It's difficult to find a phrase to put here, in what should be the "descent of title" -according to the logical and theoretical order that I have incorporated as "correct way of writing", which manages to describe NYC.
There are so many names to NYC...
The Big Apple, The City that never sleeps, Empire State of Mind ...
But none covers it completely.
Obviously the big apple, capital of the western world, had to belong to the country with the greatest power in the world. But New York is not part of it. New York is not part of any nation. New York is a place and a nation itself; it is governed by its own flag, self-proclaimed capital of the world.
If I refer to New York City as The City, it is not pure coincidence, but because it is. With capital letters.
You can find people from all corners of the planet, all with a dream. Someone told me that once you're in NY you're New Yorker, with no country in particular.
The city has a powerful energy. People who inhabit it are so different from everyone else, and so different from each other. So miscellaneous. And I think that they like that ... There are Muslims, Jews, Chinese (with their own neighborhood), Italians (with their little remains of their neighborhood), Christians, Latinos, the vulgarly called "gringos" -which, as you know , they know a lot, but they do not understand anything-, millionaires and homeless ... an eternal mix of human beings that would probably be too long to detail, but they have managed to consolidate a free personality, which is consistent with the soul of the place. Here definitely does not matter your color or your belief, but simply your dream, hoping that becomes reality.
There is a certain emotion of surprise and intrigue when stepping on New York, which in my case remained intact throughout my stay.
You have to be brave to get lost in its streets, because everything is possible, and at every minute.
I understand that those who inhabit NYC feel some imminent self-confidence, since they belong to the city that can do everything, and where everything happens, however, it is also surprising that the New Yorker has a permanent interest in knowing new cultures, or even making them part of the city. Maybe because it is the city that received the most immigrants in the early 1900s in the United States, and probably because they are aware that every person who lives there - with their differences - has turned that place into the unpredictable and charming human jungle that it is.
Everybody move incredibly fast, accepting the contrasts as part of the landscape and as something natural.
The city does not respect, but those who inhabit it are very careful and very polite to others. But NYC itself is like a beast with personality that seduces. Not for nothing does the Sinatra song say "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere", because if you achieve what you want in NYC, nothing is too big for you.
So many songs have been written about New York, and of so many different rhythms, that I think that already speaks for itself of The City.
It manages to conjugate cultures and even convert them into neighborhoods, in which you can feel as if you were in the nation they represent, forgetting where you were in the previous block, with environmental cuts that, although not entirely harmonious, allow a cultural encounter .
NYC is like a puzzle of pieces of the most varied colors and without much agreement, but its edges incredibly fit perfect.
Recommendations for New York City:
- Do not go without having studied before about the city and its places. Actually, it is something that applies to all trips, but if you do not do it before visiting NY, you probably waste a lot of time - the biggest resource in the City - money, history and interesting details. New York has hundreds of places to visit, just one visit is not enough to get to know all of them (and I'm referring only to the Manhattan area), so you have to take advantage of every minute.
- Spend many hours of the afternoon / night contemplating the lights of Times Square. It gives you goosebumps to think how they have managed to do so much!. The different forms and colors of marketing manage to conglomerate in a square, and acquire an artistic form very of our time. It is inevitable to marvel at the spooky and dizzying technological advance of advertising in Times Square.
- Attend a Broadway show. A classic of incredible quality. If you like horror shows, it is 100% recommended that you participate: "Sleep No More", it is simply an experience where you are one more in the show.
- Go to as many Walking Tours as you can. NY is one of the cities that I have been more friendly for tours, because is flat, and every street and avenue has something new that should be observed. In the case of doing it independently, it should be accompanied by a complete guide, so you won't miss any detail.
- Contemplate the stress of time in Grand Central Terminal, with its famous clock in the center, actor of so many Hollywood films, where, although you are not a participant in that fast and reckless dance that those who are preparing to take the next train, you will be able to visualize one of the greatest evils of our society: if you do not keep attentive, not to the present, but to the future, you can blur the most precious resource; time.
- Stroking the most beautiful woman in the planet: Liberty Enlightening the World. Symbol of the place where the dreams of liberation become reality. In my case, I also visited Ellis Island, and the Museum of Immigrants, who are the soul of NYC. You will realize that the capital of the western world is founded by desires of people who have come from the most diverse and recondite places of the planet and were received by the strong and welcoming look of The Statue of Liberty.
- Losing yourself for an entire afternoon in Central Park, admiring each of its corners, and the most varied activities; sports, dancing, board games, painting, skating... endless possibilities, while one or another couple falls in love, others meditate and some allow themselves to dry their tears to start again in the city of opportunities. It is worthwhile to enchant yourself with this incredible and imposing park and it deserves at least one full day. I also emphasize Central Park how it is founded and where resources are obtained to finance its construction.
- Take the time to absorb the essenceof each of the place you know. That is why a single visit to New York is probably not enough.
- Tour the Museum of Natural Historyfor a full day or most of the time you have.
Although it depends on the tastes and interests, it is worth going through and knowing the origins of man, the various aboriginal cultures and the huge dinosaurs.
- Visit Harlem or Brooklyn and on the same day, walk down 5th Avenue. Heartbreaking and interesting contrast, a reflection of today's society.
In Harlem it is wonderful to get lost in the melodies of Blues, which is heard in many street cafés, with old people who play with passion and nostalgia the rhythms of their music. It is also a must to go through the Apollo theater, where so many music stars, particularly blacks, performed.
And, on 5th Avenue, how not to be enchanted with the luxury of the brands that show the most prestigious pieces of clothing and accessories in their showcases, where it is inevitable not to be tempted by one thing or another ... Also you must stay attentive, because it is very likely you will meet some celebrity.
- Surprise yourself with the cultural contrast offered by Chinatown, where, those who have been to China said is similar to finding you in that country. Although I have not been there yet, I could completely forget about NYC and understand that in that rules by itself, with language, customs and people of China.
About Little Italy... mmm, what to say ... There is very little, less than one street with a few places to eat. But for tradition and the delicious pasta that they offer, you must eat there.
- Admire the Financial Discrit, with its imposing buildings, where are those who take the most important decisions of nowadays and where the fundamental things happen, and do not sleep.
Not so small details ...
* If you are going to walk, you should know that you will inevitably get lost in the New York subway. It is complex to handle if you are not a city dweller, however, people are very willing to help the stranger.
* Wear comfortable shoes. What you will do the most -and worth it- is walking.
* Take advantage of every minute of the day, be permanently attentive to every detail and allow yourself a daily reflection of the observed, given that NYC is a reflection of the current world.
* Enjoy the chaos of the city!
New York is history in itself and in the present tense. The most important events of today are there,now. That is why it is very important to absorb the greatest amount of information, having your eyes wide open and to be dazzled.
NYC is fast, like us, the so-called Millenials, the main transformers of the City.
It is like seeing our current society embodied in concreteness; cosmopolitan, diverse, scattered; with encouragement of greater respect, less discrimination and infinite tolerance to the differences between the actors of reality that conjugate in that magical place.
