free internet access offered there. We did the same and brought ourselves up to date via the internet.
We will now extend these two hours at Starbucks to a virtual journey of thought of almost 2 weeks and begin with a review of our first stay in New York in October 2009.
At that time we fortunately decided on an individually planned city tour, which gave us a lot of creative freedom to discover the city and enjoy it. The starting point was an affordable hotel on 57th Street, from where we started our exploration tours.
On the first day we walked to Time Square to get a breath of fresh New York morning air and orientate ourselves a little. At the TKTS center there and the nearby tourist office we first got tickets for Broadway and a city pass, which gave us access to many New York attractions at reduced prices.
We also bought a three-day ticket for one of the hop on hopp off double-decker bus lines, which had previously proven itself in many other cities on our first visit. I particularly enjoyed the unobstructed view from the upper decks of these buses, which drove through the traffic and between the high-rise buildings of this busy city. We did a lot of laps with these buses, interrupted again and again by interesting stops. Sometimes a knowledgeable guide accompanied the bus and gave us additional advices.
Overall, these first days were very varied. Most of this time we were walking through the city, but we could always reach a bus stop to take a break in the moving bus and enjoy the view or simply head for the next destination. Later we switched from the bus to the subway and headed for our destinations more directly. During these first days our rhythm had settled. The day began in the morning with an extensive breakfast in the hotel or in a nearby cafe. In the evening we usually looked for a small restaurant near the hotel so that we could end the day in just a few steps after eating. There were often more than 10 hours between breakfast with only a few breaks, which can be a particular challenge. But this lively city releases noticeable energies.
I was impressed by this lively and contrasting city, which lies like a peninsula between the Hudson River and the East River near the sea, through the concentration of large buildings and people. Despite the hustle and bustle, you can also find oases of calm and inspiration there.
After a visit to a city, an impression remains that is always compared with observations from subsequent visits.
Although impressive virtual tours through this city, e.g. with Google Earth, could already be made in 2009, the possibilities of the internet have continued to grow. There are now more and more private, commercial and public providers on the network. .
For example, NYC & Company shows the wide variety of virtual tours on their side, some of which are also chargeable.
Now we’re going back to Starbucks.
I’ll order another coffee and then I’ll go straight to the next virtual week … See you soon again!
