New York City isn’t called “the city that never sleeps” for no reason: even very late at night and very early in the morning, the streets are bustling.
When you think of the United States, you must understand that New York is not typical of the rest of the country. The father of a friend living in the United States visited New York only after traveling around the rest of the country. He said, “I’d assumed the United States was farms and fields until I saw this city. This is ‘real’ America!”
The intense urban landscape features skyscrapers that block the clouds, as well as picturesque low-rise townhouses. There are parks, plazas, wide avenues and narrow lanes. There’s so much going on, and everyone seems to operate within their own sphere.
While the sheer diversity of the people on the street was staggering, I also noticed that everyone seemed to be holding a water bottle or a coffee cup. Then again, with coffee shops and food stands on nearly every block, this is not surprising.
We stayed at a hotel in Times Square, to get the full 24-hour New York experience. The area took on its name in 1904, when the office of The New York Times newspaper moved here.
Times Square has changed over the decades but remains one of the busiest places in the city. Now dominated by enormous billboards, Times Square is constantly illuminated. And crowded. I don’t remember how many different languages I heard being spoken –there could have been eight, nine or even more.
We stopped in a little plaza in the middle of the Square to take a break, but it was impossible: it seemed as if a cross section of the entire world was passing through and we were mesmerized, watching the people. It was almost like a movie.
The famous Broadway theatres are also in this area. Try to get tickets to a show if you have the time – you don’t even need to speak English very well. Just go with the flow and get into the mood…
For shopaholics and those with money to spend, hit Fifth Avenue, home to the world’s finest shops and boutiques. We window-shopped on Fifth Avenue, but also hit the outlets, which are mainly outside the city. In general, the United States is a great place to shop; almost all types of quality brand products are available at very reasonable prices. Bring an empty bag when you fly to the USA – or buy a nice piece of luggage at one of those outlets.
Meanwhile, back on Fifth Avenue, we passed the New York Public Library’s flagship location, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. This stately building has a research center and also features exhibitions of some of the 53 million items in the NYPL’s collection. The New York Public Library is the second largest library system in the United States and the third-largest in the world.
Walk up a few blocks and you’ll find the Rockefeller Center complex, located between 48th and 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. At the top of Rockefeller Center, the 80th floor, there’s an observatory where you can enjoy majestic city views. The top of the Empire State Building also features great city views, but Rockefeller Center offered a wider angle.
While New York City is relatively young compared to other cities around the world, there are numerous historical spots. Before the arrival of European colonists, Manhattan was inhabited by the Lenape tribe. Dutch traders established the colony of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in 1626 and, in 1664, the English took control of the Island, naming it “New York”.
While St. Patrick’s Cathedral isn’t the oldest structure in New York City – the foundation was laid in 1858 – it is one of the city’s most prominent. The majestic Cathedral is also on Fifth Avenue, opposite the Rockefeller Center complex.
A few blocks west, on Seventh Avenue, is one of the most prestigious concert stages in the United States, and perhaps the world. From 1892 to 1962, Carnegie Hall hosted the New York Philharmonic; and continues to host leading musicians. These include Turkish artists such as Sezen Aksu, Sertab Erener, Fazıl Say, Cihat Aşkın, Burcu Göker and Hüsnü Şenlendirici.
While Manhattan gets most of the press, New York City consists of four other boroughs as well: Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Manhattan itself is an island with many neighborhoods roughly divided into three areas: Uptown, Midtown and Downtown.
We had a proper Turkish breakfast in Manhattan at Güllüoğlu. Yes, you’ve read this correctly: there’s a branch in Manhattan and we found ourselves there every time we needed a break! It is almost impossible to find the right type of bread for the Turkish palate in the United States, and the same for cheeses. For us, as it could be for you, this might be a viable alternative.
Central Park is an oasis in the middle of Manhattan. Stretching from 59th Street to 110th Street, between Fifth and Eighth avenues, this 843-acre park includes a reservoir, the Central Park Zoo, the Great Lawn and two performance venues, along with playgrounds, sculpture gardens, forested areas, and walking, biking and jogging paths. Because there’s so much to see in this expansive park, we suggest that you allocate at least half a day. Adjacent to Central Park, on the Fifth Avenue side, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the finest museums in the world.
Moving downtown, the southernmost part of Manhattan Island is home to the Financial District, which includes the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street. Wall Street takes its name from a wall built by the Dutch to protect the settlement; the wall was destroyed in 1699. The Wall Street “Charging Bull” sculpture is also here.
Also in this area, a memorial to the events of September 11, 2001. The space where the World Trade Centers stood is now a monumental park. When I think of what happened on 9/11, and how so many lost their lives, I remember that each moment of life is so very precious. The words of a poem by Necip Fazıl Kısakürek come to mind: “Race, drive your horses, you swarthy cavalrymen, the end of this road curves before the grave.” We left the area praying that the world will never see such an attack again.
A short walk from the National September 11 Memorial Museum is the Brooklyn Bridge. Spanning the East River and connecting the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge is open to pedestrians and bicyclists as well as vehicles. I imagined riding my bike over the Bosphorus Bridge just for second – oh, how nice that would be! But you can experience this feeling on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Back in Battery Park, we catch a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island. One of the city’s – and the country’s – most important symbols, the Statue of Liberty was conceived as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States on the one hundredth anniversary of US independence from England. The story, though, goes all the way back to when the Ottoman Empire still existed. Lady Liberty has a crown that represents light; with spikes that evoke sun rays. She carries a tablet inscribed with the Roman numerals for July 4, 1776, to commemorate the date of US independence. At her foot are a broken shackle and chains, which symbolize the end of slavery.
Adjacent to Liberty Island is Ellis Island, from 1892 to 1954 the arrival point for more than 12 million immigrants. According to records, approximately 200,000 Ottoman citizens passed through these gates. Ellis Island now serves as the National Museum of Immigration; the Island also hosts the Family History Center and the American Immigrant Wall of Honor.
I don’t know if New York is a dream or the awakening, but this city will stay in my mind forever! It was tough to say goodbye to New York…but it gave me a new appreciation for my homeland. After the hustle and bustle, arriving back to my homeland was such a blessing – I wish the same for all of you as well! 🙂
