Warren Moore

Website Links

Description

Of all the cities I have been too in the world, New York is the one that immediately excites from the time you arrive. Anywhere that has as many cultural and urban icons as New York will have you looking around for that next familiar site you have seen so many times in the media, movies, television or had described in books and literature. But what makes New York such a brilliant place to visit is its intensity and the way it just breathes life from the moment you arrive. Despite all of the familiar building and imagery and the sheer architectural size of the place, it is the lifestyle that makes this place immediately special. I spent just four days in the wonderful city, from February 20 – 24, 2010, so this isn’t meant to be a detailed travel critique, but just an account of an Australian in New York (and the United States) for the first time. Straight up, my main advice if you don’t have a huge amount of time to spend in New York is not to just scramble around trying to see all the sights – that would take months anyway – but to enjoy the vibe of the place. I arrived late on a Saturday for a conference beginning of the Monday. I was there working for New Holland Publishers and caught up with a South African colleague and then some of his friends who were working in the city. Coincidently we ended up at an Aussie themed bar called Van Diemen’s at 383, 3rd and 27th Street. Despite its name and theme, I got the impression that for them it was quiet the novelty to actually have an Aussie there! They had problems understanding my accent, then there was the usual problem in the difference between real-English and American-English – don’t ask for a serviette as you will just get a blank stare until you ask for a napkin. They served the Australian beer, Tooheys New, but it was so rare for anyone to actually order one that they were being lined-up in front of me before I even got to place an order. It could be they had a basement full of the stuff and just wanted to get rid of it. The next day (Sunday) was the chance to do some sight-seeing and as I always recommend when in a new city, I took advantage of one of those hop-on hop-off tourist buses. I figure it is the best way to familiarize yourself and you can always do back later and see particular places in more detail. I chose the City Sights service – just buying a day pass from one of their hawkers at their stops. It cost about US$50, which was pretty could value given that included discount passes for admission to attractions, although I never did use them. By the way, I stayed at the Novotel Time Square , on 52nd Street just off Broadway- a great location and not a bad hotel for the money. It was from just near here I caught the first leg of the tour on that cold late winter’s morning – well cold by Australian standards. We travelled along Broadway, past Madison Square Garden (the current building isn’t square and doesn’t have a garden!), past the old textile district, through Greenwich Village, then tor Wall Street and then got off near the World Trade Centre site.

Companies nearby