The next 24 Hours - New York City
Surely you have more scenic sights to recommend?! Yup, I do. This blog post is a continuation from my previous post: 24 Hours in New York City (Hope at least one person has read it. LOL). Well long talk cut short, lets hit the destinations!
Chelsea Market
If you google the term Chelsea Market, this is what pops up, “An enclosed urban food court, shopping mall, office building and ... in the Chelsea neighbourhood of the borough of Manhattan, New York City.” That, I can assure you ladies and gentlemen, is a perfectly accurate description of area. Originally constructed as a factory by the National Biscuit Company that seek to take advantage of the availability of lard provided by butchers in the district, has since been transformed and modernized to house a wide variety of food stores on the ground floor and office space on the upper levels. The red brick building stands at the intersection of 9th Avenue & West 15th street, is home to in my opinion, THE BEST TACO I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! (Yes, I have tried quite a number if you are skeptical of my taste buds)
Tacos for life:)
For those who do not know what a Taco is (Gosh, you guys are missing out on some good shit if you don’t know what it is), a taco is a Mexican dish consisting of a fried tortilla, folded to hold different ingredients such as seasoned meat, beans, lettuce, tomatoes etc. This was a store that me and my girlfriend chanced upon on my second visit to the marketplace. We were curious why a long queue was forming (Of course, being Singaporeans and all, we just couldn’t resist queuing up right?) and decided to join the line to find out what all this fuss was about. To my surprise, the taco was fantastic!
The taco came in either corn or flour tortilla and we choose Carne Asada (Means beef) as our main meat ingredient. The crispiness of the tortilla, the cool and refreshing flavour of the salsa, the saltiness of the meat, the creaminess from the guacamole and the spiciness from the hot sauce blended together to offer a mouth-watering experience. Definitely my favourite taco outlet! (Yes, just happens to be the most expensive too. LOL. USD$3.50 for one).
If you are not a fan of tacos, there are also plenty of other cuisines and food joints available too. Seafood lovers are in for a huge treat (I am anti-seafood. That’s why my parents said that they won’t bring me to Japan. Sobs T.T). You can find chefs preparing fresh sashimi/sushi, live oysters, lobsters & crabs for customers who sit along counter tops. So if you are food lover, do visit Chelsea Market! (They also happen to sell a bunch of other stuff like clothing, jewellery, photo prints etc in flea market style)
The High Line
The Urban Theatre @ 10th Ave & 17th Street
An elevated railway park that weaves in and out, between the housing blocks of downtown Manhattan? Well that’s something unique and you don’t see every day. Originally part of the West Side Elevated Highway, constructed to combat the high accident rate brought about by the dangerous street-level railroads (Also known as the infamous death avenue) shipping freight but was later abandoned and left to decay when the interstate highways opened in the 1950s and 60s. Many groups later petitioned against its demolition in the late 1980s and 90s and the elevated railway (of course minus the trains) was eventually converted into an urban playground.
Stretching from Gansevoort Street all the way to 34th street, the High Line is characterized by the natural vegetation that sprung out in the years that the railway was abandoned, as well as the preservation of certain elements of the original railway system such as the train tracks, railroad switcher etc. The area housing the elevated walkway has since been transformed and now associated with being modernized, chick, hipster, artsy, urbanized and vibrant, that is epitome of the New Yorker vibe (that highly urbanized, chick feel, though definitely not representative of the entire state). However, what I feel makes the place truly beautiful are actually the murals, graffiti, ideological slogans that have been painted on the sides of housing blocks as a form of art and self-expression. See for yourself from the pictures below.
Yup, pretty interesting right? There you have it. Freedom of Speech that America prides itself on. This is unheard of in Singapore. Try putting up a sign that says “LHL, making Singapore Siao” and you might be sued, LOL, no kidding. Not everyone might agree with some of the stuff advocated but hey, everyone is entitled to their own opinions right?
The Empire States Building as seen from the High Line
The High Line also offers tourists a different way of looking at the city, from a macro perspective. When you are exploring NYC by foot, stuck on the ground level, your view is often obstructed. Landmarks that are actually only a few blocks away are hidden from view by the nearby buildings. This can be especially frustrating for photographers that just want an unobstructed shot of that “famous landmark”. However, by being a few metres off the ground, on the High Line, your world totally changes (At least in a photography sense, your composition possibilities become endless). Your line of sight stretches out. You can increase your depth of field by using the nearby infrastructure as foreground for your skyscraper shots that are situated at a much further distance away. This was exactly what I did with my shot of the Empire State Building (My fav building if you are still unaware)! Hence this is why The High Line is one of my favourite photography spots in NYC and I encourage you to pop by!
911 Memorial
2,996 lives perished, that included 344 firefighters & 71 law enforcement officers, 6000 more wounded. The horrific incident which took place on September 11 2011, is the deadliest terrorist act in world history and the most devastating foreign attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941.
What was left of the original twin World Trade Central Towers are now two ginormous square craters that originally served as the foundations for the skyscrapers. Tiled with smooth black marble, water cascades down from the edges of the crater, flowing towards the darker depths of the inner crater. All is quiet, with only the wind carrying the distant sounds of the urban city life.
“Gone but never forgotten. Always remembered”. Planet Earth continues revolving, life continues for the rest of the world but some are still frozen in the flash point where they lost their love ones. Names of the deceased are engraved in the metal works that borders these craters. You might also spot white roses slotted into the engraved names. Visitors talk in hush voices. Others quietly snap pictures and some simply gaze out across the waters. The mood is somber.
The memorial site also houses a museum that takes you deeper underground, to see the original scaffoldings and foundation laid for the twin towers. Unfortunately, I did not manage visit the museum due to bad weather (where it was closed) and on another occasion, the queue was simply too long. I strongly recommend visiting this site for the significance it holds, for what it has come to represent.
One World Trade Center Tower
The twin towers may no longer be part of the city’s iconic skyline but another architecture masterpiece has taken its place. Standing tall at 541m, the One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world.
Clad from head to toe in reflective glass, the colour and outlook of the skyscraper changes along with the time of the day. Blue during the day, reflecting the colour of the sky, it can turn golden in the evening as it reflects the glowing sunrays of the setting sun. The building also houses an observatory deck on the 100th floor. You don’t necessarily have to go up to the observatory deck. (I didn’t. If I am not wrong, tickets are priced at USD$34) One can just admire the beauty of the building from anywhere in the city with each different spot providing a different perspective due to the asymmetrical shape of the building.
The Oculus
Did you spot a weird looking, white skeletal shaped building while walking around Ground Zero? This is actually the Oculus, Ground Zero’s latest billion-dollar project. With just a little imagination, you can see a white dove lifting off. That was the description my roommate (Remember the name man, Jameson, America’s future president!) gave me of the Oculus when I asked him where he would recommend visiting in New York City. I like the white dove idea. They have come to symbolize peace, love and freedom. Hence, I find it a fitting description for the wing shaped structure, representing a united stance against acts of terror & violence (At least that’s my interpretation, not too sure if the original architect, Calatrava, will agree).
The interior of the Oculus is also extravagantly designed. The ceiling of central plaza converges at a common highest point, with a glass opening revealing glimpses of the One World Trade Center Tower. It also houses a premium shopping mall and is a major subway interchange hub, with more than 3 lines linking up at this station. The grand atmosphere and white walls of the Oculus makes this a popular spot for those that want to snap some basic photos and is definitely a spot that tourist will pass by as they head to Ground Zero!
Well there you have it, another couple of sites that I highly recommend. Sorry about how long that I took to post this because I was lazy and procrastinating. Anyways, always a Big THANK YOU for your support! Cheers!:)
