NYC…I owe you an apology

“If you could travel to any city in the world, where would you go?” That’s a question I frequently pose to people I meet and inevitably NYC is one of the first five cities mentioned…often the first city mentioned. Yet I had intentionally avoided New York City. It would not even have shown up in my top 20 list of cities to visit.

 

Why? Lots of reasons (excuses?) Too big. Too expensive. Too far away. Too …whatever.

About the only reason that was tempting me to go to New York City was Broadway. I really would like to see shows on Broadway, but that would mean being in NYC. But no problem. There are shows in London.  I love the shows in London…and London is so much easier to get to (for me). There are direct flights from where I live to London, whereas travel to New York would involved at least one connection and the long layovers at the connecting airport.

But then one day all the forces of the universe plotted together and presented a set of circumstances that even I could not argue against. We were going to New York City! I would have to buck up and face that cold, hard city where one dare not even look in the eyes of anyone on the street.  That was a revelation to me…that’s what was holding me back. I thought of New York City as a cold, unfeeling place where hard-hearted, in-your-face people lived.

Well, New York… you shocked me. I felt comfortable there. People were nice…not down-home ‘How you all doing’ kind of nice…but nice. People were just getting on with their lives yet took the time to help when I got lost. Some New York people were quietly friendly. Some New Yorkers were flamboyant, some were laid-back.  Yet all the time I felt comfortable there. One young man on the Staten Island ferry summed it up when he laughingly said “Well, I’m a New Yorker”.

New York, I owe you an apology. You are not cold hearted. You have a big heart.

I will return.

How to Get to New York 

• Book a flight to New York City

Touring New York City

• Book a guided sight seeing bus tour
• Book a hop on hop off bus tour
• Splurge. See NYC from a helicopter

Travel the USA….click here.

Travel the world…click here.

Happy travels!