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Rockerfeller Center Entrance, NYC |
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Statue of Liberty |
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Times Square |
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The High Line elevated pedestrian walkway |
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Rock climbing in Central Park |
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Window at St.Patrick's Cathedral |
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Prehistoric Sea Turtle at the Museum of Natural History |
Some observations from my week there..
- My favorite part of the city is the people. They're everywhere and they're all on their way somewhere.
- You can make the same crosstown walk 20 times and never take the same route. You go with the lights.
- The streets go on forever it seems. Its difficult to get a feel for how immense the city is until you spend a few hours walking streets and then trace the route on a street map to see how little ground you covered.
- The mass transportation system works remarkably well and is simple to understand.
- People can manage to survive without Walmart or Home Depot nearby but they need a shoe repair shop every few blocks and a place to eat within 200 feet of any spot on the Island.
- There are more kids carrying violins than baseball mitts around Manhattan.
- There are very few heavy people, except for tourists. Food is expensive and you walk too much to carry around extra weight for long.
- The police allow shysters to hawk knockoff purses and watches on Canal street right out in the open.
- The airport level security and metal detectors to get on the boat for the Statue of Liberty and then again once you are at the Island is a bit much. SWAT police strolling around with automatic weapons in hand? Really?
- At the worst NY people will ignore you, which is fine really. Most all were considerate and friendly, willing to help a tourist with directions or commuting tips.
- The High Line, a beautifully landscaped pedestrian walkway made on an abandoned elevated rail track, is awesome. A serene walk just above the traffic and chaos below. All pedestrian walkways should be so nice.
- I wonder how much traffic and air quality around Manhattan could be improved if there was a more sophisticated system for timing the stop lights. This would be the place to test it.
- The only American luxury vehicles I saw in Manhattan were large black SUV's with chrome wheels and tinted windows. Lots of them.
- Families should consider skipping the Disney vacation and go see NYC instead. Maybe not with little kids, but teenagers should get a chance to see what a real city is like.
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