Thursday, October 23, 2008 New York: The second time around By Henrylito D. Tacio
THE first time I went to New York was in 2000 -- and that was also my very first visit to the United States. My journalist friend, Don Hinrichsen, picked me at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. At that time, I knew no one in the city. So, I was left alone doing my own exploration of the city that never sleeps.
Last July, I went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to attend the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium. After that, I stayed with my aunt and uncle in Savannah, Georgia. While there, I communicated with my sister Marilou who lived in Newark, Delaware. I told her that some of my friends who are now living in New York wanted me to visit them.
"We can go there, Manoy," Marilou answered back. "It's about two hours from where I am now living. My husband cannot drive us, so we will just ride in a bus together in going there. What do you think?"
So, we did go. My contacts -- Tune Inumerables and Ann Sabio -- met us at Macy's, the world's biggest shopping store. With ten floors of shopping, many escalators and elevators, and even a half-floor here and there, I recommend you get a Macy's visitors guide at the entrance.
Although Tune and Ann were from my hometown, I never had the opportunity of meeting them. From time to time, I communicated with them through electronic mails. So, it was my first time to see them in person and I found both very accommodating persons.
"We've finally see each other," said the very beautiful Tune, who is the sister of another famous journalist, Jay Sonza. "Since your time is limited, we will go directly to see the Statue of Liberty," added Ann, who was very captivating in her green-colored dress.
Tune purchased our ferry tickets at the Castle Clinton National Monument.
Since there was a long queue, Ann, my sister and I went to buy food at a nearby stall. After doing so, the three of us joined the line of people who were ready to board the ferry. By the time we were almost to enter the ferry, Tune, and her two equally beautiful daughters, Lalaine and Joana Sandra, arrived.
Our first stopover was the Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty stands. From a distance, the statue is mesmerizing. "My mother rushed us to the window," recalled a German immigrant whose ship passed by in the 1920s, "to see this magic statue standing there. Now, we were going to go to heaven."
From the Liberty Island, we went to the Ellis Island, a memorial to all foreigners who have made United States as their adopted home. But before exploring the island, see the 30-minute film, Island of Hope, Island of Tears. Museum exhibits occupy three floors of the main building.
The exhibits document immigrants' experience at Ellis Island, as well as the history of immigration in the US.
On our return to Manhattan, we went to the Rockefeller Center, a complex of 19 commercial buildings, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Here, you can see the country's fourth-most familiar statue (after Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore and Statue of Liberty) -- the bronze gilded statue of the Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus recumbent, bringing fire to mankind.
Close to the Rockefeller Center is the Radio City Music Hall. When it was completed in December 1932, it was considered the largest and most opulent theater in the world. Its original name was the International Music Hall but was changed to reflect the new technology of the time -- radio. One of the complex's first and most important tenants was RCA, hence the other name the Center itself was dubbed was "Radio City."
When the darkness fell, we were ready for our dinner. We went to a Filipino restaurant, where Jeffrey Nique joined us. "I am very sorry that I was not able to join you in the tour," the baby-faced Jeffrey apologized.
Also with us during the dinner were my friend, Dr. James W. Hansen (of the Columbia University) and his wife Merlie and daughter Michelle. Sofia Mae, Tune's other daughter was also present; I met here when we went to the Top of the Rock, the observation deck at the Rockefeller Center.
After eating our sumptuous dinner, we bade goodbyes to the Hansen. At the subway, the three daughters of Tune went home while the rest of us were bound to the famed Times Square, which is principally defined by its animated, digital advertisements.
It is also the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square, and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since.
Another iconic world landmark in New York is the Madison Square Garden, which calls itself as "The World's Most Famous Arena." It derives its name from the park where the first two gardens were located (Madison Square) on Madison Avenue at 26th Street.
But what really fascinated my sister was the Empire State Building, which she saw in the movie King Kong. It is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper whose name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. The building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. In 1986, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
New York City, which is the largest city in the United States, was named after the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.
Unknowingly, New York is the only city in the United States where more than half of all households do not own a car (in Manhattan, more than 75% of residents do not own a car; nationally, the percentage is 8%).
After all, there is the Subway, the largest rapid transit system in the world when measured by the number of stations in operation, with 468.
New York's subway is also notable because nearly all of the system remains open 24 hours per day (though in some cases with significant differences in routings from the daytime network), in contrast to the overnight shutdown common to systems in most cities, including London, Paris, and Tokyo.
