Trip to the United States of America - 4
A
tour around New York and New Jersey....
Second week-end in the USA; we went to cities of
New York and New Jersey on a 2-day sight-seeing tour from Boston. Traveled south-east
about 200 miles by road, the New York City is located in the east coast where Hudson
River meets Atlantic Ocean. New York is undoubtedly the most famous city of
happenings, where world’s major financial, commercial and cultural activities
take place, on a daily basis, round the year....
Located about 70 miles apart,
New York and New Jersey are like twin cities. Iconic attractions of these two metropolis
include numerous skyline buildings, expansive neon-lit roads, extensive metros,
commercial Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, Grand Central Station, Bryant
Park, Times Square, World Trade Centre, 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty in
Ellis Island and many more....
We did most of the sightseeing in
these two cities by brisk walk. We ate a variety of continental vegan foods,
from Italian pizza to doughnuts, in different eateries; most of those places
were always crowded, but food tasted exceptionally good. It was truly exciting
to watch the surroundings in New York and New Jersey. Wide roads with well-laid
pedestrian lanes, strictly followed traffic system and briskly crisscrossing
people; in general, the cities are busy but well-organised, clean and tidy. The
city-life is dynamic and most vibrant. We stayed overnight in New Jersey with a
close relative of ours who is settled here and whom we met after a long time. Meeting
near and dear ones living far away from native place is a very joyful moment.....
New York Stock Exchange or NYSE is located in the Wall
Street, Lower Manhattan, in New York City. It is the worlds’ largest stock
exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies. This is the busiest
area in New York City and that is why it is called the city of happenings.....
Grand Central Station or GCS is located in midtown
Manhattan of New York City, covering an area of about 19 ha and with 44 rail
platforms. GCS is the world’s largest commuter rail terminal. The Station
house, with distinctive architecture, is world’s most visited tourist
attraction. There are numerous shopping malls, stores and food courts and happens
to be the most common meeting place for the average American...
New York city metros or subway is a most organised
and rapid transit system. It is also one of the worlds’ oldest and fastest
public transport systems. With this, one can easily commute from New York to
Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The city metros not only provide clean
public transport system but also maintain enormous punctuality round the day....
Bryant Park, in midtown Manhattan, is a 10 acre
public park in the heart of New York City. The background of Bryant Park is
occupied by New York public Library. Any time of the day, round the year,
people come to this historic park, which is said to be a successful model of public-private
partnership...
Times Square; it seems about 50 million people
visited New York City’s Times Square. It is like a tourist Mecca; everyone
wants a photo with the Times Square clock in the background. Perpetually vibrant,
full-day musical and continuously lit by neon-lights, Times Square is a big attraction.
It is said that this region of the New York City never sleeps....!
World Trade Centre complex in Lower Manhattan, New
York, today reminds what were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. Besides
the newly build world trade centre, the complex includes a museum, memorial,
and a transportation hub. 9/11 Memorial is a tribute to the past and a hope for
the future. The names of every person died in the terrorist attacks are
inscribed around the memorial pools.
Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge
in the New York City over the East river, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. It
is one of the oldest roadway bridges in the United States and the world’s first
ever steel-wire suspension bridge.
Most important, we visited the Statue of Liberty, a
magnificent, copper sculpture installed in the Ellis Island or Liberty Island
in New York Harbour. It is an icon of world freedom. A figure of Libertas, the
Goddess holds a torch in right hand above her head and a shield inscribed in
Romans the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in her left hand. It is
a great sight of attraction for tourists visiting the United States of America.
In Ellis Island Immigration Museum, part of the Statue of Liberty National
monument, we learnt the tale of arduous journey immigrants took seeking a new
life in the land of America. I was astonished to learn that from 1852 to 1954,
then as the nation’s busiest and most important immigration station, Ellis
Island processed about 12 million immigrants to the United States through the
ports of New York and New Jersey. The Immigration museum undoubtedly narrates a
pulsating historic tale..!
D. Jayarama Bhat
