to me new york city is a contradiction. at street level and below, you see the worst of worst. anything above you is magnificent, towering, grand. it's old, yet new. it's fast, yet slow. it's poor, yet rich. it's luxury, yet struggles to make ends meet.
to be finally standing in the middle of the screaming billboard ads in times square, it's a really strange feeling. surreal, unbelievable.
finally at the city of all cities. do i dare say, the capital city of the world?
let the tales begin.
for those who have heard me whine and complain, my flight to new york was canceled due to bad weather at JFK airport. so instead of having 4 full days in nyc, i only ended up with 2.5 days. and half a day was wasted due to exhaustion. bad start, but hopes were renewed upon stepping onto the streets of nyc. here, the sun rises over the stained glass of seattle-tacoma (sea-tac) airport. we're finally boarding the plane.
my first class window seat looks out to the beautiful morning.
not only the sun shines. the mountain range east of seattle shines majestically.
here a river runs through the eastern cascades. washington state is really beautiful.
new york state. nearing landing at JFK airport in queens. see the big patch of snow. the reason for my canceled flight. =(
on the cab to hostelling international. this is central park. semi-gloomy day. cold too.
chinese food for dinner at where else but chinatown! =) yes we are a bunch of homesick singaporeans.
not brooklyn. manhattan bridge. the police car was parked there so i just included it in the shot.
happy belated st. patrick's day! only derek is in green. from left: me, grace (my dearest friend on exchange in michigan now), danny (singaporean studying in university of western australia, on exchange at UW), jieying, derek (danny's roommate at UW) and jeffrey.
this is THE place to be. times square. land of consumerism bombards you with images from every angle.
it's such a joy seeing my dear friend grace in the states!! in new york city no less! i love traveling with this girl. =) *muacks!*
a morning in chinatown. seems like any other new york street here.
destination: dim sum. result: happiness.
after a hearty brunch, danny, derek, linda and i set off from chinatown and we walked all the way to battery park/ground zero. it was a pleasant walk. it was quite cold but manageable. the sun was bright and shining. and it was nice exploring lower manhattan on foot and doing lots of people-watching.
linda and i, in front of the supreme court (i think).
some building which i can't remember.
the sidewalk of broadway. broadway runs a really long distance. so the actual happening part of broadway is actually further uptown.
battery park lies next to the hudson river. it's nice and calm and quiet.
we see the lady a distance away. it's such an icon, you can't really miss it.
on the opposite bank of the hudson river is new jersey.
danny and me. he's hilarious.
derek and me. got to know him better during this trip. nice guy. although he makes me feel old. haha. he's only 19! heh. not his fault.
we left battery park for ground zero. this road is next to ground zero, where the world trade center used to stand. what amazed me is, other than that quadrangular void, everything around seems so normal. like if you never knew about 9/11, you would never have expected 2 huge 110+ storeys sky scraper fell to dust and dirt 6 years ago at the very same site.
all that's left. seen through a grid fence. construction for the freedom tower goes on. freedom tower is only one tower, and it stands tall among everything else in a unique shape.
along the fence big billboards reminds tourists of the tragedy that struck new york city. they vow to remember 9/11, forever etched in their memories.
at the WTC tribute center. here, the model of WTC.
the window of the plane that crashed into one of the towers. salvaged from the wreck.
other things from the wreck. including a soft toy. think it was a rabbit.
pictures of the victims who perished. in their happy days, with their loved ones.
as i weave through the exhibition, the walls had quotes and photos, and this one is my favorite. reading the quotes and experiences and stories and seeing all the artifacts really tugged at my heart."We are breathing the dead,
taking them into our lungs as living we had taken them into our arms."
taking them into our lungs as living we had taken them into our arms."
if anyone ever wants to visit, it's just next to ground zero. if you can't find it, you're probably on the wrong side of the quadrangle, so just walk around the perimeter. you can't miss it.
one of my favorite photos. there was a photo essay on the aftermath of 9/11 hanging from the fences. and this one, of a malay woman in a tudung, in tears, is my favorite.
after ground zero, i went shopping-crazy at century-21, thanks to jiejie's recommendation. i bought 2 dresses, one skirt and one top. after that we continued to walk around, and i navigated to soho! this photo shows a street in soho, think it's broadway.
it's uniqlo! a japanese brand very much like hongkong's giodarno. prices were affordable. jiejie, the designs here are much nicer than what i saw in tokyo leh! i bought a tee from here, designed by a japanese artist. and i walked around somemore and bought another nice top. love soho. =)
another jiejie recommendation. i like dean and deluca too! it sells upmarket, gourmet groceries and fresh produce and bakery stuff!
oh yes, and chocolates too. yummmm.
after that we went back to midtown broadway to catch phantom of the opera! original, on broadway! it was very very nice. love it a lot. we paid US$66 for side view, front seats.
cupcakes from dean and deluca! happy st. pat's day! =) love cupcakes.
me is very excited about phantom of the opera.
so while waiting for linda, take picture of the precious ticket.
the theatre was packed!! and they have shows everyday except mondays. and also matinees on weekends. that's 8 shows a week!
masquerade scene. =)nice end to our new york city leg of spring break. =) stay tuned for niagara falls.
time for bed. before i go, let me share something.
this is one of my favorite photos. other than the one in the previous entry. the man you see here sitting on the floor - he was playing "amazing grace" on his flute, sitting beneath the board that spelt out the hundreds of names of those who lost their lives. it nearly made me cry while i snapped this picture. and as the parent pushes the stroller and looks out to the WTC site, the child sits in the stroller unknowingly.life goes on. and may lessons learnt from each tragedy be remembered by the generations to come, and not vanish with my generation.
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