A few months ago, I was luckily able to visit the Big Apple, the Empire City, The Capital of the World. New York. Known worldwide as one of the leading cities in technology, a significant pioneer in aspects of culture like the Arts and a collection of incredible architecture and landmarks, NYC is an undeniably unique place, and I was incredibly excited to experience The City.
One of the most memorable moments for me was stepping out of the subway for the first time- my family and I had travelled from the airport on a train directly to the streets of Manhattan, and were immediately struck simply by how large the buildings are! Skyscrapers towered above us unlike any urban landscape we'd ever seen- of course I had seen photos of the unmistakeable skyline and knew that the city was famous for its high-rise setting, but walking amongst the giant structures made me feel so small in the big city, as if we were let loose in this maze of a concrete jungle.
I began to find that NYC and its high-rise landscape almost looked like it's own texture- the uniform rows of streets, buildings or windows I thought were so striking, with the bold lines and symmetry breathtaking in how huge the structures are. In the photos below I tried to capture the strength of the set of shapes throughout NYC.
However, perhaps a 'concrete jungle' is not always the right term to describe the city, as I was also surprised by the huge amount of greenery standing out against the grey. The streets were often filled with trees and plants as well as there being plenty of parks as a relaxing escape to nature, so I began to see the city as a unique mixture of uniform slabs with lots of people and plant life milling about in-between. The most well-known green space would be Central Park, which was personally one of my favourite areas to visit; the huge area of plant life was lovely to walk through and looked stunning.
NYC was also the last place I would have expected to find a waterfall until I discovered a couple of hidden spots that indeed held these features in unique ways.
The McGraw-Hill waterfall is a special route between West 47th and 48th streets, involving a walkway tunnelling through the waterfall. Also, there is Paley Park on East 53rd street, where a wall with running water borders a pretty seating area with food and drinks available, which was a lovely spot we stopped at for lunch one day.
Along with the green spaces and waterfalls, other elements that show the broad features of NYC include the numerous landmarks and attractions that have become so famous within the city. Walking between these made me feel like I was in a film!
The famous sights included Grand Central Terminal, and incredible building where we also saw a ballerina having some shots taken, Liberty Island to of course see Lady Liberty, Ellis Island where we learnt about this historical site in NYC, the Natural History Museum filled with knowledge from lots of areas of science and history and Times Square, a crazy and dense area of people and adverts, as well as viewing other landmarks like the Guggenheim, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, the Flatiron Building and Washington Square Park.
We experienced the city three times from up above; the Rockefeller Center, the One World Observatory and the Empire State Building involved visits that were different in their own way due to different timings and of course locations. From the Top of the Rock in the middle of Manhattan, I saw the multiple levels of the New York skyline fully for the first time. Being close to Central Park, you could also see just how large the space is too! The One World Observatory is closer to the Hudson River and is very high up- again, an amazing view of the city. The visit to the Empire State Building was made at night, where it was clear NYC really is The City That Never Sleeps. During the day, the energy of the place is clear, but viewing the city as it became dark showed that the hustle and bustle of the population continues into the night.
A huge element of NYC also of course is the people. I was amazed by huge diversity of the city and how so many different aspects of cultures have influenced one another and intertwined in areas. The immigration museum on Ellis Island was a huge moment of realisation for me in how much of an incredible impact people from all over the globe have made; I learnt about the journeys made by foreign people generations ago, how their families remain there and how different communities thrive in the city. I also found it interesting that different cultures have made their own places in the city, such as Chinatown and Little Italy. Walking through , I realised I should change my perspective from seeing these as tourist attractions, as they are important, real neighbourhoods.
My visit to New York City was a trip I can never forget. Along with my collection of photos, I will always have memories of a buzzing city, energised with an eclectic mixture of activities, an incredible and diverse population and that broad, stunning skyline.
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