"New York! New York!" New York City by volarevolare

A picture of the St. Patrick's Church on 5th Avenue.

A beautiful church that resounds with age and history!

New York is truly a very vibrant city, just teeming with life and adventure!

Even before I ever made my trip to the USA, New York seemed to epitomise the entire country for me... Perhaps it's the way in which it has been etched into my consciousness -- yellow taxis, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Empire State Building, Time Square, Broadway...

Maybe it's because so much of what's on television or advertisements focussed on New York as a setting and thus, even Sesame Street of my younger years, filled me with an impression of New York, America, as one that is cosmoplitan, alive, exciting and full of interesting bits of life!

But only so much of what is imagined and conjured can be gleaned from what I've seen or read, and being in America, in New York, was quite different.

My first introduction to America live, was an innocuous excursion across the Canadian border into Seattle for a day trip...
but the actual adventure began in the Summer of '98 when I first went to San Francisco and then flew to New York from Los Angeles.

I was at once curious and on my guard, but slowly as I shed my initial discomfort in a new place, I began to enjoy the place...

I was there again in Summer of '01, and this time, even though my stay in New York was even shorter, I felt a greater sense of freedom as I navigated the streets on my own...
and with that came the sense that I was coming into my own...

• Pros:Bustling, Lively, Entertaining, Cosmopolitan!
• Cons:Diners smelling of re-fried oil from yesterday mornings' bacon!
• In a nutshell:Really eclectic and Interesting!