New York, New York

Getting into New York was quite the journey. The train ride ended up taking 12 hours because we were stopped at the border. I was expecting them to have some questions for me, which they did, and finally I was done after half an hour of questioning. But even still we ended up staying at the border for 2 hours. So finally, after sitting in the train for far too long, we pulled into Penn Station at 10:00 PM on Monday.

After negotiating all the tricks and turns that is Penn Station, I finally found my friend. Over seven years since we've met, but somehow we fell back into our same routine right away, like we hadn't missed a beat. I guess that is the way it is with real friends.

The evening mostly involved an agape jaw as I saw what a bustling metropolis New York really is. It is unreal how many people live here, and all of them seem to have Energizer batteries powering them like the Bunny. But I left the discovering for the next day, as we were both tired.

That is Manhattan in the background. I started the day by going on the Path train into downtown. I got off at the World Trade Center which is still just rubble. There is a fence barrier around it and pictures from 9/11 are attached all around it. It is a very somber feeling to be there and imagine what happened just five years ago in that spot. It is still very eerie. I walked down to Wall Street and saw the financial district. You can absolutely tell who the big shots are, the suits are shiny and their egos are so big it pushes the shoulders back so far they almost tip over. Wall Street itself isn't that big, and what surprised me the most is that it is a walking street now. And NYPD is absolutely everywhere. Patrol cars block off certain exits, and police men walk in groups up and down. It actually makes you feel quite safe, especially when you look like a tourist with a camera slung around your neck.

That picture took me half an hour to take. The Wall Street Bull is a bigger tourist attraction than Wall Street itself. Throngs of people stand around it waiting for their picture to be taken. They kiss it, hug it, mount it, hang from its horns, put money in its mouth, and the less scrupulous even touch its udders (being a bull they are not udders, but a litte PC doesn't hurt). Finally after waiting for there to be no people in the frame, I snapped that picture.

My friend was at work until about 6 so that gave me all afternoon to discover what lower Manhattan had to offer. I walked up Broadway and into Chinatown, possible the dirtiest area I have seen in a long time. Nothing at all like Montreal's Chinatown. Here all the stores sell jewelry and handbags. Seems like that is the only thing people want from China. It is really knockoff central.

After that I ended up in Little Italy. I snapped this picture of Mulberry Street. If you look you can see the restaurant in the frame, Umberto's. I didn't eat there as it is around 40 bucks just to breathe in there, but I had to take this picture just because of the Soprano's episode that some of you will know. But the next stop was my favorite area in Manhattan so far: Soho.

This area is so trendy I felt quite out of place in my hoodie. Stores are all slicked up and everyone is walking around in haut couture. But tucked away into little corners are the most amazing food joints in the city. I had a 2 dollar falafel that beats anything I have add in Montreal (sad to admit it, but unfortunately it is true). You can see in the picture how different it is from the traditional image of Manhattan. Cobblestone streets are quite prevalent. I walked up and down that area for quite a while. Until I ended up at a very cool place: Washington Square Park.

I'd heard of this place mostly from the movies, and I had to see if it was true. And honestly, it is exactly like they say. People are playing chess all over the place, and most of them are hustlers, playing people at speed games for a few bucks a game. I had heard that one of the biggest advantages you can have is being an unkown, because then the opponent doesn't know whether to play as he would against someone who is weak or strong. So I was there eating my falafel, and one guy asked me to play. I said alright and sat down. It was a 5 minute game and I have to say he could really play. But it was completely like it is in the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer; that is, they play tactics, not position. In the end I was able to surprise him enough times and beat him. At least for me, one of my favorite memories from New York will be that I won in Washington Square Park.

By about this time my friend was getting off work so I started back to Tribeca. I took the route along the Hudson River, which is scenic enough. I stopped a few times to take in the view, you can see it in the picture. Finally I got to Citibank and waited for my friend.

The rest of the night was mostly just hanging out with him, and then we met up with his brother Kabeer and his cousin whose name I now forget, but they were both nice. We went to a restaurant right on Times Square. It was a 3 hour meal, and the funniest part was when the check came. It reminded me of the opening scene of American Psycho when their check comes. Four credit cards come flying out, no cash anywhere in sight. If you've seen the movie, you know exactly what I mean.

After that we called it a night. I am actually just now about to go to a party at my friend's friend's place, so I will cut it short now. Will write more later. Hope you all are well.