Apparently, those who were around when President John F Kennedy was assassinated remember where they were and how they heard of his death. I wasn’t alive to have a JFK moment. I did, however, have an Elvis Presley moment: I was playing football on the street and a friend shouted to me from an overlooking … Continue reading / view photos Freedom Tower
Category: Culture
Camp rock guitars
When I first went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“the Met”) in 1988, two things struck me. The first was how well the collection was curated: everything from the selection to the colour of the galleries was well coordinated. The second was Jackson Pollack. I’d never heard of him at the time but I … Continue reading / view photos Camp rock guitars
Vessel
After the morning bagel breakfast in Brooklyn and the walk along the scenic High Line, we went to see Vessel. When we went, it was free to enter but you had to pre-book, which my generous Airbnb hosts, Max and Alia, had done. I loved The Vessel. There was something different yet familiar about it. … Continue reading / view photos Vessel
Rainbow bagels to the High Line
I had the perfect hosts at the Airbnb I stayed at in Manhattan. My hosts, Max and Alia, were kind, considerate, and knowledgeable. They took me for breakfast at the best bagel place in New York. We then went on to walk the High Line and, finally, they’d booked a trip to the breathtaking Vessel … Continue reading / view photos Rainbow bagels to the High Line
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
New York has not one but at least fifteen botanical gardens! I spent a good chunk of the day at the trendy Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The Gardens were partly closed for a large expansion that was in progress. Despite that, there was still a lot to see. I ambled around. I spotted a large turtle … Continue reading / view photos Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
Desert Island Discs: all the records, books, and luxuries
Coney Island and Kobayashi
On a hot and humid day in Manhattan, I headed for the beach in Coney Island, the south-western corner of Brooklyn. The journey was about 90 minutes on the subway. When I got there, it turned out to be as hot as Manhattan. There was no sea breeze to cool us down. I even walked … Continue reading / view photos Coney Island and Kobayashi
Times Square
When I first went to Times Square in 1988, it was a seedy place. You didn’t hang around there long. It was, in some ways, reminiscent of (but worse than) Kings Cross 20 years ago. Many cities around the world have a place or two for tourists to congregate, by day or by night. London … Continue reading / view photos Times Square
Arriving in New York, 2019
My original plan for travelling from San Francisco on the West coast to New York on the East coast was to use trains. I soon realised that, like India, the USA is a very big place. If I’d taken trains, I would have spent considerably more time travelling from place to place. This would have … Continue reading / view photos Arriving in New York, 2019
Notes from New York, 1988
My first and only trip before this one to America was for two weeks in New York in 1988. The World Trade Center, of course, was still standing. How the world has changed. Crime was also far worse. There were about 2,500 murders every year in NY. Now it’s about 550. On the eve of … Continue reading / view photos Notes from New York, 1988