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<\/a>Times Square. It’s like standing inside an incredibly dazzling cathedral of light<\/p><\/div>\n
When people try to describe New York, usually the first thing they might note is the tall buildings of Manhattan which are of course iconic of the city. But when I refer to the size, this extends beyond the enormous skyscrapers in every direction, and manifests itself in different ways.<\/p>\n
I’ll start with the obvious. The roads are much wider, and the cars and trucks can be huge. It felt a bit excessive to scoot around alone in the back 4×4 taxis, but in spite of the number and size of vehicles I was surprised how clean the air was.<\/p>\n
The food portions can be super generous and in comparison make meals in the UK looks like they’re from the kid\u2019s menu. I didn’t ‘super size’ any of my fast food meals but will always remember the extended-family size portion of nachos and guacamole that I wouldn’t have finished for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day!<\/p>\n
Some of the public places and parks, such as Grand Central Station and Central Park, are deceptively large and the latter in particular can involve quite a trek to cross one side to another. The same goes for museums – you’ll have to set aside a large part of your day at each of them. I made this mistake with the 9\/11 museum, sparing only a couple of hours to visit what was one of the best museums I’ve ever been to, in terms of presentation of exhibits.<\/p>\n
It’s not just the tangible elements of New York that are larger. People’s personalities are bigger too, and I mean that in a positive way. The locals are generally more extroverted and approachable. I found this particularly after a few Jazz club visits while I was in the NYC and Washington – it was great\u00a0to see everyone let go and not hold anything back (more on this later).<\/p>\n
Of course, when visiting a new place for the first time it’s natural to feel small and intimidated by the city. But coming back to London afterwards, everything felt miniaturised and almost like visiting a collection of villages rather than a sprawling metropolis.<\/p>\n
2. The variable weather<\/h3>\n
I was warned it would be cold. That was a bit of an understatement, to say the least.<\/p>\n It wasn’t just cold. It was mind, cheek and feet numbingly freezing!\u00a0 I’ll forever remember the gust of wind in a deserted Central Park on a sunny afternoon that tingled every nerve in my body, and my difficulty to capture the incredible juxtaposition of the midsummer-like sunset from the top of the Rockefeller Center due to my phone suffering a bout of hypothermia.<\/p>\n In retrospect, early February really isn’t a great time to visit New York. Most sane people had figured this out to my benefit, as the queues to attractions were non-existent. Thankfully despite the cold it was largely sunny throughout my stay, with only light snowfall towards the end.<\/p>\n Not only was I taken aback by the cold, but also how variable the weather was day to day. The day the mercury had plunged to minus 18 Celsius (-28 degree wind chill factor, by the way), was followed up by a day of plus 15 Celsius, where I was left sweating in my three layers. Despite the variation the weather is generally decisive and rarely just grey, so there was never much doubt whether to pack shades or an umbrella.<\/p>\n I was aware NYC was a melting pot of cultures but was surprised how mixed the pot is. It’s by far and away the most ethnically diverse place I’ve ever visited. The city is a shining example of a truly successful multicultural society, so on that basis it’s difficult to generalise but I’ll share a few observations.<\/p>\n Much like many other Britons, I’m the type of person who’s unnecessarily apologetic and self deprecating. It’s fair to say without a few drinks we’re somewhat reserved and conscious to not be overly expressive of our opinions.\u00a0 On the contrary I found New Yorkers are much more open, honest and forthright – which took some getting used to! New Yorkers are more likely to boldly ‘tell it as it is’ whereas Londoners would murmur it with a few more words and apologies. Casual encounters are a more volatile experience than in London. The average person on the street has a higher chance of being exceptionally friendly or shrewd.<\/p>\n On the subject of casual encounters, during my stay I lost count of the number of strangers approaching me and bursting into conversation. I can’t recall the last time someone did that back home, and it almost made me feel ashamed to be so self-contained.\u00a0 There were of course the less polite minority – to be expected anywhere – although as one of my tour guides put it, ‘New Yorkers aren’t rude, we’re just always in a hurry!’<\/p>\n A stunning view of lower Manhattan from the Staten Island ferry<\/p><\/div>\n Manhattan’s cityscape\u00a0 is based around a highly logical grid system. Avenues stretch all the way up boroughs with streets numbered horizontally. It means navigating the city was surprisingly straightforward as travelling anywhere simply required a street and avenue co-ordinate. On the flip side, I didn’t find the city particularly pedestrian friendly, especially for tourists.\u00a0 There are large distances between the key attractions, and the traffic signals every 75 metres can make a seemingly nearby destination feel further away. I also found it unusual that vehicles can still turn right when pedestrians are crossing, which almost put me in hospital on an occasion. Losing patience waiting for the white ‘walk’ signal and weaving through cars on roads, like I’m accustom to in London, almost resulted in the same fate. It’s downright dangerous in NYC, so I’d advise against it.<\/p>\n The metro system is larger, faster and runs 24hrs (hurray!)\u00a0 but rather poorly signposted. On the frequent occasion I was lost, backtracking involved exiting the station and scurrying across the street to head to the opposite platform. Often this could be a block away and getting there could require a feat of navigation (on one occasion a cop even gave up trying to direct me). Like anywhere it takes some getting used to, but it would be a quick win for the city to better direct passengers considering the scale of the metro system and it’s high dependency for mass transit.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n3. The diversity<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n4. The cityscape<\/h3>\n
<\/a>5. The dining experience<\/h3>\n