New York, New York. People rarely believe me when I tell them I’ve never been to New York, even though it’s a city I’ve long wanted to see, so I have to amend what I say by explaining that, yes, I’ve seen New York, as I landed at Kennedy Airport, and changed planes, on my way across the Atlantic, to London, England. But that’s not being in New York. That’s not experiencing one of the world’s greatest cities, and almost everyone has to agree. At least, I do get reports from time to time, from friends and relatives who have made the city their home.
If I ever do go, I think I know most of what I’d try to do. First, I’ll check into a New York boutique hotel, and then make my way down to the Half Price Ticket Booth to see what shows or musicals I can see on Broadway or Off-Broadway. Of the five boroughs of New York — The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — I’d spend the majority of my time in Manhattan. Over the years, I’ve had a number of friends move in and out of New York, telling me about fantastic restaurants and plays they’d seen. I’ve had two sets of relatives raised in New York, living in everything from a cramped studio apartment to the entire floor of a building with a view of the skyline, and all of them thrived in the city, describing it as more than a place to live; people connect with New York, its architecture, its culture, and its people, and I would expect to experience a little of each.
As of a year ago, in August, New York City had about five thousand and a half high rises, with fifty skyscrapers higher than six hundred and fifty-six feet, only second to Hong Kong in the number and size of the world’s buildings. New York is one of the few places in the world that I’ve never been yet I’m familiar with its buildings, like the Woolworth Building, the Chrysler Building, or the Empire State Building. I’d attend plays and walk in Central Park, along with that park’s other annual thirty million visitors. I’d take a look at the Zoo, the Conservatory Garden, and attend the Delacorte Theater (where “Shakespare in the Park” is performed), as well as take a look at the nature center in the Belvedere Castle. Maybe take a tour on the State Island Ferry. And then just spend some time in the restaurants and coffee shops with my friends, while they ask me why I haven’t made the move yet. It’s a question I’ll have to consider.
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