By: Ismael J. Castillo
After breakfast on Day 2, we headed to New York City. Traffic in New York is legendary as everyone knows; the hustle and bustle bewildering, huge neon lights dazzling even in broad daylight, dizzying skyscraper- combine these uncommon almost mesmerizing situations, and one can’t help falling in love with the city, especially the uninitiated.
And rightly so, New York City is eclectic and intoxicatingly vibrant; its allure is so overwhelming. The person who coined up the catchy slogan “I Love New York” must be a genius.
Following our boat cruise on the Hudson (which offered us a magnificent, perfect post-card view of Manhattan’s skyline and the Statue of Liberty), six among us (me included) opted for a free time on our own instead of joining the rest of the group who visited such attractions as the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and the Top of the Rock.
We leisurely strolled around Times Square; all the while gazed at window displays, shopped a little, gawked at the sidewalk merchandises, haggled and bought souvenir items.
After awhile we idled at the beautifully landscaped garden court of the Rockefeller Center, and then sipped iced cappuccino at Dean & Deluca Café. Looking up at the skyscrapers around us, we felt dwarfed and humbled by the soaring height of the steel and glass buildings.
We spent the rest of the day touring lower Manhattan and the mid-town, passing through interesting landmarks such as Fifth Avenue, Wall Street, Broadway, and Chinatown. At one point along our route our guide called our attention to the UN Headquarters.
I felt a tinge of patriotic pride remembering that Carlos P. Romulo, Filipino diplomat extraordinaire and fourth President of the United Nations General Assembly, was the first Asian to hold such distinguished post.
And seeing the Canadian and Philippine flags fluttering among the different flags of nations at the UN headquarters and at Rockefeller Centre enhanced that pride, and rekindled the ember of patriotism for my birthplace and my adopted homeland Canada. I’m sure many in our group felt the same way as well.
A hushed gasp could be heard in unison when our tour guide pointed to us Ground Zero, now a beehive of construction activities to replace the downed Twin Towers. Painful memories of 9/11 instantly played back. And who could forget that defining, tragic September moment?
What better way to end an exhausting day than treating ourselves with a relaxing and invigorating dip at the swimming pool, or unwinding and soothing sore muscles at the spa of our hotel, the Sheraton New Jersey.
[Intro] [Day 1 - Boston] [Day 2 - New York]
