I’ve been in New York just a little, I arrived at noon to leave the morning after, but still, for better or for worse, even with just a few hours this city leaves its mark.
In NY one arrives with a lot of anticipation, with in our heads the movies, the american myth, stars and stripes, lights and colors… one expects a whole lot of thinghs, but not what you really notice as soon as you get there: the smell. It’s a mixed smell of mustard and curry, tomato sauce spaghetti and hot dogs. The first thing I saw of “the big apple”, except for the streets filled with cars, was the Hotel.
A few steps from Central Park, Hudson Hotel has a style of its own: modern, characterized from glowing colored lights like yellow and green, a facade which would never remind of a hotel’s one, fixed up with the typical american elegance. It is expensive, but if I could afford it, I would go back there more than gladly.
The second shock was Time Square. The sense of disorientation overwhelmed me. It’s huge, it’s chaotic, it’s full of people, cars and buses, and it’s invaded from those big electronic advertisement signs on every building. It took me a while to adapt. The confusion is another main factor of this city. It’s all so big, so full.. After the starting confusion , however , New York is exactly how we expect it, and all that we know is true: steaming manholes, yellow taxis which are called with a whistle, fire escapes at the sides of the houses, kiosks, hot-dogs, rivers of crowd going up and down the streets, emergency horns going off every minute … in short, seems to be in a movie. Even if you have never been there, you all know the city much better than you think.
I recommend two things: a tour with a city sightseeing bus , possibly on the top floor, so you can see all the main tourist attractions of Manhattan, except for the Statue of Liberty (AKA Lady Liberty), since, as you know, it’s on an island. Secondly, I recommend you to see the two main views, Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, one at day and the other at night, in order to appreciate both views, which would otherwise look similar.
A curiosity: did you know that New York has the largest post office in the world?
This was my time in New York. Very brief but intense … It could be trivial, but perhaps no other city can make this so well said: everything here is intense, starting from the mere sight, to the smell… and will not abandon you once you go back.
