After almost two years living right next to New York, about twenty minutes from Manhattan, my view of the city cannot be compared to the one of a tourist who goes to see “everything” in a week or two. If a spent my whole life there I’m sure I would become a very materialist and cold person, way before I get to know everything in the city.
The biggest reason why it´s so hard to see all New York´s attractions is ‘cause each day there are new things coming up, as you expect of a city that never stops. Sure the main places could be seen in a couple of days, depending on one´s availability but New York´s main attraction isn´t something you may visit or take pictures of. The mixed salad of cultures, created by the people who live there, is after all, the best of all “the touristic sights”.
I want to make clear I´m not trying to diminish the importance and beauty of the Empire State for example, with its color changing lights that switch with the seasons. In fact, after the tragic September Eleven it has become the highest building in the city and wins the Big Ben, and Egypt Pyramids _ in the matter of height, at least. I’m not trying either, to diminish the historical importance of the Statue of Liberty, France’s gift that keeps attracting bunches of tourists every day, even though the trip is worth to see the Immigrant museum more than to see the “short” Statue itself. I recall the Brazilian tourist we met on the Ferry, so disappointed by the Statue’s figure… “What? Is that it? But it´s so small!” He complained repeatedly.
I’m absolutely not lessening the indescribable sensation of crossing the Brooklyn Bridge by foot either. This magnificent bridge links Manhattan to Brooklyn with its long special walk, and then lets the gift of magic views on the walker´s memories. Yes, the bridge is a gift to new-yorkers and to visitors and I recommend it to be included in the tourist´s week, after all it´s beautiful and free!
Oh and the Central Park! Nature among the chaos. While hundreds of new-yorkers run by, always in the habitual rush, it stands there, with its green grass, land, strolls and baby-sitters, zoo with even a polar bear (a bit out of place the poor one), small castle, lake, ducks, flowers, ice-skating rink, museum _ the huge Museum of Natural History on 86th Street, which entrance is inside the park. Of course it had to be huge, that´s New York, what else to expect! It´s not possible _ believe me_ to see everything in a day!
I didn´t even mention the Times Square, Chinatown, Village, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) or any other of the uncountable museums, since New York is the city which has the most of them in the U.S. In fact, a tour around this crazy and peaceful, lovely and stressful, polluted and reinvigorating, noisy and wonderful city won´t fit in a two pages article, nor in a few days visiting. It won´t even fit in a lifetime because as I said, this city never stops, everyday everything changes, not the famous spots, not geographically or visibly, but each day the air is new, new people come to live there while other decide the Big Apple gave them already everything it had to offer and they leave, looking for a calmer place.
The Brooklyn Bridge.
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