I went to New York in September for a week on my honeymoon with Maddie. I had never been to New York before so to get to go there finally after 50 years of dreaming of World Capital Americana was a life goal fulfilled. Of course, I had already been to Chicago in 2022 for the Worldcon. As someone said recently, on Bluesky, I think, Chicago has the best skyscraper city skyline in the world and there was an amazing view of it from one of the function rooms at the Hyatt Regency, so New York was actually a letdown in terms of the skyline to a certain extent, although the view of the city from the top of the Empire State Building is pretty fantastic and very SimCity. (I would love to get my hands on a copy of the game.) We stayed five nights in Harlem and two nights at the Hilton Midtown on the Avenue of the Americas where our room had a dramatic view of 111 West 57th Street.
(By Percival Kestreltail, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=131122097.)
The main thing about New York, in contrast, to London is how few electric cars there were. Last year, in Central London, probably a quarter to half of the vehicles were electric, lots of electric black cabs, even a hydrogen double-decker. It felt like living in the future in a way that Manhattan didn't. The island desperately needs a congestion charge and low emissions zone; it's not going to get one now.
The subway platforms are very narrow compared to the Underground, so it definitely felt less safe because of the fear of being pushed off the platform. The express trains though are a real boon in getting back to 125th quickly.
Central Park is just a park, but I like parks and there's no much to explore and we didn't get to see it all and Maddie loved getting to spend an entire day chillaxing there. We walked something like 11 miles! I never knew there was a turtle pond there, but, of course, is a long way south.
We saw Broadway shows, Hadestown and Stereophonic, which is brilliant, even if it were Will Brill's afternoon off. I didn't realise that Broadway theatres are small, which is a contrast to a lot of West End ones. We went to Joe Allen, Bar Centrale and Orzo, although next to one another and part of the same group. Bar Centrale and Orzo are especial favourites of Maddie's and I love the London Joe Allen, of course. We saw Jared Harris in Bar Centrale. I didn't ask him to say something in Belter.
The 911 Memorial is very affecting and the museum incredibly powerful (lots of footage that is rarely if ever shown on television). It's hard to believe that it happened or what it must have been like to have been in New York on that day. Of course, such things are daily casually inflicted on people, mostly black and brown and poor, and there are no memorials and museums built for them. I think there is a mighty judgement coming and I would not be surprised if we witness many similar catastrophes in American cities, natural and artificial, the years to come.
Of course, the highlight of the week was the Sex and the City tour. We got to see bits of the city that look like London as well as have our photo take outside Carrie's brownstone and have a Manhattan at A=Steve and Aidan's bar. We were delayed in the bus at the start because Tr*mp was at Tr*mp Tower and someone at Tiffany's. We are going to be a lot more unconvinceed by that man in the future, far too many of us the maximal degree. But the tour was a blast.
Our dinner at Red Rooster in Harlem was one of the best meals I have ever had. I can't wait to go back!
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