New York City

So I am planning a trip to China in February. In order to make the trip I need to obtain a Chinese visa which needs to be applied for in person or via a courier. As I have the time and had not been to NYC I decided to make a trip out of it and go to NYC for a week. Thanks to Alice and Mrs. Lee who made this a great trip for me and gave me an insiders perspective on NYC. Here are some photos.


It was raining when I arrived in NYC




View of the west-side coast of Manhattan one block over from the Chinese consulate.





City view.




Another...



Outside the hostel where I stayed in Chelsea. ~$27 a night, not bad for Manhattan. Though hostels in Manhattan can be found for ~$15.



Walking around, oh and there is Greenwhich village. A tribute to London?



Oh, Macys!

Wood escalator at the top of Macys.



And the inside of Macys, which is a lot like most malls to be honest...

Times Square



X^2 again. Get it? times=x square=^2 ? Bad joke.



They have musicals here.



I got a cannoli and cappuccino in Little Italy instead...



Around Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side.




I think this is actually on the Brooklyn side after walking over the Brooklyn Bridge



On the Brooklyn Bridge



Another view



The bridge had a lot of good views...



...



Brooklyn...



The city back on the Manhattan side, aww yeah.



Park Place...like Monopoly I thought...

The post office.




View from the top of the Empire State building 1




View from the top of the Empire State building 2



View from the top of the Empire State building 3




I am now in the 101 club everyone!




SNL Display at the NBC building around Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller center is in fact a collection on several buildings across 2-4 blocks or so...



Flags around the ice-rink




Wisdom and Knowledge Shall be the Stability of Thy Times



and the ice-rink with the Zimbabwean and Lebanese flags across from each other...



There is an ice-rink at central park too. When it is cold enough anyway, and... IT WAS COLD ENOUGH.



Brrrrrrrrr




Vacant Chess tables. I blame the cold.



Coolest Carousel Ever.




View from Central Park.



The Metropolitan Museum of Art.




I get to be a judge for a poetry slam in the Nuyorican Cafe. The poetry was excellent.



The hostel organized a pub crawl type thing which ended at Webster Hall club NYC. Quite a famous place as I later read about it. Something about bands getting their start etc...

And the same West-Side bay view one block over from the Chinese consulate after getting my visa 5 days later...



Ladies and Gentlemen...The United Nations!



Idealism printed into concrete.



Grand Central Station



Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It really had tons of amazing displays. Whole replicas of ancient ruins in cathedral sized rooms.



A walk along the bay.



There is pier 17. Piers 1-16 are conspicuously absent.



NYC beaches are derelict.



A pier, a sailing ship long put to harbor.

And leaving NYC. The place had a true magical air. You could feel the ocean breeze. The streets are straight, offering views down many blocks. The whole of Manhattan island is built, developed, cosmopolitan. It is a place that has made history in a good way, and will hopefully continue to do so. It felt like the capital of America. Like the ideal which every other city in America echoes.