NewYork - III

Hello and welcome back to the third edition of the story where I narrate the experiences of my visit to New York city during the Thanks giving weekend of 2009. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter in which I shared my first and only thanks giving day experience in New York City. In one historic day, I was able to witness the finest of NYC’s attractions including the Macy’s parade. In this narration, I will tell you all about the day when I roamed about the capitol of the US of A – Washington D.C.

Disclaimer: All names, places, accounts and events mentioned in the narration can be partially or entirely false. Reading this narrative can cause increased blood glucose level, rheumatoid erections and dementia. Possible Other Side effects include loss of time, increased knowledge, read rage and erectile dysfunction.

newyork NEWYORK
November 28, 2008: The Empire Strikes Back

I slept through the night, tired from all the walking and running and seeing, and when I woke up people were already upset about my tardiness. Today, the plan was to get to Washington DC and since daylight ends much quicker these November days, we wanted to get there early. Pretending to ignore their tantrums, I got ready and we set out into colder than expected morning. We hopped between trains from Journal Square and Penn station to reach the Rental Car center at Newark Airport and picked up our rental sedan. We got our almost-a dollar breakfast and coffee from McD (pronounced exactly as such), marked our destination in GPS device and hit the road. Since Nat and Muan were the registered drivers I knew there isn’t much I could- or wanted- to do so I sunk into my seat, finished up the burger and coffee and dozed off. (Yes, I can drink coffee and take nap in minutes almost at will.) I woke up when the car hit a bump on the road and the road sign indicated we were cruising somewhere in Maryland. I had a co-worker when I was in Stillwater who had moved to Baltimore University in Maryland to pursue her goal of becoming a PhD graduate in Biology and then getting into teaching. I started to wonder how she was and whatever happened to her. Outside the car window, the weather looked lovely. Serene shade filled the place, as it wasn’t sunny, or gloomy but a perfect middle. The area mostly void of elevations and the few houses that I saw resembled more like mom-pop farms. This was before I dozed off again. A Loud siren woke me up as our car pulled over for a passing Fire truck. Then the landscape was much different. The plane of the area was uneven and was mostly covered by grass carpet. The road slithered along what seemed like an uphill and after going through a couple of tunnels, at which point our GPS lost its signal with the satellite and leaving us in the metaphorical darkness for a while, we arrived at the city.
Washington D.C is a result of combining Washington City and District of Columbia (the D.C part) several years ago. The city, like any capitol city, is filled with official and unofficial buildings and monuments and their closely related tourists. I was expecting some sort of a carnival atmosphere, since the 2008 presidential election had completed just a couple of weeks ago and Barrack Obama, who won the long and drawn out contest, was set to step in on January. Although the commencement ceremony was more than a month away, it’s never too early to celebrate the legend-erily foretold coming of the hopemeister. It was bitter cold outside and my newly bought leather jacket was only doing so much to protect me. We found a parking spot pretty close to the capitol building and technically started our tour at around noon. Whenever I see a parliament building, any official building of significance for that matter, I instantly think of all the work they do inside- day to day. House members introducing bills, opposition parties shouting and rambling, speaker of the house pounding the gavel, rhetoric-after-rhetoric-after rhetoric; all in a day’s life. Soon I realize it’s not as important as it seems, so I begin marveling at the architecture of the building. My first capitol-building encounter was at Oklahoma City, the capitol of Oklahoma – my home state for the better part of life in US. I awe-d and ooh-ed at it four years ago, when I was new as a bambi and easily excitable about the US like, well, a even younger bambi. The thing about US capitol buildings is that they all have pretty much the same design. Wide Stairs raising above the ground leading up to highly symbolized platform with massive even numbered pillars that hold the exquisitely symmetrical dome with its tapering apex generally housing some artifact with a moderate historical significance. And of course, the whole thing is made out of marble, white in new ones, slightly baished in older ones, a tinge of brownish pink in Texas. It was much cloudy that day, and staring at the US Capitol building gave absolutely no sense of newness except may be the size. Well of course the real estate is much larger and less number of rednecks walking around (most people actually looked like fashionable elite liberals) but mostly it was kind of the same. Still we posed and took pictures and saw swearing ceremony stage being built before walking away from it. Now, things get better.
Like I said the area is filled with historic monuments and the best part is that they are all within the line of sight from each other. Turning away from the US Capitol building, one is almost stepping over the imperious Pool and in direct view is the Washington Memorial- a tall obelisk with laser eyes, a bit further is the Lincoln Memorial, between them –not in view- is the reflection pool and to the right of Lincoln Memorial is the World War II memorial. It is a tourist’s/photographer’s delight. What these giant attractions mask is the distance between each one of them. We were like – ‘wow they are so close, let’s walk over’. And we kept walking and walking forever. The cold was terrible and the warm cocoa we bought was not helping very much. We made it to Washington monument which was a staggeringly high obelisk – an Egyptian looking artifact- placed right in the middle between the capitol building and Lincoln memorial, surrounded by a big circle of – I am guessing here- a thousand US flags (Actually 56 flags one for each state and six for the 6 territories, but I’ve been know to exaggerate). To spice things up, they have two bright red lights at the top edge of the face of the obelisk almost making it alive at night. It was getting dark and by the time we finished up here and walked over to the World War II memorial the elaborate fountains at the memorial were glistening with pretty lights. A wide stone platform with multiple inscriptions of the horror and suffering and the bravery and the ultimate victory of US troops during last world war was encircled by 50 rectangular pillars one per state, with the state name and their insignia boldly carved in them. The victorious eagle and American flag were present everywhere and, all realities aside, you get the unavoidable goose bumps for its sheer magnificence. It was pretty dark by now and our legs were hurting so badly, we could barely walk. My camera had run out of battery and I borrowed Sen’s, as the blowing wind across night was getting colder.
There is something about men who against extreme opposition and facing a clearly treacherous path hold their principles and March forward only to be struck down by ill fate and cowardice and yet change the path of mankind forever. There is nothing ordinary about these men, because they had no proof that they were right, but showed extraordinary belief in that little voice in their heart guided only by the true meaning of virtue. There were too many fickle minded mobs pressing them down, yet they strong willed the temptation to bargain because, if nothing, principle is all that one can have. There were too many threats for a single person, but that didn’t stop them from doing anything. Basically, these were unreasonable men with vision that cannot be justified with the mind but with strongest of hearts alone. There are only a handful of such souls in recorded history and fitting the profile perfectly, Abraham Lincoln was such a man and much more.
He was mending shoes and then he became the 16th president of US and successfully fought the civil war –the bloodiest in US soil- which almost split the country in half to abolish legal slavery and brought the most basic asset of any human being – freedom- to all the enslaved Black people in America and then a complete coward shot the unarmed Lincoln dead in a theater. Some years later, in 2009, an African American named Barrack Obama became The President of the United States.
Even from a distance, at night, the huge white structure, famously shown in a number of Hollywood movies that predict future take over of the earth by primates, the Lincoln Memorial is a sight to see. Carved in white stone the statue of the man sits imperiously in a flood of white light, he easily dwarfs any thing near simply by stature. Funny thing is he doesn’t look like your usual hero, by today’s standards he would be cast aside as a village hilly-billy. Excerpts from some of his historic speeches were inscribed in the walls surrounding the statue and after reading them I stood there reveling at the truth in those words and their relevance today. I was so much filled with awe that I forgot all about the cold and my hurting feet. It didn’t last long though. As soon as we stepped out of the memorial, they came back with a vengeance. There was no way we could walk anymore, but then we remembered we haven’t yet seen the White House.

Of course, the official residence of the President of the US of A was still occupied by G.W. Bush, till Jan 20^th 2009, but still the house itself carried prominence to shadow his presence. With every step hurting our feet and every cold breadth stinging our lungs we kept walking, circumventing the area front of the white house cordoned off for the inauguration ceremony celebrations and by the time we reached the fence in front of the white house fountain facing the famous four pillars and the balcony, hunger had already kicked in.

But once again, seeing the structure that has such an irreplaceable spot in modern history, I started wondering about all the world-changing events that have happened inside the walls and within the Oval office housed inside. An armed policeman stood just a few feet from us facing us towards the white house, face stern with absolutely no smile. I doubt if he imagined us- 4 brown guys with dark hair speaking unfamiliar tongue- with turbans and beards.

I would never forget the walk back to the car that night. Every step was such an effort; I began to wonder if the moon landing was easier than this. Eventually we started to rest on each other as we switched between practically dragging each other. And finally, we reached the car. I must have lost consciousness for sometime, with my feet resting and the car heater breathing in. When I woke up, we were on our way to meet up with our friend’s friend and after having dinner together in a Thai place we took the exit towards New Jersey. As is the custom, I began regurgitating the day’s events and highlights only to feel a bit dizzy and the next time I regained my sense we were halfway to Nat’s place in NJ- It was past midnight when I woke up remembering it was Sen’s Birthday. I wished him and, with the knowledge that soon we would reach home where the amenities are much pleasing, I happily joined in the conversation with the rest in the car, which, if I remember it correctly, was about something about bikini-clad-girls.

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Coming Up: Our third day in NYC, when I, for the first time, go to a Drama Theater in Broadway. Any taker on how many weeks I’ll take to write it up?

NewYork - II

Welcome back to the second edition of the chronicle of adventures carried out by me and my friends in New York City (NYC) during the Thanks Giving Weekend (TGW) of 2008. In this narration, I will tell you all about the wonderful experience at Thanks Giving day Parade, my visit to Status of Liberty and the time when I rode a Bull for the first time!!

Disclaimer: All names, places, accounts and events mentioned in the narration can be partially or entirely false. Reading this narrative can cause jealousy towards oneself and sitting ducks syndrome. Other Side effects include loss of time, increased knowledge, read rage and erectile dysfunction.

newyork NEWYORK

November 28: A New Beginning

First Day at the magical city of New York was marked by tardiness. We woke up later than what we had planned and had to rush up to get to the Macy’s Day Parade, which has been essentially the most significant highlight of Thanks Giving day since its inception way back in 1924. It was started by the employees of Macy’s Department Store who were largely immigrants from Europe who crowded the streets of early 90s New York, when they wanted to celebrate thanks giving similar to their elders back home. In New York, the employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event and has continued until now, suspended only during World War II. Large animal-shaped balloons produced by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Ohio replaced the live animals in 1927 and the first animal to be featured was Felix- the Cat. Air was replaced by helium for inflating the balloons as more animals, cartoons and other pop culture figures were added in subsequent years – more than 10000 characters have featured in the parade so far- the whole parade is broadcast by NBC throughout US of A and the rest of the world through affiliated networks. The parade starts at about 9 am and we learned that the best spots would be gone as early as 7 am. Like I said, we woke up late and the time was after 8 when finally started. We stopped for some coffee at Dunkin Donuts (which totally rocks) and then took the train at Journal Square. The trains were packed and by the time we got to Columbus Circle, as predicted by the ‘tour guide’ website, the best spots were taken already. Crammed between multinational tourists we would barely be able to see anything that’s not 6 feet tall. But then again, the balloons that feature in the parade are huge ones that float up high in the air, so I was upbeat. The morning was pretty cold and the coffee didn’t help as much as we thought. Grownups held their kids, on their shoulders, who didn’t seem to mind the freezing wind as long as they got to see their giant floating friends. And then the Parade got under way. It was just phenomenal to see all those super-sized balloons gliding in the air, carefully guided by handlers with the strings which were barely visible from where we were standing. There were a wide variety of characters; from McDonald to Mickey to the Smirfs to Hello Kitty it seemed like a never ending line-up of all the childhood characters in giant rubberized form carefully choreographed so as to not hit anything on their way through the crowded streets of New York. Over the years, there have been many incidents during the parade that caused injuries to citizens and public officials due to a balloon hitting light pole or a traffic light but every year the number of people who show up to watch this spectacle never seem to ebb. Other than the balloons and live character artists, there were also performers from various bands and troops who merrily sang, danced and did more as the parade continued through its path. Unfortunately, these performers were real, meaning they were not tall enough for us see them. We could hear there drums beating and trumpets blaring and had to be content with it. Anyhow, it was the first time I was in the Macy’s day Parade and that by itself is huge feat.
The morning weather was frigid. Some of us could hardly stop shivering and our stomachs started to growl for breakfast. We headed out to a diner and after more than half an hour of searching we finally entered a relatively less crowded eatery. Oh… the hot coffee and warm sandwich!! I can still taste it in my mouth. I am not sure if it was the establishment or the weather, but the food tasted divine. We didn’t have much time so, once the food was in our stomach, we booted.
The idea was to go to the American Museum of Natural History and then decide the next spot, but after traveling on foot and by train for more than an hour, we found out it was closed for Thanks Giving Day. Seriously, on a day when tourism is almost at its highest, they shutter down the Museum of Natural History, which Wikipedia calls one of the largest and most celebrated ones. And just outside such a museum, right at the Museum’s entrance, featured prominently, is the large statue of former president T.Roosevelt (26th) regally seated on a horse and, here is the kicker- with an Indian (Native American) man holding his drape on one side, while a Black man holding his foot on the other side.It sounds spectacular, doesn’t it?. What a statue to have in front of one of the most visited Museums in America. Anyway they were closed, so we had to decide what to do next.
The answer came to us via phone. We called the offices of some of the places we were planning to visit and apparently all of the attractions are closed on Thanks giving day. Then we figured, how can you close Statue of Liberty? That’s like closing freedom itself. And that’s where we went.
Actually, its nothing like freedom. It is just a copper statue that holds an iconic place in American history and pop culture owing its fame to its brilliant location and the TV and film media’s obsessive love affair with it. Up until the age of affordable commercial jet-liners Lady Liberty was the first thing visible to travelers arriving at the east coast. She became the symbol of the promised prosperity in the land of the free, as immigrants from nations far and wide poured into the major part of 19th century America and she has never relinquished that title until today.
We took the ferry from Battery Park in NYC after waiting in a long line of multinational tourists and going through a make believe airport-style security check (I had about ten quarters in my pocket, but metal detecter never complained!! ). As you approach the Liberty Island you slowly understand the enormity of the copper woman. Slowly she became bigger and just before the ferry makes a roundabout to dock to the rear of the island, you get the complete view of the statue towering over everything near by with its scale clearly unmasked. The view is exactly as it is shown all those movies. Yup, we all got goose bumps.
Due to security reasons, visitors were not allowed to the observatory in the crown of the statue (recently reopened), and since we were not important, we were not allowed into the 89 feet of granite pedestal. Once you get close to the statue you notice all the little things you didn’t see before. She is not actually standing straight, but slightly moving forward, caught in the frame as she is lifting the heel of her back leg. She is not lean and curvy, but she is more like a strong, middle aged women, like a judge, who can knock down a relatively sized man with ease. Finally she has got a lot of scars throughout her face and her body as result of years of weather treatment.To her side was the inimitable Manhattan skyline, Empire Statue Building to the far left and the Brooklyn Bridge to the extreme right. Its hard not to wonder at works of creativity of this land, as the sun sets in the evening splashing the Liberty Statue with pristine gold shades, the calm ocean mildly splashing the walls as the night lights come up far visible through the hundreds of windows that skin every single sky scraper of Manhattan. I guarantee you, you have never something like that until you have actually seen it.
We kept taking pictures until our hands started to ache and the night began to freeze. Fulfilled, we caught the ferry back to the land and started wandering into the NY streets as the night and street lamps set in.We stopped by the American Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, Wall Street and the WTC construction Site where the freedom tower is in its infant stage and kept walking until we got blinded at a street corner. Apparently we had just reached Time Square.
Yup, The Times Square. It’s called ‘Crossroads of the world’ not without reasons. A staggering 26 million tourists visit the place every year and it is one of the most crowded intersections – 1.7 million people pass through the Times Square every day. It is one of the iconic spots that represent the abundance of technology and wealth of American cities. Once you are there, it doesn’t take a long time to the reason for the hype. It’s hard to find street lights in Times Square and if you have seen any of its pictures, you will know why.Huge LED billboards, called jumbotrons, fixed to the walls the surrounding offices and other establishments pour copious amounts of light of dizzying arrays of colors and intensity. The corporate part of corporate America spared no expense when it came to making this place unique. Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called "jumbotrons." In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District, or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area. With a large NYPD presence, Times Square is also very safe. There were marquees for news, movies, restaurants, and everything else you can think of. We stayed there mesmerized for a long time and finally when the spell was broken by our hungry stomachs, we hailed a cab for our dinner reservation.
Wouldn't you love the sight of whole chicken roasted nicely and placed warm in front of you? I do too. Since turkey is traditionally cooked on Thanksgiving Day, prior to our trip, we had made a reservation on an upscale and relatively pricey (for our financial status) restaurant for a special Thanksgiving Dinner. We hailed a cab and I could almost taste the juicy garlic roasted turkey as we reached the Atlantic Grill. I have to admit, this wasn’t like any of the restaurants I’ve been to. The people inside seemed relatively rich and more importantly behaved upper class. This was new for me since I am more used to , shall we say, lot less upper class food joints. Once we entered a nice looking waitress clad in super white shirt took our jackets (Classy!!) and took us to our table and I enthusiastically ordered the ‘Special Turkey Thanks Giving Dinner’.
I was disappointed. No, let me correct it. I was highly disappointed. The special Turkey thanks Giving Dinner did not feature a whole turkey. In fact it did not even feature a whole of half the turkey. The dish was served with the Turkey neatly sliced and toasted to perfection. I’ll admit the food was impeccable, but no FULL TURKEY!!! Well, at least the ambiance was great and food was awesome.
With filled stomach and heart, we took a cab to Grand Central Station and hailed the train to Nat’s Home. As the train rocked sideways as it moved forward with its distinctive noise, I drifted to rewind mode and soon realized that this was an incredible day. When I first boarded the plane to the US of A three years ago, all that was running my mind was the things that they show on TV about the great places in America. For three years I been to places and done stuff, but this is the holy of hollies filling me with a sense of fulfillment. Today I have, for real, been to the Thanks Giving Parade, Statue of Liberty, Time Square, Grand Central Station and, I almost forgot, I also climbed up the Wall Street Bull.

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And this was just day one of this trip. I can’t wait for Tomorrow.

Coming Up: Day two and we head out to Changeville where the newly elected Barack Obama was about to open a can of Hope Syrup. (Yes, I watch ‘The Daily Show’). Make sure to check back soon.