Sunday, July 24, 2011

Empire State of Mind

Source of picture: sprengben
"You come to New York to find the ambiance that will evoke your best. You do not necessarily know precisely what that might be, but you come to New York to discover it."
- Dr. James Hillman, American psychologist
My love for New York has only come into fruition this year. That's not to say I've never had amorous feelings towards the city before. It's simply due to the fact that a collection of my experiences this year has helped emphasised that feeling. I attribute it to the travel bug, the books I've read which have been set in New York, and the strange attraction towards unblinking neon lights that has strangely festered within me. 

Quite embarrassingly, it was after sitting on the couch for the whole week watching the Masterchef Australian contestants compete in their 'New York Challenge', that had got me talking (or in this particular case, blogging). Unfortunately, the show did nothing to help widdle away the sad thought of having to study for another year. It also did nothing to help my bum, which probably grew to the size of New York during that week.

I've mentioned my extreme fondness for this city several times on this blog. McGee's Pub (the inspiration for McClaren's Pub) in How I Met Your Mother, Will and Grace's Manhattan apartment, the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the David Letterman show, the streets of Manhattan as shot on Law and Order: SVU... are all places I would like to show my presence in. (I'm well aware that I must limit the amount of influence TV shows have on my life decisions.) To be clear, American television shows aren't the only reasons I want to travel to this great city (although, I still believe it to be an extremely valid one). As for the food culture in this city, the Michelin-star restaurants and street vendors speak well enough for themselves. I'm salivating at the thought of a delicious hot dog.

I'm also willing to make Wall St. and the Financial District a high priority on my "Places to visit", whilst not forgetting Central Park's beauty. The United Nations for the fight for peace and globalisation, the Empire State building for it's beautiful architecture, the Statue of Liberty for the iconic symbol of independence and freedom. Ground Zero... for the reminder that pain and suffering are inevitable in our lives.

Let's hope that I've the opportunity to visit the intellectual and cultural hub of the world. A city so rich in diversity and opportunity that it makes me giddy with excitement to even ponder the prospect of travelling there one day! Hopefully, within the immediate future because the lights and billboards are calling for me...

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