Although this isn’t my first trip to the United States of America, it will be my first time to the city of New York. Previous trips to the US of A have included family trips to several popular destinations and witnessing Barack Obama give his first public speech in Chicago after the 2008 election. But New York… it’s a different beast, isn’t it?
As I’m sure there are many stereotypes, assumptions and general thoughts about Canadians, below are a few of my expectations of the so-called “Big Apple”:
-Guns. Apparently one of the rights of Americans is to own firearms, but can anyone buy guns in the “land of the free”? One huge difference between Canada and the US is that you are allowed to buy and carry a gun in ‘Murica. You can’t in Canada. It’s probably the one safety concern I would have about the States, but, as you’ll read below, my assumptions might be a little unfounded. I do recall, however, Mr. Michael Moore walking into a bank and getting a gun after opening a bank account. Is it really that easy to buy guns in New York? But, really, in New York, could I legitimately be talking with someone who’s carrying a firearm?
-Safety. The topic of guns brings up the topic of safety. I recall mentioning my fear of hopping on the wrong bus and ending up in the wrong part of town to one fellow traveller from new Jersey. After responding with that look of complete disbelief that only comes with the guttural response of “Huh?” he explained that in order to get to those places you actually had to know how to get there. You don’t just end up there by accident. That may very well be true. Everyone I’ve talked to has mentioned how safe Manhattan is, to the extent that you probably won’t even meet many “true” New Yorkers. It’s all tourists! Ha! Should be good times.
-Expensive? I’ll be travelling with my brother and much to MY surprise is just how bloody expensive New York ACCOMMODATION is. Now I won’t dwell on this but in just about every other city around the world you can find budget accommodations in the low double digits, I’m talking $20-30/night. New York? For two people? $65/night. You may as well get a hotel for two on Manhattan Island. We looked through several sites and came to the conclusion that if you’re going to be in NYC for a short time, it’s best just to get a hotel in the centre of it all. At the end of the day, you are in one of the biggest metropolises in the world.
-Wall Street. You might know that I dabble a bit in the stock market so seeing the place where capitalism runs rampant should be an interesting experience. Couple that with the 9/11 memorial and it’ll be something that takes me back to where I was when that attack occurred. On a more positive note, I wanted to dub this trip the “Wolves of Winnipeg” and set it to the chest thump remix from The Wolf of Wall Street. People who’ve heard my idea politely chuckled, before wondering why I was pounding my chest.
-Food. Just about everywhere you go you hear about “New York-style” pizza, pretzels, bagels, coffee, etc. So I’ll add these to my bucket list of things to eat in NYC. Due to my budget nature, I don’t often eat in restaurants so I’m interested in seeing what NYC street food is all about. Any suggestions?
-July the 4th, Independence Day. Made even more memorable by the film of the same name where aliens wreak havoc on the world, we’ll be visiting during one of the busiest times of NYC: July the 4th weekend, where the USA celebrates its declaration of independence. The more I travel the more the USA anthem stands out as a battle cry, rallying the troops so to speak. I mean, isn’t it about how the country was founded? It sounds so pretty but listening to the words makes you realize that they’re really talking about blowing shit up. Kinda makes their stance clear, doesn’t it?
-Music. Let’s not forget the music of New York! The city is renowned for its variety of musical genres. It’s one of two places (the other being Los Angeles) that artists go to make a name for themselves. Jazz, rock, rap, you name it it’s probably come out of New York at some point.
-Social media. Has anyone else noticed New York seems to be spitting out a new form of social media every few months… all based in New York?
-Movies. Seinfield? Batman/Gotham? Independence Day? Friends? King Kong? NYPD Blue? There is probably no other city in the world, other than London, England, that has been blown up so many times on the big and small screens. It kinda makes you wonder about how people really feel about this city? Is it the people? The architecture? The “boys in blue”? Whatever the case may be, New York has been the place of numerous movies and TV shows. I would love to take a tour of all of the locations but, let’s face it, they’re too many to see in the short time we’ll be there.
-And it’s at this point we/I must remember that New York City is actually NOT the capital of the US (Washington D.C. is), just like Toronto is NOT the capital of Canada (that’s Ottawa). However, NYC is the place of many of the movers and shakers, it’s the financial heart of the US, and it stands as one of the first places that comes to mind when people think of the US. The Statue of Liberty (a gift from France), the Empire State Building (made famous by that movie with a frantic ape), Wall Street (where dreams of riches blanket everyone), and the sound of jazz.
Overall, what do I expect from New York? A lot of patriotism draped with the colours of the USAmerican flag, red, white and blue. Street food for its greasy goodness. I want to see how why so many people claim New York is a city they could never leave. Just what does New York stand for that it’s attracted so much to it in its relatively short history?