My earliest visits to the New York City metropolitan area from my home region of greater Philadelphia actually occurred early on in life. My maternal grandparents had relatives in Islip Terrace, Long Island, and occasional trips up the New Jersey Turnpike and across the Verrazano Bridge resulted. I can still remember my dad telling me that, if I looked really carefully to the left, I could make out the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. I never could. The Manhattan skyline was quite visible, though I had no idea what buildings were contained therein. All I knew was that the Empire State Building was one of them.
In 1992, my parents took my sisters, cousins, and I for a day trip to Liberty Island. Finally, I was able to see the Statue of Liberty up close, not to mention the Manhattan skyline. So grand was this city from the suburbanite/tourist-friendly island and ferry service to/from Liberty National Park in northern New Jersey that I developed a wholehearted interest in “The Big Apple.” I read the “World Book Encyclopedia’s” article on New York City over and over. The professional photographs of Manhattan Island, Fifth Avenue, and the like were eye candy.
It wasn’t until 1996 that I set foot in Manhattan for the very first time. Our five-member family didn’t travel that extensively through the city; we stuck to the tourist-friendly areas of Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and 34th Street. Upon my high school graduation, my aunt and late uncle treated my cousin and I to an overnight stay in the city. It was my first REAL introduction to the awesomeness of the city; we covered a TON of ground from Central Park on down. My eyes were treated to such sights as the Ed Sullivan Theater, the Empire State Building’s observation deck, part of NYU’s campus, and Battery Park for the first time. The video footage I recorded of the trip became constant viewing for me that summer.
Interestingly, the events of 9/11 were what prompted me to begin visiting the city extensively. Starting in early 2002, when the World Trade Center site was still widely cordoned off and still smoldering a bit, I made my first parent/guardian/chaperone-free trek to the city with Squall. Slowly but surely, I introduced myself to the subway system on each subsequent trip, utilizing its frequency and reach to travel beyond the touristy spots of Midtown Manhattan. As of January 2010, I have hit each and every borough except the Bronx.
These columns will detail my stories and memories of the United States’ grandest city this side of Las Vegas as well as my take on some of its better-known holdings.
Fumor Takes Manhattan
A Manhattan Island Paradise
Statue of Liberty
