Update: Find pics of the trip below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204260&l=91eed&id=575095187
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204250&l=96e7b&id=575095187
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204239&l=e1b07&id=575095187
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204234&l=c0d43&id=575095187
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204228&l=b78ce&id=575095187

Holiday Update

Originally written Jan 01, 2009

Following a great Christmas spent with family (my first in more than two years), I left for New York City on the evening of December 28th. This little vacation jaunt was predicated on a lack of my own plans and the knowledge that a friend was going to be in the city at the same time. So, yes, I piggy-backed on his vacation but I had never been to NYC and he invited me along; besides, it's almost always better to travel with others rather than alone.

My friend had already left, as he planned to visit Chicago and Washington D.C. before heading to NYC. My flight out of Calgary was to leave at 2:45pm and that's where the first bit of trouble began.

While there had been many flights delayed or canceled (due to weather, for the most part) in the days leading up to my departure, things seemed to have calmed down so I arrived two hours before my flight was to begin boarding. After checking in I was directed to a ridiculously long line leading into US Customs. After waiting an hour or so, and keenly aware that my flight would begin boarding in the next 30 minutes, I asked an airline attendant about the situation. She assured me that there were delays all around and that I would be OK. Despite her reassurance I remained anxious, especially as the clock passed 2:30pm and I was still waiting in line. In the end, I made my flight (thank God) which departed about half an hour past its scheduled time.

Not much to report about the flights themselves (I transferred in Denver). I did see the movie Bottle Shock, which was a pleasant surprise, especially as I had hated Sideways. Bottle Shock (starring Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman, among others) was a fantastic film focused on the struggles of several people in “the wine business” leading up to the historic 1976 Paris tasting showdown where wines from California's Nappa valley gained superiority and European recognition for the first time. The film was both entertaining and touching as well as informative and I'm glad I came across it.

Landing in NYC's La Guardia Airport, the shuttle I had previously hired to take me to my hostel was a no-show. Further inquiry yielded a number I could call for a refund. So I ended up taking a taxi (twice the cost of the shuttle of course) – but did I forget to mention that my luggage had also been delayed? Thankfully this first day of my vacation would prove to be the most troublesome.

During my time in NYC I stayed at the 5^th Avenue Spot hostel in Harlem. As hostels go it was more than fine and I would recommend it to other travelers. Its transit related conveniences (a block from the subway and a bus to La Guardia) were offset, however, by the 10$ a day I ended up paying for a storage locker which was separated from my room by five flights of stairs, but that is my only real complaint.

The next day, December 29th, things began in earnest. I met my friend outside the Empire State Building which, since the fall of the Twin Towers, has reclaimed its position as the tallest building in the city. We went up to the observation deck and enjoyed some wonderful views of the city. I want to point out that this was only the first of many situations that proved the value of the NYC Passes we had purchased, as they brought us past the long lines at most of the attractions we visited.

Following our visit to the Empire State Building, we moved on to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – a wonderful collection of contemporary/modern art in all its forms. I particularly enjoyed the exhibits of designs from the world of architecture and interior furnishings. The works of well-known artists such as Jackson Pollock were also of interest.

Other adventures that day included visits to Chinatown, Little Italy, the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral and the less-than-impressive Rockefeller Center. Finally, at the insistence of my traveling companion, we traveled to Columbus Square – the area home to New York University and, apparently, Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame.

The next day, December 30th, was another busy and one these two initial days were certainly my favorites. We visited the American Museum of Natural History (showcased in the film A Night at the Museum) which held a vast treasure trove of historical and anthropological exhibits covering peoples and animals from around the world, and beyond (we attended a gorgeous planetarium film narrated by Robert Redford called Cosmic Collisions if I remember correctly). This was a truly wonderful place that is both entertaining and educational. I could have spent a great deal more time there.

After that, we paid our first visits to the famed Central Park and Grand Central Terminal (home of, among other things, Michael Jordan's NY Steakhouse). The park was nice enough but I actually got quite comfortable in GCT and enjoyed the holiday light show playing every half hour several times over.

These were followed up by a fantastic artistic journey through NYC's top tourist attraction, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along with stunning pieces of art from across Europe and Asia (including masters such as Van Gough, Monet, Picasso, etc.), the Met holds a number of historic pieces including arms & armor and other cultural elements from around the world. Much less interesting was our visit to the Guggenheim Museum which contained, frankly, nothing of interest, though the building itself (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) was unique and engaging.

New Year's Eve began with a visit to the storied Brooklyn Bridge followed by the Statue of Liberty. I'm sure both these attractions are usually quite awe-inspiring but, by this time, the weather, which had been quite nice to that point, had begun to turn nasty. While the actual temperatures weren't particularly low, especially compared with the -30 days we'd had back home recently, the biting winds and the humidity made it feel much worse than it was. After a brief visit to Wall Street and spending several hours in Times Square (during which we were separated and subject to our own adventures), we decided to pack it in and find other, warmer venues for the evening. So no, we didn't end up seeing the ball drop in Times Square, and this was somewhat disappointing, but we were there for some time, part of the crowd of roughly one million, for a while at least – so ends 2008.

The first day of 2009 was to be my last in NYC and a quieter but somewhat more significant one. I picked up a copy of Karen Armstrong's 2007 book, The Bible: A Biography. Ms. Armstrong's stunning insights continues to challenge my understanding of the history of world religion. Anyway, the significance I was referring to was the great opportunity I had to catch up with some old friends – Jon (a native New Yorker whom I had taught with in Japan) and Talitha (a fellow world traveler from Germany). After the grind of the last couple days it really lifted my heart to see each of them and I enjoyed my short time in their company.

That brings us to the present and the conclusion to this story. I am presently sitting in La Guardia Airport where I'll be spending the night prior to my 6am departure. I'm quite comfortable in airports so I don't mind, but it's a little more depressing here as the terminal is small and essentially closed down for the night.

As for general impressions of New York, I'm certainly glad I came and will remember it fondly. It's a historic city and one of great and varied character. The architecture is as impressive as the people are colorful. While the city is somewhat run-down, due only to its age, it cannot be described as “dirty” (with some specific exceptions perhaps). For the most part, the people are warm enough and you have to hand it to pan handlers who loudly proclaim detailed and emotional stories of woe as they travel the iconic subways.

Anything you could want can be found in NYC and, for the most part, we never left Manhattan (Jon lives on Long Island). We sampled the famous foods of the area (read pizza and hot dogs, etc.) including visits to Joe's Pizza (of Spiderman fame) and the former location of the real “Soup Nazi.” We didn't spot any celebrities to speak of though I'm fairly positive I saw a well-known comedian (whose name I can't recall) on the subway at one point.

So there you have it, my time in NYC has come to an end and I am on my way back to Calgary. The city was more than enjoyable but held no special magic in my heart. But, as always, I encourage everyone to explore it for themselves.

With Hope,
Joseph