travelogue - Visiting Post-recession USA - Part-2 - New York

travelogue 

Visiting Post-recession USA
Part 2 – New York
Faizul Khan Tanim  writes the second part of the series and this time it's the great state of New York
All Photos: Faizul Khan Tanim

American author John Jay Chapman (March 2, 1862 – November 4, 1933) once said, “The present in New York is so powerful that the past is lost.” He was not wrong and even in 2012, everyone religiously believes this phrase.

The city is vibrant, musical, foodilicious, quite expensive and with all its glitz and glamor, it never sleeps…comfortably keeps anyone awake who wants to and all that jazz. A pack of Camel Crush which costs 12.5 US$, the same pack which costs 5.5 US$ in the state of Georgia - NY is expensive.

NY City is also the largest city in the state and the most populous city in the United States, home to more than two-fifths of the state's population and comprises of five boroughs - the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

The most captivating things about NY are its diverse sets of people from different geographical locations from all over the world and hence a varied mix of exciting cuisines…you name it and you’ll have it. It is also a city of bay, bridges, monuments, mementos and the city will give you memories to cherish the rest of your life.

A tourist has to make his/her own preferred NY City tour because it is so vast that its practically impossible to explore all the secrets, adventures and treasures of this majestic city because you never know what will strike your fancy…it can be a small corner of the Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty, at the top of the Empire State Building, in Central Park, near Ground Zero, Pier 45, the Hard Rock Café at Times Square where George Harrison’s guitar used in the Concert for Bangladesh is still preserved, the South-Asian neighbourhood of Jackson Heights, at Papaya’s Hot Dog, while watching a Broadway Show or even during a walk on Brooklyn Bridge – each of these places has its own potion and essence of the city and will capture your imagination about a secret New York.

And from where ever I tried to photograph the Statue of Liberty, it was diverse, beautiful and intrigues one in to thinking of a mystical lady standing with all its mysterious appeal…be it on a sunny day, a rainy afternoon, a misty night and may the view be from NY Harbour; from the end of Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn; Pier 45 at Hudson River Park in Manhattan, from the Staten Island Ferry, the Brooklyn Bridge…be it anywhere, the Statue of Liberty is a marvel and will send you a message of peace, prosperity and freedom.

New York is a densely populated state bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the East. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the West and North, and Quebec to the North. The state of New York is known for its status as a centre for finance, culture, its status as the largest gateway for immigration to the United States and more.

NY City comfortably has the most amounts of Delis serving typical American meals, reasonably priced, relaxing to eat but will not come close to the standards of NY gourmet burgers. You will definitely be reminded of a beautifully grilled cheese burger and a certain dialogue from the sitcom How I Met Your Mother assailing your senses. Marshall, a character from the show narrated in an episode - This NY grilled burger, it's so much more than "just a burger”. I mean that first bite oh! What heaven that first bite is. The bun, like a sesame freckled breast of an angel, resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below, flavours mingling in a seductive palette. And then...a pickle! The most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a patty of ground beef so exquisite, swirling in your mouth, breaking apart, and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savour so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread. This is God, speaking to us in food.

When I visited NY on March this year, Bangladesh was hosting and playing the Asia Cup Cricket and what better place can you be at that time other than the famous Jackson Heights? It is the heart of a South Asian neighbourhood comprised of Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis and a host of other South Asian nationalities. They call this area close to home, and come here to shop and eat desi style. It's the place for some of the highest quality South Asian food, jewellery, clothes, exuberance, music; and people wandering. This is a great neighbourhood for strolling and taking it all in from a single gasp of breath.

Apart from all these glitz and glamour, NY is also hosting political demonstrations. Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s financial district, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. This occupy movement is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to fight back against the richest one per cent of people that are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future, believes many activists of this movement.

Speaking to quite a few of these activists about the upcoming general elections, they said and I quote, “The Republican camp has got too much hullabaloo going on within their own candidates. Its going to be another Obama term and God only knows what he has for us”.

This article was first published in The Independent Weekend Magazine Friday May 04 2012 - http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=59&date=2012-05-04