An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

June 2006

There’s truth behind the hype of the big apple. Every moment in this Utopian bird cage is exciting and far beyond the comprehension of this prodigal son. I arrived in New York on a on a sweaty evening, delayed by a couple of suffocating canines in Heathrow, only to be picked up by a dude named “bud” in his boxers. The pace of the one of the fastest cities in the world caught me off-guard as I almost watched my big red suitcase leave me behind on a sky train. This is truly THE cosmopolitan hotpot. I watched with wide eyed amusement as I took in the vastness of the city seated in a sky train with folks of over ten nations, colors, shapes and sizes.

I was blessed to be put up in a hostel right off Central park. Jogging round the reservoir and playing ultimate Frisbee in the great lawn is my recommendation to start the day if you’re around. The magnanimity of the towering heights all around gave me a neck ache and a tourist tag.

Times Square is the image of a global kaleidoscope of murals, buildings, peoples and cultures. It’s easy to loose yourself in commotion of tourists, soothsayers, promoters and street artists.

New York - Manhattan

Broadway the pinnacle of musical and theatrical entertainment sandwiched in a few tightly knit blocks is a must see….my 1^st experience watching a spell binding performance of “The Wedding Singer” completely blew me off my feet and kept me glowing throughout the evening.

The complex yet simple tapestry of the amazing apple is an amusing experience. Just two blocks away from the humbug of Times Square and the surrounding buzz, I find myself puzzled at how I now was eating blueberries of a tree in a quiet and lonely suburban street filled with old Brown Houses when few moments back I was a sardine in a choc o block.

The free ferry to Stratton Island is one of the best ways to watch a magnificent Manhattan skyline as Lady Liberty stands guard over the Promised Land.

Ground Zero, a big hole in the ground, much like the basement of a giant construction site with a fence around it, brings a tear to my eye as the tragedy gone by had sunk in, buttered by sounds of an old man playing amazing grace on the sax. A detailed time line of the incidents that occurred one weary fall morning over looks the site with the omnipresent stars and stripes fluttering in a strong harbor gust.

Roller coaster rides on my pallet are always welcome.. a bite of the apple is an experience that will likely not fade into the sands of my memory any time soon. The global cultural cuisine made my mouth water each day trying a new authentic national delicacies from Mexico, Israel, Trinidad, Korea, Vietnam, China, England, Poland so many more that it took me two months to lay my swollen hands into a Roti.

“The City of Blinding Lights” was rightfully sung by U2 for New York. You feel the electricity in the air any given night. Times square, the Mecca of murals on titans of concrete is a sight that will keep you buzzing well into the wee hours. All things giant sized.. Paris wheels in toyshops, MTV, NASDAQ, naked cowboy.

I pledged to return to this surreal seaside nook of the woods. An understanding of the cultural soul of the United States dawned upon me while gazing on Lady Liberty. There’s something for everyone….no really…playing football in the park with a team from all corners of the globe, break dancing face off, street artists, trees on buildings, giant squirrel, beautiful people exercising in all known ways, Hotdogs, cops on horses….we haven’t even left the park yet.

The time had come for me to bid adieu to the Apple till another day. Compass bearing north up the Hudson to a hill where I would spend my summer with kids. Grand central with its nervous system and the stars leading us on we’re off, “Billings” next stop!