The Big Apple - One Bite Is Not Enough!

No matter how many times I've visited

this incredible

 city that doesn't sleep,

I'm still as excited as the

very first visit.

As the plane makes it's approach,

&

the

 Manhattan

skyline comes into view,

you sit almost breathless,

staring in awe at the

 concrete & steel towers

reaching up to the clouds.

My recent visit was no different.

This city of

five boroughs,

with a population close to

9 million,

attracts almost

49 million tourists

 each year.

My first sojourn was 19 years ago.

That was a different period,

where safety was a serious issue.

Over the years,

the city has changed.

Perhaps due to

 proper governance

&

stronger ownership by it's inhabitants,

New York City

is now as safe as any other city in the world.

As the figures show,

the world comes to play,

so who needs to sleep?

Founded as a trading post in

1624

by the Dutch,

there's always something happening

in this very

"happening" city.

I find the people

friendly

&

interesting

and

everyone has an opinion!

If you like to explore...

well, this urban metropolis

with a total of

786 sq kilometers,

should be enough to

keep you very, very busy.

While I was there,

it was

"Restaurant Week".

A couple of hundred

restaurants participated

with special prices

for a three course

lunch or dinner.

It was a great way to sample

some of the best

cuisine

the city has to offer.

Remember, competition is tough.

And like Liza sang,

"...if you can make it here,

you can make it anywhere!"

Oh by the way...

did you know that

Times Square

is the most visited place on this planet?

Apparently,

39 million

people go through this

neon-lit wonderment

 each year.

Hate it or love it,

you cannot deny that it's

simply fascinating to see

all that electricity

put into

intelligent application!

From

food to shopping to museums to parks to theatre...

it's all here.

Laid out

bare

&

easy.

The great thing is, they've made it wonderfully

user-friendly.

Take the subway for instance,

in my opinion,

it's one of the best in the world.

1.6 billion rides in 2011,

serves 468 stations,

almost all operates 24 hours.

You've seen it in the movies

&

it's just as raw.

One thing that grabs my attention is

that with all these out-of-this planet figures.

this city is very clean.

A place such as this.

with so much on offer,

you need time.

There's constantly

urban renewal projects everywhere.

Thinking and re-thinking,

must keep Mayor Bloomberg busy.

This city is made for walking.

West to East

&

North to South,

you'll find surprises in store at almost every corner.

And don't be shy to take the bus.

A great way to see it

up close & personal.

Life is all around.

It's the people that makes a place go

beyond special.

This city embraces you.

No !

Make that engulfs you.

The moment you step out from your hotel,

everything seems limitless.

Packed in.

Rises up.

Full blown.

From a design perspective,

it does not get better than here.

And competition does just that.

Pushing us to awesome greatness.

The city appears to reject mediocrity.

Standards are high.

Service is good.

Exceptional is often.

"They say life's what happens when you're

busy making other plans.

But sometimes in New York,

life is what happens when you're

waiting for a table!"

Carrie Bradshaw

I wasn't waiting for a table when I came across

this fashion shoot.

I politely asked the photographer if I could take a few shots

&

the reply was a very enthusiastic "Yes".

Dare I say,

"I Love New York?"

Many say this place is like a Village.

Come to think of it...how true.

From Chelsea to Soho to West Village to the Upper East Side,

&

from East Village to NoLita to Brooklyn,

each distinct from the other.

With it's own

look & feel.

And it's green too.

Whether it's

Central Park or Jefferson Market Garden,

patches of grass & foliage abound.

Have I mentioned that the shopping

is beyond fabulous?

Which restaurant?

Nope!

It's at Chez Alina & Tuck & Leah.

Longtime friends & one of our rituals

when I'm in town is to cook up a storm at

their charming home on the

Upper West Side.

A trip to Whole Foods

&

a couple of glasses of wine later...

presto!

On the left is expertly executed by Tuck

&

on the right is my humble contribution.

New York City is serviced by

three major airports.

No matter which you arrive into,

you'll get there in time for something!

The buzz here is non-stop.

This is after all the capital of

everything & anything.

If you can't find it here,

it probably does not exist!

"There's no question there is an unseen world.

The problem is, how far is it from midtown

&

how late is it open?"

Woody Allen

"Catch a show or a brunch,

either way you'll feel at home.

But never, ever dress as a tourist!"

Peter Hoe

The

 must-see, must-do

&

must-eat are all a must.

And you'll still find plenty left on your

to-do list.

Chill!

Here's

Joydeep, Nicolas, Kay & Blaine.

One Sunday,

we did a must-eat in Chinatown

(lobster noodles etc...yumm!)

then a must-wander around Soho,

followed by a must-stop for coffee & cupcakes

&

a must-browse at J Crew

&

a must-enquire at the Apple store

&

a must-shop for a bottle of wine

and ended up here for

must-tapas & red wine.

What a day indeed!

And I still have a must-attend

dinner party at

Luis & Michael's!!!

All the things you've ever

read, heard or seen about this city is true.

Life does imitate art.

Or is it the other way around?

That's why everything seems to be so

familiar.

"The city was different back then-

poor and crumbling- kept alive only by the gritty

determination and steely cynicism of it's

occupants.

But underneath the dirt was the apple-cheeked

optimism of possibility,and while she

worked, the whole city seem to

throb along with her."

Candace Bushnell

Lipstick Jungle

If you like taking photos,

as I do,

you'll exhaust yourself.

One thing you'll notice over and again

are the echoes of car horns

&

sirens though the canyons of

Manhattan.

All this amidst the multitude of photo-ops

you'll encounter.

See what I mean?

Walking around,

I get a sense of

community spirit,

that comes from a time when neighbours

were

 kind and caring.

It's easy to see why this city is

unique,

it is made up by the

sum of it's

parts

&

the ever changing dynamic energy

that's hypnotic.

Jaded savvy traveller

or

first-time rookie,

you'll feel the excitement sure enough.

By March 2013,

Citi Bike

 will be launched.

All 7000 of them at 420 stations.

Providing easy access to getting around the city.

It's a self-funded enterprise,

sponsored initially by the

bank of the same first name!?!

7 day pass at USD25 anyone?

These photos were taken at the

New York Public Library.

Ms Johnson was manning the security entrance

& has such a charming personality,

that I had to feature her!!!

Another Big Apple wonder.

The hum of

creative energy & arty expressions

is loud and clear,

all around.

As reputations go,

New York has been through most.

Somehow, she's kept her

"cool factor".

And New Yorkers are

hard to impress.

This city is constantly renewing itself

by

day or night.

It's now as fashionable to be downtown as uptown,

&

Harlem

 has got it's groove back.

The co-founders of The High Line,

Joshua David & Robert Hammond,

was bestowed an award for

"creating new ways of seeing & understanding

New York City."

This remarkable story of one of the most

innovative urban reclamation projects in recent history,

is truly motivating.

It demonstrates the

power of

vision, persuasion

& determination.

And also that of never giving up if you believe in yourself!

...is there another unused rail track somewhere, that I could use?

You don't require
super human powers
nor leap
 tall buildings in a single bound.
Just bring lots of
cash & a credit card.

Sometimes you wonder,when

they'll run out of neighbourhoods

to "discover"?

After all, the city is not infinite.

Do you know that the first European settlers who brought seeds to

New York,

introduced apples in the 1600s?

This city has an

insatiable appetite for the new,

yet the old is somehow finding it's way back.

Central Park 

takes up 

843 acres

of prime real estate.

It's

4 km long & 0.8 km wide.

This stretch of green acreage,

is widely used by the inhabitants of

Gotham.

Another Keith Haring in the making?

Be prepared.

Do your homework.

Pack well

&

you'll have a

swell time!

As with all holidays,

you know you have to leave.

This visit was no different from my last.

I had a blast!

As the black town car drove me to JFK 

I glanced back at this amazing city,

with the equally amazing

skyline,

thinking how 9 million people can

live & work on top

of each other & still come up smiling?

One word came to mind...

Spirit!

My flight was delayed for 3 hours,

giving me,

in some way,

more time in the city.

I've visited many places

in many parts of the world.

But there's no other spot on earth

I would return in a

blink of an eye!

Embrace New York

&

she'll show you a great time.

An open heart & an open mind

will bring forth many surprises.

Don't "start spreading the news...",

that's a waste of precious time,

just come !!!

"...The city's bustle cannot destroy

the dreams of a girl and boy,

I'll turn Manhattan into an

isle of joy!"