Say ‘hi!’ to the city that never sleeps

Valsala R takes you on an armchair trip across New York City, with its unique sights and sounds

Between watching ‘Gossip Girl’ or ‘Friends’, many of you must have travelled in your head to that land of skyscrapers and dreams – New York City.

In 1789, New York became the capital of the newly formed United States of America. Philadelphia took the honour for a while and then the Constitution decided that no state should have an advantage over others as the seat of government and so, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the national capital.

However, there is little doubt that New York with its bustling streets and teeming millions is widely seen by the world as being everything that symbolises the USA. From being a Dutch trading post established in 1624 called New Amsterdam, today it is ‘The Big Apple’ – simply the biggest and the best despite being just 7 miles long. Here is a city where honking is illegal but going topless is not. Ironically, the streets of New York often reverberate with the sound of honking but there’s hardly ever a topless citizen to be seen!

The first of the ‘sights’ that every visitor probably imagines visiting is the iconic statue of Lady Liberty holding up the flame over New York harbour. She’s actually quite tiny by today’s standards but her symbolism is huge. At 93 meters, she welcomes all immigrants who sail into her harbour with the words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore”. The statue was a gift from France for the Centennial of American independence. However, only the arm holding the flame arrived in 1876. The rest of the 350 pieces arrived in 1885 and took another 4 months to put together.

Thanks to all the immigrants who made New York their home, it is said that over 800 languages are spoken in the city. This immigrant influence is visible in the food too. English muffins, spaghetti and meatballs, and ice cream cones are all New York creations. When I asked a New Yorker what would be that one special New York dish that I should try, the answer was ‘pizza’! Wait… isn’t that Italian?? Let’s just say it’s American too. The first pizzeria opened in the city in 1895 and pizza has remained one of the most popular foods. There’s even an economic principle called the ‘pizza principle’ which says that the price of a slice of pizza is about the same as a single subway ride and always goes up when the price of the ride does.

The subway is perhaps, the easiest ways to get around the city. But don’t expect to explore the entire subway system… that would take more than a whole day!

The most famous street in the city has to be 5th Avenue – where millionaires shop and many of us would like to shop. But another interesting street is Pearl Street which is paved with oyster shells, one of the most popular foods of the 19th century. Some oyster shells also went into the making of Trinity Church. Wedged between Wall Street and Broadway, this is arguably the city’s most famous church.

Another famous landmark that you can’t miss visiting is the Empire State Building that we’ve seen in countless movies and memorably saw King Kong clamber up. The building gets hit by lightning about 23 times every year and lost its position as the world’s tallest building in 1970 but it still stands tall among all of New York’s skyscrapers. Unbelievably, its 102 floors were built in just about a year. A ride to the top to stare at the city below is awe-inspiring. It richly deserves the personal zip code that it has!

Of course, a visit to New York isn’t complete without a walk under the bright lights of Times Square and then a visit to the theatre. So many theatres and so many shows to choose from! I recommend that you pick the most lavish production. After all, it’s not every day that we get to watch a show on Broadway.

(Valsala is a writer and a soft-skills and communications trainer.)