The US East Coast Travelogue VI: Experience, Notes and Observati

The US East Coast Travelogue VI: Experience, Notes and Observations

Travelogue VI: New York City 2

 

There are several places are very famous and desire to see. There are the World Trade Center, Times Square, Empire State Building, and Broadway show.

The World Trade Center is a building complex that was destroyed on September 11, 2001. Around 3000 people from world wide lost their lives in the place. That absolutely is one of the biggest tragedies in the US history and can be compared to the Pearl Harbor attack. But, its influence is even broader than the latter. That is unforgettable pain for the US. Rebuilt building complex includes five skyscrapers, a museum, and a memorial site. Tourists were not crowd like our imaged on that day. It could be the severe weather conditions stopping people to be there. In the front of the museum, people were on the long waiting line, but moved fast. We didn’t visit the museum. We took a tour around two pools in the memorial site. All victims’ names were embedded in the wall of the pools. It was emotional to be there for the remembering the 911 tragedy.

Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue [1]. According to the reference [1], the Times Square is sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of the World", "The Center of the Universe", and "The Heart of the World". These names help me having established a concept that it is as big as the Tianan Square in Beijing, China. Actually, in the scene, my feeling told me it wasn’t that big like I expected. That may be because it is one of the world's busiest squares, and it draws an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily. Many of them are tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days. Therefore, it is one of the world's busiest pedestrian areas; it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.

Just because it was extremely busy with people, we didn’t find any parking place. We were not able to see it by walking around the area. Mr. White thought that the Times Square is good to see during the day or night. There will be people in costumes, including women in nothing but body paint. Avoid them. They will offer to let you take pictures with them, but will then demand payment. They are scammers.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City [2]. According to the introduction of reference [2], the building was built in 1931 with a tall of 1,454 feet, including its antenna. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York. As of 2017, the building is the 5th-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 28th-tallest in the world. It is also the 6th-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.

Tours are usually long waiting times, and move fast for getting to go to the observation deck. This time, we just drove around the building and took a look at it. I didn’t stop and go up the deck, so I don’t know how long people get to stay.

Broadway Theatre, commonly known as Broadway, refers to the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theaters each with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City [3]. Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is widely considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world [3]. Mr. White reminded us that the lines form for tickets to the popular shows and the shows are expensive, but are usually worth it.

So far, I have finished the all Travelogues to the US east coast from Washington DC to New York. That is a marvelous experience. The opportunity never lasts long. If you are going to take a trip, don’t hesitate rather than take action. You will find a lot of amazing things during your trip.

References

1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square.

2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building.

3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre.