New York City

I love New York. It’s not because of Alicia Keys’ praise for the “concrete jungle”, and neither through its audio-visual promotion through “Sex and the City”.

My love for the City is not just a fling. It grew over the years. During my days as an AuPair I'd go to NYC all by myself. Armed with my camera I’d spend the whole day chasing pavements and photo opts.

I walked the Brooklyn Bridge and conquered the Empire State Building. I climbed the Top of the Rock, admired the Flat Iron, and relaxed in Central Park. I went shopping in China Town, saw H&M’s first grand opening at Fifth Ave., and watched the ball drop to welcome the Y2K. I enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the New York skyline from the top of the World Trade Center one year before the towers fell.

My eyes were glued to the TV during the 9/11 events. Watching from Germany I saw the smoldering scar in my Lover's face. Five years later, I went back there. Ground Zero was a big empty spot in the heart of the City whose mood had changed.

Last year, arriving at Grand Central Station, the prominent American flag hanging from the station’s picturesque ceiling demonstrated Americans’ unchanged trust in the Nation. I felt the heightened patriotism in the face of a lingering threat that keeps on creeping from an invisible source since 9/11.

This year I explored the City with Glenn. We arrived from the south via PATH train and got off at World Trade Center station. The wounds are not just healing. They are being cosmetically removed. The World Trade Center Memorial taking shape!

Passing the massive construction site, we walked to Pier 17. We sipped our coffees in the morning sun overlooking the East River and admiring Brooklyn Bridge. What an architectural piece of art!

At 10AM sharp, we fell in line (along with hundreds of price conscious people) to get our hands on half-priced Broadway tickets. At 60$ a ticket is considered a bargain deal. The money was well invested and we had the best time watching “Rock of Ages” later that night. It was my first time to see a Broadway show! Surely not the last time!

It was Glenn’s first and my third time to see the “Bodies Exhibit”. Granted, the idea of looking at dead people does seem a bit creepy. However, the exhibit is nothing even close to a morgue. Professor von Hagens managed to display the human body and its parts and pieces in such an esthetic and interesting manner that walking the exhibit becomes an educational tour into human physique, nature, and health. I highly recommend catching a glimpse of it!