New York Reflections

New York is hard to describe. In many ways it was just what I expected; noisy, busy, crowded, vibrant, friendly, scary, yummy, awe inspiring, dirty, opulent and destitute. We crammed a lot into 3 days and only saw life on Manhattan, but what an eye opener. Jeff and I have been to big cities before but it was great to share this experience with the kids and see their reactions too.
On the first day we talked about our response to the homelessness that was much more in our face than it is in Christchurch. We decided to buy a handful of Subway vouchers and give those away. We also gave some money, but liked the idea of giving the food vouchers. Over the next couple of days we gave them away. We talked about who you give to. The polite ones? The ones with a "God Bless you" on their message signboard? The ones who were busking and making an effort to do something to earn it?  Everyone you think needs it - this reminded me of the movie Bella when the main character is sitting on the sidewalk with his empty coffee cup beside him and someone puts money in it! No straightforward answers. This was just one part of our stay but one we knew would leave lasting impressions on each of us. 

We found New York to be a very friendly place except for those in uniform at tourist venues who took it very seriously that we would follow their instructions and move along quickly. It took the shine off the enjoyment of the experiences sometimes. Otherwise service was always with a smile and the general public were also very friendly. We heard more languages in the 3 days than I have in the last 10 years I think. Very cosmopolitan indeed.

Here are some other thoughts...

From Tim
New York is the first place I have felt claustrophobic outside. It is generally an open place with wide roads but then there are the one way streets which are so small, then having at least five stories on concrete and glass on either side of you, it sort of closes in on you. In contrast the top of the Rockefeller centre was so amazing! To imagine it was completed in the 1940s wow! We were so high, but still on something solid that was attached to the ground, and the view was incredible. To emerge from down in the concrete jungle and then be so high, so quick was quite the experience.

From Joel
I really enjoyed taking the subway to different places. People with iPhones were everywhere. They contrasted with homeless people begging on the streets and the subways. I couldn't  help but notice that while some people will spend the night camping in front of an Apple store, others are forced to sleep on the street, sometimes by circumstances out of their control. Concrete buildings and narrow streets got old surprisingly quickly and our walk in Central Park was a welcome change.

From Laura
New York was a interesting experience, at night with all the lights and people the atmosphere was just like a big party. There was also a lot policemen and the more than occasional siren too. There were also a lot of homeless people, quite a contrast to everyone else. All in all though I think I like the country better, the crowds and the noise were a bit oppressive for me.