People & Places
A very long day in New York
Danielle Collins stops the clock and takes all the time in world to wander Manhattan’s famous streets
In an ideal world, time would expand to squeeze every last drop of this city into one weekend. So imagine, if you will, that the magical mystery tour of the beautifully manic city of NYC is compressed and contorted into one sunny weekend in the middle of August and let us begin...
It's Saturday morning, police sirens are wailing, the smell of fresh bagels and sweet as you like Danish fills the air and there you are, poised elegantly on a brand new pair of rollerblades, gracefully gliding around the bike lanes of Central Park. As you speed past the band stand, the pumping sound of hip hop music fills the air and a group of boys pop, lock and headspin to a crowd of fascinated Saturday morning patrons.
All that rollerblading works up a hunger which leaves you gasping for some freshly squeezed OJ accompanied by a trucker's breakfast at the Cheyenne Diner at 411 9th Avenue at 33rd Street. Traditional America in every sense of the word, from the plastic booths to the swarm of yellow cabs parked outside containing kamikaze drivers dining on eggs over easy; home fries and the thickest pancakes you have ever scene.
As you drizzle the gooey maple syrup all over your own potential coronary, you take in the sights and sounds of this bustling diner and feel right at home in the midst of it all. Obviously, all that trucking food has to go somewhere and even though America is a country never likely to run out of XXXL clothing, New York is not the place to be putting on the pounds when there's so much shopping to be done! Seeing as there are no boundaries to this world you will already be equipped with the world's comfiest shoes and the sun will be shining without a cloud in the sky. The only thing for it is to head three blocks east and one block north to check out the shopping Mecca that is Macy's on 34th and Broadway. This is the dream department store filled to the roof with ten floors of every type of clothing and brand name from shoes to shirts all the way down to slinky underwear.
Now, you wouldn't want to push the boundaries of your ever expanding time continuum so it's time to move onwards and upwards, or should I say onwards and southwards? As you weave through the crowds filling Broadway you take some time out to take in the enormity and sheer magnificence of the Empire State Building just one block away on the corner of 34th and Fifth Avenue. Ah well, while you're in the area (and of course in this world there are no queues) just a quick elevator ride to the top and back won't hurt. On the 86th floor the views are astonishing (ok so you didn't make it to the very top, but seriously, it's only 17 more stories!). The sight of the mass of green that is Central Park to the north, set amongst a flurry of skyscrapers and modern architecture is a surreal experience but one that you feel every visitor to this magical city should experience. You head back to Broadway and continue your stroll to Madison Square Park on the left at East 23rd Street and straight on down for coffee at Union Square Park. You stay here awhile to feed the squirrels and peruse the city's most popular greenmarket selling scrumptious fresh fruit and vegetables. The market sets up camp at Union Square on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am to 6pm. Having stocked up on greens you dart down University Place into New York University territory and past Washington Square Park for a brief glimpse of the well known arch featured heavily as the backdrop in an up and coming comedy series about a bunch of six friends living it up in the city (apparently it's going t be a surefire hit, but I'm not sure myself). Turning right onto Bleecker Street you immerse yourself in the charming tree-lined lanes of Greenwich Village which plays host to more offbeat shops where you can grab yourself a real treat. Funky, quirky and slightly eccentric are words that best describe this adorable village slap bang in the middle of the sprawling metropolis that is the Big Apple.
Having pretty much walked off the mound of pancakes and bacon rashers, tea-time is calling and a brief stop in a cosy café type venue is on the agenda. No sooner has the thought crossed your mind, you stumble across a delightful little place known as French Roast at 78 West 11th Street. With a casual ambience and traditional French cuisine, it's the perfect place to wind down after hours pounding the streets for bargains and general retail therapy. Open 24 hours, this place has it all, from a bustling brunch crowd to a laid back romantic venue in the evening. Just the spot to chill out with a Croque Monsieur and a glass of red wine. With a nice warm glow and a satisfied belly, it's time to hop on the 1 and 9 subway at 14th Street up to Times Square where the spectacle of lights and kitsch is waiting. Even on your 50th visit, Times Square sends shivers down the spine. Great, sky high neon signs envelop the many theatres and the trademark advertising that is everywhere you turn can make for a dizzying experience. The only place to buy tickets is the TKTS stand at Duffy Square, the centre island of 47th Street between Broadway and 7th. Two tickets (don't ask how I found the mystery guest!) to see Rent at the Nederlander Theatre located at 208 West 41st Street. There's no stopping me now as I bellow out the tunes to this hit musical.
The only way to finish off now that I'm in the mood for dancing is to hit a truly stylish New York nightclub. The only place for it has to be Club Exit at 610 West 56th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues. With space for over 4,000 guests, this place is not to be sniffed at. Fair enough, it's not intimate, or underground, but for a truly 'gorgeous' night out, this place is just the ticket. Full of beautiful people, (so you will fit right in) you act like the fifth member of the group from Sex in the City and dance and re-hydrate with a couple of cocktails until the early hours. Wow, even with caffeine a plenty, there really is only so much you can cram into the longest day in the world. Time to admit defeat, this place just has too much going on to fit into a day, a week, a month or maybe even a year. New York is one of those places you could never get bored of. Cocktails at 4am, art galleries for lunch, a trip to the zoo in the middle of a park in the middle of a city almost totally surrounded by water, give us a break! It doesn't get any better than this! Of course, in your haste to get on and plan your next trip to the Big Apple you have skipped the visit to the Guggenheim, the coffee and cakes at Grand Central Station and stopping to catch a gig or a basketball game at Madison Square Garden.
And then there are the boroughs. The soft suburban feel of Brooklyn, the street corner gatherings in Harlem, the ball game in the Bronx and not to mention the boat crossing to Staten Island, if only for the fabulous view of the southern tip of Manhattan and the skyline featuring buildings so immense it's hard to believe you haven't been transported into a movie scene.
So anyone who hasn't experienced the enormity of what New York has to offer better grab themselves a last minute bargain and get their backsides on the first flight Stateside.
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