Impressions of NYC

November 5-9, 2009

Nine years ago I found myself in New York City on my birthday. I was there for business but had the good fortune of working for a great boss who introduced me to the city and showed my how to order a proper martini! On top of that, I had a couple of friends working in NYC at the time who I was able to also celebrate with.

This year for my birthday I found myself in NYC again, this time with Dan. We came in on a Thursday and out on a Monday. We had an awesome time! NYC is just an amazing city. Below are some of my impressions from our stay.


We managed to get ourselves into the Hudson Hotel at Columbus Circle (58th street and 9th ave). Awesome hotel. It's like staying in a dance club. Rooms are super small but the aesthetic is pretty slick. The windows don't do much to block out the noise of the city. Seriously, it never gets quiet in New York.


We spent the first day treking up and down 5th Ave. FAO Schwarz rocks! You totally feel like a kid in there. I've never seen so many stuffed toys of so many different sizes. Tourist trick - the view from the 2nd floor up and down the Avenues is pretty good.


Just outside FAO is of course the famous Apple store (the glass cube). Had to go in there and check it out. We laughed at all the tourists taking the glass cylinder elevator down the one floor instead of the stairs. But it is hard to resist, we took it on the way up! LOL. Dan, being a "PC" couldn't wait to get out of there.


We came across the Trump Hotel where his show was filmed. The interior is classic Trump - acres of pink marble and gold fixtures. Classic 80's glam but I will give him credit for executing great craftsmanship. You really don't see it like that anymore in the modern world.


Heading south on 5th I came to appreciate the energy of the city. People everywhere, going in all directions. Everyone in motion, all connected to their BBs and iPhones. iPhone is the clear winning in NYC by the way.


Even with all this activity I was struck by how friendly everyone was. New Yorkers often pick up a 5 second conversation with anyone who will listen. There was a humanity there that you don't get in TO. In TO we walk around pretending there is no one around us and are often caught off guard when someone dares to speak to us. In NY people will pick up and drop off of a conversation very easily. It was really very nice. Oh and by the way, it was never about the weather. :)


Times Square really is something to see. Tonnes of people, tonnes of billboards of all descriptions all lit up. You could stand there all day and just watch TV from all the various screens. They've also done an amazing job making it pedestrian friendly. They've taken out an entire lane of traffic from Broadway for bikes, pedestrians and even tables and chairs to sit back and relax. Good for them!


Central Park is just amazing. You don't have to go too far into the park to completely forget that you are in the city. The sound drops away, it gets quiet and it is massive. it is really very cool to look around you and see so much green; lawns, trees and then the sky scrapers popping up above the trees.


The skyscrapers are amazing. They have so much character given how old many of them are. Any architecture buff will have a field day. The Rockafeller center specifically is just amazing. Truly art deco in its execution. The Rainbow Room was unfortunately closed for renovations so we couldn't get up. We did make it up the Empire State Building however. Those are some serious views - check out the pics in the album posted here.


We spent a lot of time walking through all the different neighbourhoods. Greenwish, Soho, lower east side, meat packing, mid town, upper west etc. i think my favourite was Greenwich. Awesome, low rise townhomes and buildings. I felt like I was in a little village. Shopping in Soho by the way is killer!


We spent some time at the World Trade Centre. I had never seen the twin towers so I can only guess at the physical impact of that tragedy. The city has done an amazing job with the memorial centre they have created. It gives a very good sense of the enormity of the event. I cannot imagine what it must have been like and I admire the strength of New Yorkers to rise above it and get through it. The plans for the memorial itself are inspiring and I look forward to seeing them when they are complete.


With respect to food I think one would be hard pressed to have a bad meal. Whether dining in Hell's Kitchen or just in a local deli, the food was great! We even ended up eating in the same restaurant when Mr. Big (Chris Noth) came in for dinner.


Oh one thing that we were blown away with was the number of french speaking people we encountered. It was like being in Montreal. :)


I truly fell in love with the city and I can't wait to go back. The weather was amazing. We had been told that November was a great time to visit and I totally agree. It is a memorable city with so much to do. For us, it was more profound to realize what we didn't see versus what we did. I totally need to go back. I can see myself going back every year.