In late October 2010 Sue and I spent five days sight seeing in New York.
You know you’re in New York when the hotel bed is the size of a football pitch! Everything in New York is bigger and drawn on a grander scale. My initial impression of the city when we first arrived in the late afternoon sun of a warm autumn evening on Sunday 24th October was of a city like London but more squashed, taller and … well chunkier. The paving stones are bigger and often edged with metal. The trucks that traverse the streets are huge and brutish and steam wafts up from the subway like white miasmas at points along the pavements.
But close up, despite the superficial differences, the city is just like any modern city except perhaps grittier. There is the clatter and bustle, and the never-ending noise of the city (they do love their car horns!). There are the beggars on the streets and the food sellers on the corners. There are the plethora of fast food outlets and of course the bright, bright lights of Times Square like theatre centres in every major city. And the subway, although bigger (much bigger) and dirtier than the London tube, is in essence the same.
It is when viewed at a distance that New York takes on an aesthetic that is unique. From the top of the Empire State Building the views are stunning and from ‘Top of the Rock’ at night, the city is illuminated like a magical wonderland. From a river boat or the pathway across the Brooklyn Bridge the skyline is simply amazing, and it is perhaps fitting that new York should show off its personality best from where you can see the ’big picture’.
New York is a city that you don’t discover but which reveals itself to you, for you already feel that you know it. The whole city is one enormous film and TV backdrop and it overflows with iconic places such as the Statue of Liberty and the Chrysler building or names such as Wall Street and West Side that have seared themselves into the human consciousness. Who hasn’t heard of these or seen somewhere a representation of the New York skyline?
But that skyline, more than anything else in New York, speaks of tragedy and suffering as well, for the missing profile of the twin towers is a constant reminder of the horror of 9/11. On our trip to New York we visited the little church of St. Paul’s that nestles in between the skyscrapers of the financial district and provides a powerful testament to the human cost of that event. The church was the place where many fire-fighters came for respite from the horrors of their work. They would place their domestic shoes on the railings outside the church when they changed into their work boots. At the end of the day shoes that were not collected provided a poignant reminder of the fire-fighters who gave their lives doing their duty.
Inside the church is a memorial made of individual and personal photos of the victims, not laid out in some kind of neat and tidy display but simply placed at random. The informal nature of the display makes it all the more evocative. Photos taken by friends and family, many with simple messages are huddled together as if in mutual support providing a very moving and fitting memorial to the cost of that day. I was particularly struck by one photo taken no more than two hours before the person died in the attack. These were not anonymous people killed by a terrorist attack thousands of miles away from my home but real people who lived and had a full life ahead of them that were robbed so piteously of their future. It is not possible to visit St. Paul’s and not be deeply moved.
At ‘ground zero’ the new freedom tower is taking shape and providing a clear and powerful sign that New York carries on and is not bowed by the events of 9/11. New York has picked itself up, like a boxer reeling from a blow but that wont give up the fight.
To what extent is it possible or reasonable to ascribe a personality to a city – something that is merely an inanimate conglomeration of stone and cement, of glass and tarmac? How can we say that we know the nature of any great city of the world? But a city is more than stone and concrete – it is the people that live and work there and perhaps here the city held the biggest surprise for me. Where were the brash, loud and arrogant Americans that I imagined populated this metropolis? Instead I experienced people that were in general kind, considerate, pleasant and … well un-American! Even the New York cabbies that according to folklore greet their clients with a raucous tirade about this or that were replaced with quiet, mute chauffeurs, as if someone had transported all the real cabbies to somewhere else. Even the border control policeman that I had anticipated would be stern and surly turned out to be a fairly gentle and timid gent, denying me the ability to return home with stories of the brusqueness of the typical American. Not that the people we met were angels, for we encountered an unhelpful ticket booth attendant and a surly waiter, but nothing more than you would expect of any major city. The majority of the people we encountered were very genuine and pleasant. The experience exposed my narrow mindedness and laid bare my own prejudice of Americans and for this alone the visit was worthwhile. The people we met were just like any other people that live and work on this planet.
Perhaps New York is not typical of America at large but then to what extent is London typical of the English? It was difficult to grasp what was uniquely American about the city except perhaps its size. But that sobriquet has clearly been overtaken by other cities. Even the new freedom tower, which will once again dominate the New York skyline, will be nowhere near the tallest building in the world. The world has moved on and the accolade of the biggest and best has moved elsewhere to other cities across the globe. New York now basks in the glory of its history rather than its future.
So what does New York have to tell us about American culture? The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) contains a stunning collection of paintings by Van Gogh. Monet and Picasso to name but a few and the rather odd Guggenheim museum contains a superb collection of Kandinsky’s but these are all objects of the old world. Even the massive Cathedral of John the Divine, supposedly the largest cathedral in the world, begun in 1873 and still not finished, looks like it could have been built in any major European city. The work of New York artists displayed in MOMA – the Jackson Pollocks and the Andy Warhols – don’t seem to be substantial enough to form the basis of a coherent individual culture and so the city appears to continue to look to the old world for its artistic inspiration and mentorship.
The building that for me seemed to convey the best impression of a truly American culture was Grand Central station. It is perhaps apt that America, a nation build on migration should build perhaps its best interior architecture in the form of a train station. It seems almost a crime to rush through this great thoroughfare on a journey as if it was a provincial terminus and not stare in wonder at the marble and gold and the ceiling resplendent with constellations so that inside that underground space it feels like a world of its own. The Rockefeller centre as well, all art deco gold and black marble, and of course the Empire State Building are key symbols of America, but an America of the past, America as it was in the 1930s.
What is clearly not a positive aspect of American culture is its television, which we experienced when skimming through channels on the TV provided in our hotel room. As far as I could judge there were more adverts than programme and they followed so fast and without pause that it was difficult to tell at times when an advert finished and a programme began or visa versa. Many of the adverts seemed to be political broadcasts and the vast majority displayed a kind of shocking negative political culture that attacked and vilified political opponents rather than put forward positive policies. What was clear was that watching too much American TV would turn your brains into mush.
Then there was Halloween. What is that all about? We visited New York in the week before Halloween and it was clearly a big deal. What was surprising was how something as distasteful and macabre as people dressing up as ghouls, zombies complete with strips of flesh hanging from their bodies and rotting corpses was presented as good family fun! I was particular struck by a TV advert for Halloween costumes which ended up with a shot of a baby dressed up in a devils outfit … yes that’s right, a smiling giggling baby dressed up as Lucifer, the Devil, the incarnation of all evil!
On our last day in New York we visited the splendid American Museum of Natural history (AMNH) and took in a spectacular planetarium show (narrated by Whoopi Goldberg) and looked through the extensive displays of dinosaurs and Indian artifacts. There was also a section containing dioramas of animals in realistic natural settings – grizzly bears set against the backdrop of the Rockies or Bison in the snow of the great plains. Looking at the displays I was suddenly struck by the need to see some greenery, some open and wide space that would provide relief from the harsh stone and concrete around us. It seemed rather surreal to be viewing displays of some of the most beautiful natural scenery in a building that stood in possibly the most man made of settings! Even the bike ride that we took through Central Park in the morning did not help to assuage the overbearing aspect of all the walls of brick and glass that surrounded it – the buildings appearing the loom over that green rectangular space in silent threat.
On a visit to the Custom House near Battery Park, which contained a wonderful displays about the North American Indians, I purchased a book of quotations from native Americans, one of which said:
Hills are always more beautiful than stone buildings, you know. Living in a city is an artificial existence. Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get far enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the Great Spirit’s making, it’s easy for them to forget his laws
TATANGA MANI (WALKING BUFFALO) 1958
This juxtaposition and tension between the city and open natural spaces touched a deep vein of uncertainty in my own personal identity. Although I have entitled this account An Englishman in new York, it may have been more appropriate to call it A London boy in New York for I am a product of an urban environment having spent all my formative years in London, or at least on the outskirts. Yet at times in my life I have actively sought the solace that is offered by open rural spaces and have come to love some of the wonderful natural settings that the United Kingdom offers, such as the majestic Scottish glens or the no less impressive mountains of Snowdonia. To visit these places is to refresh the soul. Perhaps that is what Walking Buffalo was talking about. Over the New Year Sue and I plan to return to Lundy, a bleak and isolated island in the Bristol Channel and spend a few days there (see ‘A Lundy reminiscence‘). It is not possible to think of a greater contrast with New York!
The problem for me, and the issue I wrestle with, is whether I could ever learn to live and be comfortable in a rural environment or whether I am inevitably tied by connections that go back to my childhood that anchor me into an urban landscape. And perhaps it is inevitable that the city is a place that appeals very directly to the young, whereas the passing years tend to make us more inclined to seek reflection in the solitude offered by open natural spaces. But just as we need the soft darkness of night to appreciate the bright warmth of the day so we need the city to remind us of the pleasures of the wild, natural and untamed places just as those places remind us of the benefits and delights to be found in the city.
I feel that in the past I have been guilty of denigrating London and what it has to offer like a petulant teenager rebelling against its parents. Perhaps the lasting legacy of my visit to New York is not so much what impression that undoubtedly great city has left on me but whether it has changed my impression and view of my home town – London.
Things we did in New York:
- Went up the empire State building and took in the superb views.
- Stared at the huge trucks and fire engines.
- Took photos of the yellow school buses
- Walked through Times Square.
- Was told to ‘have a nice day’ countless times
- Watched some American TV and realised just how bad it was.
- Managed (eventually) to find our way round the New York subway
- Had breakfast in a New York deli-diner
- Took the open top bus tour downtown, past the financial centre and site of the twin towers.
- Took the ferry around the statue of liberty and then Ellis Island.
- Stopped on Ellis Island and looked through the displays about immigration to America.
- Went to St. Paul’s church near the world trade centre and was deeply moved by the memorial to the people that died in 9/11
- Had a seafood meal at the Red Lobster near Times Square (and got into a conversation with two black guys!)
- Took the open top bus tour uptown through the west side and Harlem
- Stopped at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (started in 1873 and still not finished!) and lit a candle for me
- Had Hungarian pastries near the cathedral
- Went to the Guggenheim museum and enjoyed the Kandinsky’s
- Had a hot dog outside central park
- Walked in central park round Lake Onassis and got lost
- Listened to two jazz buskers in central park
- Went to central station and marveled at the interior décor and design
- Had a cake and tea outside central station
- Went to the Tenement museum in the lower east side and learnt about life for the people that lived there years ago
- Had a Swedish lunch in a rough restaurant in the lower east side!
- Walked over Brooklyn Bridge and took pictures looking back at the view over to Manhattan
- Walked round City Hall and tried to find the fountain used in ‘Friends’
- Walked past Wall Street and the anatomically correct bull statue
- Went to the Customs house where there was a superb exhibition about North American Indians
- Had a drink in Starbucks and got wet in the rain
- Went to the Rockefeller Centre in the evening and took a trip up to ‘Top of the Rock’ to see stunning views of Manhattan at night
- Found an all American burger bar near the Rockefeller centre and eat too much
- Went to Macy’s and did some shopping along Broadway (Sue bought some ‘shape up’ shoes)
- Went to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and gawped at the amazing Van Goghs, Monets, Cezanne and Picasso’s to name just a few
- Had a posh dinner at MOMA
- Went to the NBC shops and bought some T-shorts
- Got a yellow cab to the pier on the West Side and went for a 3 hour cruise all around Manhattan as the sun started to set
- Had a soft pretzel
- Stopped for an evening Mexican meal at Chevvy Tex near Times Square
- Went to Columbus circle and hired two bikes, which we rode all the way round central park
- Went to AMNH (American Museum of Natural History) and saw the Planetarium show as well as the amazing dinosaur display, more Indian artifacts and nature dioramas
