www.thesoapbox.fm/2010/04/28/new-york-part-one-%E2%80%9Cthe-lights-will-inspire-you%E2%80%9D/
As I write I can see the two black and white photos of New York on my desk –one of the Empire State and surrounding buildings, the other my own picture of a sign at the intersection between Broadway and Wall Streets – the American Flag hanging proudly above the entrance to the Stock Exchange behind it. Should I minimize the numerous pages I have open on my laptop, I can daydream in front of my background –a colourful picture of Central Park and the Upper West Side on a sunny day, the Hudson River in the background. Clearly, I’m in an “Empire State of Mind".
The appeal of New York can be surprisingly hard to pin down when you really try to explain it, although many have attempted to. Carrie Bradshaw, of Sex and the City fame, mused “They say life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans. But sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you’re waiting for a table.” Writer Thomas Wolfe reckoned that “One belongs to New York instantly; one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” and both Frank Sinatra and JZ agree that “If [you] can make it there, [you’ll] make it anywhere”. They’re all right, you know. Life is at its most exciting in the Big Apple. I feel like it’s mine and that its millions of inhabitants and I all belong. To be successful in New York is to have truly made it.
In the industries of fashion, music, art and stage, New York is the centre of the cultural universe, where the best of anything in the world, some of the most interesting, exciting and talented people and 3.00am pizza delivery can all be found inside a small island – the total area of Manhattan amounting to just 58 square kilometres.
There are many companies offering tours of New York, and if you’ve never been, these could be useful. But the amazing thing about visiting the city is that sightseeing is at its best (and cheapest) when just wandering around. Unlike other cities with big, trademark attractions, the city of New York is the main attraction.
Gear up for a virtual tour over the next few weeks, as I take you through my “New York Bucket List” which includes all the attractions you have to see at least once, the food and party scene, the fashion arena and general New Yorker lifestyle. As I write, I’ll be dreaming about the city more than ever, saving for another trip and hatching a plan to live and work there.
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