Next stop Macys, the world’s largest store. It covers 200,000 square feet. On entering we saw predictably……more sugar! Boxes piled high with chocolates, jars with all manner of sweets from boiled to liquorice. A veritable Charlie’s chocolate factory. A child’s dream. Candy Catherine wheels on sticks, mouth-watering teddy bears filled with dark, enticing luscious candy. The rest of the store is huge; it has everything that anybody could need. I particularly remember ascending to the ninth floor where there was a restaurant with the familiar smell of sweet cane sugar, which greeted us. It was like a pick-a-mix of massive pastries. Visiting New York is clearly an assault against the cholesterol!
We took a cab from Madison Square Gardens to Battery Park, where we picked up the Liberty Island ferry, to see the Statue of Liberty. It was extremely windy and we were holding on for dear life. It was quite funny really! The statue of liberty was our focal point. She looked miniscule to start with but as we approached her she began to stand proud above us. The land of the free. Earlier we had visited Ground Zero, and reflected on the tragic episode that tainted so many lives. We spent some time looking around the area before we returned to our hotel for a well-earned rest.
The next day we decided to see more tourist sites. We managed to fit in the Empire State building, which was a mother of a building with its 449 metres height, 331 tonnes of weight, 10,000 bricks to form it, and its 85 floors. Typically American, typically big. Next we saw the Chrysler building, and Grand Central Station. Then on to Times Square, which was like a kaleidoscope of colour, Blackpool illuminations transported to the east coast. Finally we had a good look around Grand Central Station. Imagine thinking that Waterloo is an up market station, well this is in a different league, chandeliers hanging aesthetically from the gold, engraved, domed ceiling.
New Yorkers are a different breed; they are witty, personable and fun. They are also very liberal with their language but there will always be a part of America that is forever like the Wild West. They are a breed apart, so many carry guns. We met many New Yorkers, one in particular I recall. This was a woman dressed in pink outside her work that was smoking a cigarette and complaining about the intrusive laws.
“The law is shit out here now isn’t it?” she exclaimed,
“ I couldn’t tell you really, as I don’t live out here!” I replied,
“Gee, I love your accent, you’re from Britain, right?”
Wherever you go in New York, people are intrigued and love the British accent, but for me it is bland, it is like food with no sauce. The American accent and culture is like food with dressing and garnish. I love it especially the sweets!
I would have loved to stay longer in New York as it was an amazing experience to see if all the stereotypes were real or not. Do all New Yorkers swear like troopers and have a facility for repartee and humour? Well…probably not. Some obviously do but I think my initial view of New York prior to my arrival, affected my perception of the place. In a sense when we visit a country or town people tend to want to confirm their positive thoughts and aspirations of that place.
In my opinion the laws in New York are enforced more strongly than the laws within this country. For example the alcohol laws are far stricter for young adults, as they cannot purchase drink until they are twenty-one; paradoxically this means that a small minority of young New Yorkers are getting involved in harder drugs at a younger age than this country. For this reason I sometimes, felt slightly on edge while walking down the symmetrical streets at night with my mother after a long day’s shopping. However I generally felt safer in New York than in London, even with the legal usages of guns, possessed by so many. This is an irony, as most people consider New York as being a violent city, as guns are legalised; many television programmes and films back this view. In my opinion London streets are far more dangerous than New Yorks, and in my understanding statistics back this up.
In essence, New Yorkers made me feel so welcome; although I was eight hours away from home. The experience was so enjoyable that I would love to see more of America. The people are so friendly and willing to help. By contrast Londoners are more reserved and standoffish.
