The Big City of Dreams

Aha! This is an entry I would be interested in!

I had two dreams when I was a kid: going to Europe and going to NY. I just say this because I want you to have context of what you are about to read. You are reading a dream come true, and I want you to remember that if I get to cheesy or romantic about it. So let's start with the artistic expression of what people think when they think in NY.

To be honest, it's not the prettiest city I've seen, it's not the most historical, it's not even the most interesting, but it is New York City and she is like all the American Celebrities walking its streets... it is wonderful because we idealize it, we think about her, we dream with her, we imagine the streets, the movies, the TV shows... a whole culture around that city, and when you go there, it is exactly as you imagined! In that the city beats the celebrities: when you see it, is real. It is true, all the TV shows and movies and books were not making any cartoon, they were portraying the city as it is.

For me, it's hard to explain the charm of NY. I know why I love Europe: its history, its small streets, its interesting, hippy, weird people. I love Europe because it made me think about my old lives, which I should had lived there. All of them. But NY... NY amazes me, because as Europe cannot deny its age and dignity, NY cannot deny its energy. Its a city that reminds me that age of youth, the twenties, when you don't know where you are going, what you want or what you want to be; it made me think about lost people that don't want to be found. A city that doesn't know if it is fancy, or crazy, or dangerous, or bohemian, american, chinese, and doesn't wanna know what it is, because it doesn't feel like chosing. A city that belongs to everyone, that is not USA, a small world outside any frontier -I told you I was going to get cheesy-.

Anyway, i'm not going to tell you about the typical to-do-list because there are plenty of them. I just want to give you some useful tips.

From North Carolina, South Carolina and Virgina -and maybe some others- there are chinese buses that go to and from NY for $30 one way. From Greensboro, NC, it was 60$ round trip. Ten hours long. The bus makes stops every three or four hours and you can go to the bathroom and buy some snacks. The bus is not very comfortable but you are going to NY! So forget about all that and enjoy the road. You go through the east coast, so you get to see Washington DC, Pennsylvania and and many interesting cities as you pass by. The buses arrive to Chinatown, which is very near (walking distance) to Soho and Little Italy. Anyway there are plenty of metro and bus stops if you want to go somewhere else, but it is a good starting point.

A very, very useful information I found on the way there was the existence of Free Tours by Foot. These are free walking tours! Like the ones in Poland! I was so excited when I found out about them, because I thought I was going to walk around with no destiny by myself -I was gonna meet with my friends later in the afternoon-. So this tours go everywhere in the city, in fact, there is one NY in one day tour that starts at 10 AM and finishes at 4 PM, with breaks and so, and goes all around the city. The first tour I took was the one for SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown, and it was great because these are interesting areas not just because they are pretty but for the stories, the famous people that live around and the secrets they keep. In another post I will talk about the impressions I got from the city, this one is long enough now. For lunch, I got some fried chinese dumplings -eight foor $2- that kind of reminded me of my dear Poland. The next tour I took was the on for Greenwich Neighborhood, the one where the Friends building is, and where so many Sex and the City scenes were shot. It is a great, expensive, super neoyorkin neighborhood. Near by this area, walking distance, is the High Line, that is a kind of market super chic and great to walk, one of my favorite things there! So after the tour I had a $2 pizza slice in Joe's one of the best pizza places in NY -according to my tour guide-. In that Greenwich tour you get to see the Washington Square Park, surrounded by the prestigous and super expensive NYU halls -New York University- the one where so many Gossip Girl characters studied!

It's important to mention that you have to book for these tours and, if you are not going, you really have to cancel because if not, you get a nasty email saying that you are irresponsible and all your other bookings will be in stand by. They may even not let you takethe next tour you scheduled. And I have to say... these tours are very historical, anf the guides are mainly old people who knows about art and architecture; not like in Poland, where they are young and funny. However, theses guides can also be funny and great. It's not like you are going to have lunch or dinner with them as I did in Budapest, and they are not giving you a list of interesting books as in Berlin... but they do the job.

After the tour, I met my friends -one of them coming from Boston in a 3 hours bus trip- and we went to the Brooklyn Bridge and walk it down. In Brooklyn, we went to DUMBO, a spot down the bridge with the best view of NY. I went there in the night, so the city looked amazing with all the light, but I think pictures would be nicer in the day, with NY behind. Anyway, in the public and free ferry that gets you -near- the statue of liberty, I got my nice NY-behind picture. Sadly, from the ferry you don't get such a good picture of the statue.

In the night we went to a great bard which name I don't remember... and I have a complaint here, but I will talk about this in the impressions. But the beers were so, so expensive :( $6 regular beer, and $8 supposely great beer.

The rest of the trip was must to... Wall Street, the 09/11 memorial -impression are coming! -, Times Square...

Anyway, I just told you more or less about the trip, but for me, the most interesting part of traveling is what you get from the city and, as I told you, I will talk about that.

Photo gallery