Although I’ve been to Manhattan just two times in my life, the city, the pubs and bars and crazy theaters on 42nd Street, the hotels, New York USA is my home town. How can I say that? Being born in Pennsylvania, and raised on the west coast? Simply put, Manhattan is the heartbeat of the American nation. Who didn’t grow up in the U.S. seeing the skyline of the city on a regular basis, or hearing and trying to imitate the Brooklyn accent? I did, it’s one of the funnest accents to cop. Speaking of cops. Cops and gangsters, dancing in the clubs of the 1920′s and the poets, and writers and painters. An entire generation, or entire generations, of people knowing that when our ancestors came to this country, they came through New York, they saw that Statue of Liberty and they knew that they were home.
The city has a vibe, and energy that is completely unlike any other city in the world. Eighty different languages are spoken by more than seven million people, all wanting their piece of the Big Apple, be it in the entertainment and music business, on Broadway, as a restaurateur or painter or business man. When one visits for the first time it is easy to get overwhelmed by that energy and by the plethora of sights, the shows and exhibits, and by the historical and familiar ones such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building or Central Park. The essence of Manhattan can be experienced in just few short days, if one is knowledgeable about where to go and what to do, not trying to accomplish it all at once.
A suggestion would be to visit a friend who already lives there and knows the city, or to travel with one who has been their before. The city has the feeling of being so big, but in size it is quite small and very easy to get around in. Short walking distances, and many options for public transportation, make this large and somewhat daunting task of finding ones way around a very manageable and very stress free experience. Be it a walk through the Met, or a hot dog on Coney Island, or Italian food in Little Italy, it is possible to take the island home.
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