The Big Apple
It's always amazing to see what something looks like in reality vs the image we see on television. It's either much grander than we thought, or so much smaller.
We had the pleasure of visiting New York City over the weekend; my first time experiencing this great city. It was a short two day trip, and we fit in as much as possible.
Our hotel was across the Hudson in Jersey City with a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. Beautiful in the light of day, and stunning at night as the lights glistened like diamonds.
On the first night we were in the Manhattan theater district. We enjoyed a nice dinner sitting outside at a sidewalk table, watching as people scurried by on the way to their destination. Other patrons were talkative and eager to share where they came from, and their knowledge of the city.
The primary reason for our trip was to attend a play; something I had always wanted to do. We saw My Fair Lady, and it was amazing and magical. The orchestra played with perfection and the voices of the performers were strong and beautiful as they sang. The movement of scenery on and off the stage was done with great precision. Returning to Broadway for another play is an absolute must.
On day two we signed up for a tour of the city in order to experience as much as possible in one day. We were able to see Uptown, Downtown and Brooklyn. As I said earlier, things look different in reality. In Times Square the building where the ball drops on New Year's Eve is smaller than it appears on TV. Although impressive, the ball looks quite small from the ground.
Central Park is massive! Even though I knew it was large, I had no idea how much land it actually encompasses. Fun to see all the people enjoying the park, and watching the horse drawn carriages. There were even a couple of wedding parties taking photos at the park.
Some fun facts I learned:
We had the pleasure of visiting New York City over the weekend; my first time experiencing this great city. It was a short two day trip, and we fit in as much as possible.
Our hotel was across the Hudson in Jersey City with a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. Beautiful in the light of day, and stunning at night as the lights glistened like diamonds.
On the first night we were in the Manhattan theater district. We enjoyed a nice dinner sitting outside at a sidewalk table, watching as people scurried by on the way to their destination. Other patrons were talkative and eager to share where they came from, and their knowledge of the city.
The primary reason for our trip was to attend a play; something I had always wanted to do. We saw My Fair Lady, and it was amazing and magical. The orchestra played with perfection and the voices of the performers were strong and beautiful as they sang. The movement of scenery on and off the stage was done with great precision. Returning to Broadway for another play is an absolute must.
On day two we signed up for a tour of the city in order to experience as much as possible in one day. We were able to see Uptown, Downtown and Brooklyn. As I said earlier, things look different in reality. In Times Square the building where the ball drops on New Year's Eve is smaller than it appears on TV. Although impressive, the ball looks quite small from the ground.
Central Park is massive! Even though I knew it was large, I had no idea how much land it actually encompasses. Fun to see all the people enjoying the park, and watching the horse drawn carriages. There were even a couple of wedding parties taking photos at the park.
Some fun facts I learned:
- If you take all five NY City boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island) the population density is 27,000 people per square mile. If you were to take only Manhattan the population density is 60,000 people per square mile! To put this in perspective - the population density for North Dakota is 4 people per square mile.
- I always wondered what the difference was between a Broadway play and an off Broadway play; it is only the number of seats the theater holds. Broadway plays run in theaters with over 500 seats, and off Broadway plays are in those under 500.
I can't say enough about the subway/train system in NY City, and the people who run them. Considering the thousands and thousands of people that go through them every day, they do an amazing job. I also want to thank the NY City residents for their hospitality. We found them to be very helpful on our journey through their city; even to these Red Sox fans.
With a limited amount of time there is only so much that can be seen and done. Three things we will definitely go back for are visits to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the 911 Memorial. They all deserve to be seen at a leisurely pace and with much respect.
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