Look Around (Closely)
Plan out all the NYC places you want to see. Then reduce that number by at least 25%. That’s much more realistic given your limited time in the City and will allow you to pause, maybe even sit, and watch the unusual activity of life around you.
Getting Around NYC
- Driving? Forget it. Take a taxi or Uber.
- The subway system is the cheapest.
- Hop-on-and-off buses are best for first-timers.
- Rental bikes and scooters are for natives.
- The gondola will carry you to Roosevelt Island (not much to do there).
- Carriage rides are for credit-card romantics.
- A bike taxi might be fun but only in Central Park.
- Walking, mostly, is my recommendation.
NYC Oasis: Central Park
It’s jumpin’ in Times Square on weekend nights. But there’s also jumpin’ on warm days in Central Park. Some jumpers are skilled, such as the guy about to somersault over willing tourists for tips. Other jumpers might be improvisational middle-schoolers being (unsuccessfully) choreographed by their teacher. But, to un-stress, walk a short distance to The Loch in the northern sector of Central Park, or simply flop down on the lawn like other New Yorkers.
I Spy with My Little Eye
En route to a tourist attraction or museum, why not pick a topic — doors, clocks, whatever — that you can focus on. Make it a contest with family or friends, and take photos of what you find with your smart phone. You’re sure to discover some of New York’s treasures and peculiarities.
Want to see similar photos?
Look Down
The subway system is the fastest, cheapest way to move around the City. Sure, some stations can be dim and grim. But look into the dark and down at the floors and experience something new and interesting.
Look Up
Manhattan is an island of canyons; they’re called streets and avenues. As you walk them, focus on the canyon walls: their variety, textures, and how light plays on them.
Look at People
New York is an implosion of diverse folks living their individuality. Some will fascinate you, others with make you uncomfortable. But all are humans like us.
Want to travel to other places?
Barcelona
Barcelona is an explosive visual experience of architecture, markets, and street folks, dominated by the billiant imagination of architect Antoni Gaudí whose mystifying church, La Sagrada Familia, has been under construction for over 140 years. Then there is the brilliant colors of the marketplace and the absorbing daily lives of locals.
Ireland
This is my visual take of over 150 waking hours of experiencing the contradictioins of Ireland, a landscape strewn with rocks and bogs and yet stunning beauty; a history of internal conflict and surprising reconciliation; and interminable struggles with famine, money, and dependency and yet determined problem-solving and amazing business acumen.
New York+
Do cities intimidate you? Cities scared me as a kid. It still takes some confidence-building to visit a new place. But after spending time in many of the world’s biggest cities — Tokyo, Bangalore, Riyadh, San Francisco — I now know how to see, really see, and enjoy the urban experience. Here’s what I recommend for one of my favorite metropolises: NEW YORK CITY.
Saudi Arabia+
Over the years I consulted in Saudi Arabia and explored the Arab Gulf region, I was fascinated by the area’s opulence of magnificent mosques and ambitious commercial developments, by the implosion of multicultural people in the “oasis” cities — Riyadh, Jubail, Dubai — by the graciousness of everyone, especially Saudis, and by the love for the desert.
Sicily
Sicily is a place for drifting and sifting — and, consequently, of surprises. Recognizable, must-see landmarks are few. So you go there relatively uninformed and open to drifting around the island. Then comes the joy of sifting through the centuries of invaders — Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Normans – while experiencing the surprises of unforgettable food, welcoming locals, and camera-grabbing scenery.