I was born on the lower east side of Manhattan a few decades ago. I moved west in my twenties and have been back several times. Last summer I spent some leisure time showing my new girlfriend the sights. As a rookie, she was obviously impressed by the grandeur and scope of this bustling, vital city. The height of the buildings blocking the sky is one of the first things she notices. That’s when I decided to look at the Big Apple through her novice eyes and revisit an old friend.
We stayed at a hotel not far from Macy’s and Herald Square on 35th Street. We could easily walk to the Empire State Building, which still retains its magic and charm made famous in many movies. On the observation deck, I could have sworn I saw Tom Hanks recover a lost teddy bear. The views are stunning and the entire art-deco lobby is clean and wonderfully unique. We headed to Rockefeller Center and enjoyed a taping of the “Today Show” in progress. The stroll down Fifth Avenue is decadent and a stained glass lover’s dream. Arriving at Schwartz’s toy store, I once again visualized TH dancing on the keyboard on the second floor amidst life-size jungle animals.
We had already gotten into Trump Tower and were wowed by the opulent entrance. Then we look at the diamonds in the Harry Winston exhibits and the renovation of the old Plaza Hotel into a condominium project. On the other side was Central Park, lined with an endless line of horse-drawn carriages waiting for lovers and tourists. Just inside the grassy knoll they were shooting a movie and we had to make a detour. Of course, it’s NY and they’re always filming something.
The next day, the excitement continued at the Guggenheim Museum, a marvel of architectural ingenuity and the big dog: the Art Museum, with its astonishing originals by Van Gogh and too many others to mention. We got to see the “Imagine” tribute to Lennon and the Nero Wolf plaque outside of his building, which was fictional but fun. We end with a drive through Macy’s and stroll through Times Square to soak up the atmosphere and imagine Dick Clark ringing in the New Year. We exit through Penn Station and catch our breath. It was only 3 days in the city, but we’d had New York pizza, pastrami sandwiches, and mastered the subway system. Quite an achievement.
As we took our train out of town, we vowed to come back to get a dog at Coney Island, visit the Statue of Liberty, the Natural History Museum, explore more of Central Park, and probably take a full week to capture everything we missed. . I was happy to be able to act as a tour guide and point out the sights, but I realized what a wonderful diversity and culture the city offers to the tourist. Having been around the world, I can still honestly say that New York has something for everyone and is not to be missed. Plan a trip in the spring or fall, if possible. We had a great run in June, but the off seasons are pretty special. You won’t regret it for a moment, I promise you.
