Trip to the United States of America - 4: A tour around New York and New Jersey....

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