Manhattan New York, the big apple and so much more (Part 1)

You've watched it on the news, the papers, the movies and heard a great deal about it and wondered just what is the big deal about Manhattan city. Afterall, it's just a narrow strip of island incredulously packed with sky-scrappers lying smack in the middle of New York State. But, this city has never ceased to be a popular icon for the United States of America given the widespread attention of media showered upon it. Beneath the canopy of the beautiful urban jungle made out of skyscrapers, concealed Manhattan city's prized gem such as the famed broadway, Times Square, Central Park and just off its southern shores, Liberty island. Adding to its glamour, Manhattan has seen its share of home groomed celebrities, most notably, King Kong scaling the Empire State Building and Spiderman taking on Doc Ock atop the city's Metro. Suffice to say, I was dramatically overwhelmed when I arrived at La Guardia airport in New York. Hopping into the city's ubiquitous and brightly yellow coloured cab, the three of us made our way to an apartment we had previously rented. An icon of the city by itself, taking the cab alone was already an unforgettable experience. Of course, the rate which the meter jumps at USD$0.40 per mile did contribute significantly to that experience; this has got to be the most expensive cab ride I have ever taken! As the cab shrewdly navigated its way through the heavily congested traffic, I couldn't help but feel what it must have been like to rub shoulders with the cast of Friends at the 'Central Perk' or running into Carrie Bradshaw at Fifth Avenue, for the entire journey, I must have been 'Star' delirious. Yes, Manhattan is that captivating, I was totally lost to the charm of the city itself. For the first time, I find the lush greens of a sub-urban dwelling unattractive when compared to this amazing city.




The cab brought us to the squat seven storey studio apartment we rented for our week long stay in Manhattan. With the reputation of being one of the most expensive place to live in, the rentals for appartment in this city is unbelivable. We paid USD$ 840 for this 2 roomed studio apartment (equipped with a kitchen) for a week's stay, and as Allan's cousin (coincidentally she is studying in New York University and helped us paid the rental for this appartment upfront) pointed out to us that given the close proximity of this appartment to Manhattan's downtown, the rental could easily be USD$ 2500 a month. The cab fare was just as outrageous, chalking up to USD$ 30 for ferrying us from the airport to our appartment. Expensive living aside, the cozy apartment and the vigorous city life exuded by Manhattan won me over. If ever I have the chance to stay/work in Manhattan for an extended period of time, I will leap at the opportunity without hesitation.




If there is a bright sport in the sky-high living expenses in Manhattan, it has got to be the public transport system. At just USD$ 27, you can purchase the city's Metro pass which allows you to take unlimited bus or metro rides. The subways of New York (apart from the sharing the same moniker with the sandwich chain) tells the history of the city. It may look dilapidated at first, but the Metro service (just as the bus service) operates 24 hours all year round, attesting to both the well maintained public transport service and the saying that money never sleeps in New York. Although it may just be a train ride, but as the train passes through the well constructed rail-lines, it was as if I could feel the bones of the city.



Manhattan's beautiful urban backdrop. As we were exhausted due to the long journey from Canada to New York, we did not take much pictures on Day 1 of our stay in New York. Instead, our top priority was to have a good meal for dinner. Allan's cousin recommended us a good Italian restaurant and we treated her the dinner that evening to thank her for helping us with the appartment. Needless to say, the food was superb and the service faultless (probably due to the 15% customary tipping). Before we tried to skive away with any thoughts of conveniently 'forgetting' about the tips, Allan's cousin cautioned us against that waiting staffs will remember for life the faces of customers that sneaked away without tipping. With thoughts of coming back to NYC for a second time, the three of us obediently left a generous amount of tips for the waiting staffs.

It is not too hard to fathom why New York city is the darling of Hollywood movies given its you-have-to-see-it-be-believe-it urban mysticism that is unique from other cities I have been to. New Yorkers must be the coolest urban dwellers I have ever seen, each man/woman walks with a sense of purpose and there are no lack of nightspots for them to hangout or exciting places to be at. I slowly realized why New Yorkers are proud of their iconic city, and why travellers fall instantly in love with this city which brims with attractive lifestyle. The dynamicism of Manhattan can not be summarized in a few sentences, which is why I have divided the entries of our trip to the city into a 5 or more part series in order to depict our encounters as much as possible. Hence, do stay tuned for more accounts and pictures of our trip in Manhattan!