New York City, Here I Come (Again)!

My first visit to New York City was in June/July 1995. Like London, it was a city I had longed to visit and a city I have returned to a few times over the past twelve years.

What makes New York special? For starters unless you live there, it’s probably nothing like home. NYC is an international center for entertainment, creative arts, finance and fashion. You can shop to your heart's content, experience the best of the theater, enjoy world-class museums and basically nosh your way through an incomparable variety and quality of restaurants.

Think about how much NYC is part of your life. Watch any of the commercial networks. Their evening news broadcasts are telecast from NYC. Read the financial section of the paper. The world watches the ups and downs of Wall Street by the minute. Go to the movies or rent a DVD. It is likely you’ve seen more films set in NYC than you actually remember.

Despite what you see or hear about the city, nothing can prepare you for experiencing the city “live and in person”. Sometimes overwhelming, the city is anything but dull. It’s that constant whirl of activity centered in a very concentrated area, from morning to noon to night, that makes New York City one of the most exciting cities in the world. The common thought is New Yorkers tend to be fast walking, fast talking and brusque. True, it is a city where its inhabitants are in constant motion. But more often than not, you’ll be surprised to find how warm some New Yorkers can be.

So like the London trip in May, this visit to NYC was all planned within two weeks of departure. Although less taxing than flying half way around the world to Europe, the journey to NYC is still a long one and planning, like any trip, is still a must. The next series of posts highlights NYC from a visit in June/July 2007. Okay, I know....I am behind in posting.