In true Erasmus style, on Wednesday evening I booked a spontaneous trip for the weekend to go to NYC for the first time. After a very early start for a 6.40am bus, we arrived into the Port Authority bus station just before 11am and I was ready for some adventuring.
My first point of call was the High Line, a former freight rail line which has been converted into a public park. It was a great introduction to the vastness of New York – you can see views over the Hudson, enormous sky scrapers, lots of new construction, and some art installations along the way. I made my way South, enjoying the mishmash of architecture (so much glass!) and ending up at Chelsea Market for an early lunch and wander round all the tiny food stands which each seem to specialise in one product.
Wanting to make the most of the sun, I walked the many blocks back towards central Manhattan, via Union Square and the Flatiron building towards my next target – the Stephen A. Schwarzman Public Library. The building itself is very impressive, plus I am a Very Big Library Fan. Inside it’s a combination of a museum, gallery, workspace and good place to sit down and regroup! Upstairs the atrium has a gorgeous ceiling, and one of the main rooms open to the public has portraits all round the outside of historical New Yorkers with library connections. I also loved the staircases that crossed over, and all the book and literature themed quotations and decor.
Next on my tour was a brief stop in Grand Central station (looks just like in the movies) before a subway adventure to go to the Metropolitan museum of art. The Met was glorious and enormous! My absolute highlights were the Tiffany glass windows which were illuminated and delightful. The museum closes at 9pm on weekends so I spent 4 very happy hours ambling round looking at everything from ancient Egyptian papyrus, 1950s couture, rooms that had been disassembled from European hotels and reassembled panelling and all, roomfuls of art and sculpture by Degas… The collection is so huge that I barely scratched the surface! I even spotted a little piece of home with this John Constable painting of Salisbury Cathedral (which I instantly recognised, of course).
After my very early start, I was flagging by 8pm and managed to navigate the bus to my hostel. Following on from my last post, bus stops in New York have information about which services stop there and some of them even have electronic boards! Plus you can stop the bus with a button or by pulling the dangling wire.
The next morning I checked out early and headed to Central Park for breakfast (a bagel so large it also served for lunch!). At 8am on a Sunday it was busy with runners, people walking their dogs and cyclists. Prior to my visit I assumed it was similar in size to Hyde park but it’s enormous! The rocky landscape around the outside and smaller parks were familiar from the media, but I wasn’t expecting the lake with these gorgeous views of the super tall buildings.
Whilst eating breakfast in the cold I decided to go and check out the Intrepid museum. This is a ridiculous site which features a Navy aircraft carrier, display of aircraft, the Space Shuttle Enterprise on board said aircraft carrier(!), a submarine and a concorde. The scale was truly astounding, and the views over the city from the deck were pretty special. I also got to see a Soyuz capsule (it’s been to space!!!!) and check out how US ships differ from those I’ve seen in the UK. I also did my best air crew impression and took these extremely top quality Top Gun inspired selfies.
After scrambling around in an attempt to see everything it was time to head to Broadway. The previous day I had been lucky enough to get one of the last tickets to the matinee performance of Come From Away. I’ve wanted to see it since it opened in the UK, but hadn’t managed it so it was extra special to see it on Broadway. The production was incredible, I loved the music, the staging, the way each actor played multiple characters. It was very cleverly done and had so much heart that I spent most of the show with leaking eyes. I was sat in the third row so I had a great view, and during the bows the musicians came on and did a folk song that felt like I was at the front row of a gig. Spectacular.
After the show ended, I wandered through Times Square and past radio city to the Southern edge of Central Park. I caught the subway again to grab some dinner in the East Village (this time using contactless!) before heading back to the Port Authority bus terminal for the journey back to Providence. The subway stations at Times Square and the Port Authority are joined underground, meaning you can walk about a block underground between the two. Also the electronic displays on some of the newer trains are very cool – they tell you which stops are coming up in the future, as in the next 10 stops on one display board, which helps when navigating what can be a very confusing network (there are numbers and letters and colours…)
Needless to say I was extremely tired by the time I got back to Providence, but worth it for such a jam packed and exciting first adventure in the Big Apple. Tune in next week for my experiences watching College sports – ice hockey and basketball – for the first time. My verdict: even more ridiculous than I could have imagined.
Adventures of a Mathematician 