Frank Sinatra called New York a city that doesn’t sleep. He was right. Something is always happening, regardless of what time it is.
New York never disappoints. Even when I went there on business, there were always the evenings with which to check out its many restaurants. Just about every type of cuisine was served. From Mediterranean to Latin American, from East Asian to South Asian, from African to Australian. And if you just wanted plain old American, that was there too. And, for lunch, there were plenty of casual eateries, from pizzerias to Halal Street food.
In October, a couple of years ago, we booked an extended weekend to New York. As soon as we got in our taxi from Newark International Airport, and got on the freeway, I knew I had arrived in New York. The traffic was super crazy, with cars cutting in and out of traffic. The line of cars at the toll booth was long. As we went over the bridge, one of many that straddles the East River, the iconic skyline swung into view.
We stayed at a hotel in midtown. The hustle bustle was on full display. We had booked a showing of Wicked, the musical, on Broadway. All dressed up, we got in line but the clerk at the check-in counter told us we were booked for the next day. I was flummoxed but had to accept the reality. We decided to head to the pizza across the street. A few show goers were there as well, perhaps for the next showing of the night. They were just as dressed up as we were.
The next day we took the subway to the New York Botanical Garden in Brooklyn. It exceeded our expectations. Just about every manner of foliage was on display. Some of the blooms were mesmerising. Nature held sway in the garden. It was triumphant!
There were many beautiful buildings in the Garden with various exhibits. A tram was available to tour the garden and as we rode it, we encountered visitors from distant lands, and a few from neighbouring Manhattan.
While walking on one of the many trails, we lost our way. We encountered a gardener and asked for directions. He had an Aussie accent and happily told us he was from Sydney. We had been there a few times and chatted about life Down Under.
That evening we finally saw Wicked and loved it. The next day we went on a harbour cruise that took us past the Statue of Liberty. Every country has a symbol. Paris has the Eiffel Tower. Australia has the Harbor Bridge. England has Big Ben.
But none comes close to stirring your spirit as this simple piece of art. It has been called “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome.”
We took the subway to the New York Botanical Garden in Brooklyn. It exceeded our expectations. Just about every manner of foliage was on display
On it are inscribed these legendary words: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Of course, this grandiloquence is lost in today’s divisive tirades against immigrants.
In the evening, we watched with bated breath an operatic rendering of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. The performance was epic: a masterpiece of suspense and regal splendour. It is set in Beijing. Any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. If he fails, he will die.
On our final day, we took the subway to the Freedom Tower, which was built to replace the Twin Towers that were destroyed on that fateful day in September 2001. Nearby was the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. They provided a sombre moment of reflection on what had happened that day.
Osama bin Laden caught America totally by surprise and gloated. He thought the devastation unleashed by 9/11 in the heart of Manhattan would force the US to pull out of the Middle East. He did not anticipate that the US would go on an all-out manhunt for him, topple the Taliban in three months and take up residence in Afghanistan, hoping to turn it into a Western-style democracy. The US failed spectacularly and withdrew two decades later.
Nor did Osama anticipate that the US would invade Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of dismantling Saddam’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction. The invasion unleashed sectarian violence, created ISIS which pushed Al-Qaeda into obscurity. The US misjudged the Afghan and Arab mind. Osama misjudged the American mind. More than a million Muslims died because of Osama’s catastrophic blunder. Thus far, the US has spent more than $14 trillion of hard-earned tax payer money on the “war on terror,” including $6 trillion to finance the $8 trillion in expenditures.
On our return from the 9/11 Memorial, we took a taxi to see more of New York and quench the bitter emotions that had been aroused. Along the way, we passed the Empire State building. We had gone up that building back in 2008 to get a bird’s eye view of the Big Apple. And also walked in Central Park. But there was no time for either on this visit.
We asked the taxi driver to drop us off at the legendary Macy's store. It occupies 11 floors. We had intended to just tour the store, but it was hard not to indulge in some shopping. Macy's is a New York icon. With understandable pride, it sponsors the annual Christmas parade.
New York is home to many fine universities including Columbia and New York University. I visited the latter once to discuss electricity pricing. On business, I would often visit the energy utility, Consolidated Edison. Even its building, unlike that of most utilities around the globe, stands out. A classic clock tower graces its façade at the top.
Truly, New York never disappoints, not even on a short visit.