I saw the line “The Citi never sleeps” decades ago in Mumbai on a Citibank hoarding. That Citi not only went to sleep, but almost died before being resurrected by their God, the American Federal Government. The line however seemed to fit in well to New York, where I have a feeling, the line may have originated from to begin with.
I love New York. I guess because it reminds me of my city Mumbai, and so feel very much at home. I could spend days just aimlessly walking around and taking in the breathtaking sights of tall skyscrapers, each a work of art. I’ve never been able to figure how they build monstrous skyscrapers of a 100 floors almost touching each other on all 4 sides. I’m told that New Yorkers recognize tourists by those who have their heads pointed upwards as they walk. And that’s absolutely true. I for one find it extremely difficult not to look up and take in all those huge man-made objects d’art, New Yorkers take for granted in Manhattan.
The way the Avenues and Streets are marked make it a relatively simple city to explore. Especially for Men. Who do not like to ask for directions. And spend most of their time searching for places, rather than admiring or appreciating them. New York has been designed for us. We know within 1 block, whether it’s a street or avenue that we are going in the wrong direction and so trace our way in the opposite direction.
The Metro is yet another New York wonder. For $ 2.50, you can enter any metro station and travel to any part of the city. A cost-effective and time-effective mode of travel. A place that breaks down all barriers of status and a system used by millions of New Yorkers and hundreds of thousands of tourists, daily. The metro lines and maps make it reasonably simple to find the right train, right station and reach your destination quickly and comfortably. On most occasions. The early mornings from 7 am to 10 am and evenings 4 – 7 are crowded. But for us Mumbaikars, even the peak traffic is less than our off-peak traffic. And its but natural that in the city that never sleeps, the city’s transportation is round the clock. Every hour. Every day.
Every city is known by its eateries. And New York is no exception. It’s probably the only city in the world that offers cuisine from every single country on Planet Earth. As if that’s not enough it even offers adapted foreign cuisines. An example, “Indian Chinese”, a cuisine popular in Indian metro cities. It offers authentic cuisine for the discerning and adapted cuisine for the rest of us. And you’ll be able to find food across every conceivable price range. Restaurants that offer a complete meal with a drink for 1 dollar, to places where a meal for 2 costs more than most of us make in a year. And yet, it’s not simple to get a table at most of the nicer restaurants. Just like for most other things in New York, you need to wait. In a line. And like most other things in New York, these lines are well managed and your turn does come. And on most occasions, the wait is well worth it.
And finally the city that never sleeps has 1 focal point. A point that is well lit 24 hours, 365 days. Filled with people. And people all over watching these people on live video.
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/
Arguably, the world’s most visited spot. Times Square. Where now, even the naked cowboy has competition. From none other than the naked cowgirl. Who I’ve not yet had the privilege of seeing. Because my brother and friends in New York, think that they are New Yorkers and New Yorkers don’t do touristy stuff. But I’m a tourist and when I’m back I’m going to Times Square. With or without them.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
US Open Finals – A close encounter
I’ve never seen a live tennis match. Not in a tournament anyways. So when I was asked by Frank (my brother), if I’d like to see the US Open Finals, I was, Yes, of course. And then he tells me, I only have 2 tickets, for me and for Hanit.
And hiding my disappointment, I reply, “Actually, I wasn’t that keen, anyways.” He must have known my true feelings, because 4 days later, he manages to get 2 more tickets. Seems like a friend of Hanit too wanted to go. And I was all set to see my first match, and that too a Finals. It wasn’t the biggest event, the Men’s finals, but the Women’s finals came a close second.
I followed the semi- finals and saw a bit of the matches. In the first semi-final Vera Zvoareva of Russia the 7th seed, beat Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark the 1st seed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. In the other semi-final Kim Clijsters of Belgium the 2nd seed, beat the local favorite Venus Williams, the 3rd seed in a thrilling 3 setter, after trailing 4-6 in the first set and a 6-6 tiebreaker in the 2nd. The final scores, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), and 6-4.
It was a pleasant Saturday with great weather, considering that it rained the previous day and was a wet day the next day too. We took the Metro, the only sensible way to travel in New York to the Arthur Ashe Venue of the US Open. It’s a huge complex, and for me the first experience of seeing a tennis complex. As in most American venues, the food courts were everywhere. And in spite of there being 100’s of stalls, each one had long lines. And as in most places, there was an Indian stall. Interestingly, there were more non Indians lining up at these stalls, an indicator of how the cultures have mixed even in the curries.
The finals was the evening event and although the finals was scheduled to start at 7, the last match of the day session, the mens semi-finals between my favorite tennis player Roger Federer and the Serbian youngster Novak Djokovic was on. It was a thrilling 5 setter and we watched the final set on the huge screen, outside the main stadium. So close, yet so far. It was a thrilling 5 setter that much to my disappointment ended with Federer losing 7-5, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 5-7.
It took about an hour after the match for the stadium to be cleared, before we were allowed to enter. The stadium itself was an impressive 3 tiered one, with the most expensive ones being the lowest and closest to the court. Needless to say, we were on top of the world, looking down at the 2 stars. The event was preceded by 10-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan singing prior to the 2010 Women's Singles Final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After which the 2 finalists, Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvoareva came onto the court accompanied by tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navaratilova, 2 greats of yesteryear's. At that moment, there were 2 almost simultaneous screams that almost blew away my ear drums from either side. I jumped, startled. And had 2 embarrassed women on both sides profusely apologizing in advance as they were going to continue to scream throughout the match. Both had flown in from Belgium to watch Kim Clijsters hopefully win the title.
The tennis itself was unfortunately completely one-sided. And I realized better watched on TV. Even here, I’d see a lot of the close-up on the large screens. Kim Clijsters was in command from the very first game and thrashed Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1. The thank you speech by Kim, where she thanked almost everyone who came, except me, along with her cute kid on the court, lasted longer than the match. And as we headed out in the crowd, I realized that it had taken us longer to get in and out of the stadium than the total time taken by the match.
I may never go to watch another tournament match again, but I’m glad I did see this. It’s an experience that’s difficult to describe, but 1 that should be experienced. With the traditional American Beer and hot dog. Next stop Wimbledon. For strawberries and cream.
p.s.: Had to have a Grey Goose cocktail. Just so that I could get a souvenir for the kids.
p.p.s.: And Frank and Hanit had to go out and come in for the 2nd and 3rd time to get souvenir baseball caps that were being given for free, but we managed to miss.
And hiding my disappointment, I reply, “Actually, I wasn’t that keen, anyways.” He must have known my true feelings, because 4 days later, he manages to get 2 more tickets. Seems like a friend of Hanit too wanted to go. And I was all set to see my first match, and that too a Finals. It wasn’t the biggest event, the Men’s finals, but the Women’s finals came a close second.
I followed the semi- finals and saw a bit of the matches. In the first semi-final Vera Zvoareva of Russia the 7th seed, beat Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark the 1st seed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. In the other semi-final Kim Clijsters of Belgium the 2nd seed, beat the local favorite Venus Williams, the 3rd seed in a thrilling 3 setter, after trailing 4-6 in the first set and a 6-6 tiebreaker in the 2nd. The final scores, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), and 6-4.
It was a pleasant Saturday with great weather, considering that it rained the previous day and was a wet day the next day too. We took the Metro, the only sensible way to travel in New York to the Arthur Ashe Venue of the US Open. It’s a huge complex, and for me the first experience of seeing a tennis complex. As in most American venues, the food courts were everywhere. And in spite of there being 100’s of stalls, each one had long lines. And as in most places, there was an Indian stall. Interestingly, there were more non Indians lining up at these stalls, an indicator of how the cultures have mixed even in the curries.
The finals was the evening event and although the finals was scheduled to start at 7, the last match of the day session, the mens semi-finals between my favorite tennis player Roger Federer and the Serbian youngster Novak Djokovic was on. It was a thrilling 5 setter and we watched the final set on the huge screen, outside the main stadium. So close, yet so far. It was a thrilling 5 setter that much to my disappointment ended with Federer losing 7-5, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 5-7.
It took about an hour after the match for the stadium to be cleared, before we were allowed to enter. The stadium itself was an impressive 3 tiered one, with the most expensive ones being the lowest and closest to the court. Needless to say, we were on top of the world, looking down at the 2 stars. The event was preceded by 10-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan singing prior to the 2010 Women's Singles Final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After which the 2 finalists, Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvoareva came onto the court accompanied by tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navaratilova, 2 greats of yesteryear's. At that moment, there were 2 almost simultaneous screams that almost blew away my ear drums from either side. I jumped, startled. And had 2 embarrassed women on both sides profusely apologizing in advance as they were going to continue to scream throughout the match. Both had flown in from Belgium to watch Kim Clijsters hopefully win the title.
The tennis itself was unfortunately completely one-sided. And I realized better watched on TV. Even here, I’d see a lot of the close-up on the large screens. Kim Clijsters was in command from the very first game and thrashed Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1. The thank you speech by Kim, where she thanked almost everyone who came, except me, along with her cute kid on the court, lasted longer than the match. And as we headed out in the crowd, I realized that it had taken us longer to get in and out of the stadium than the total time taken by the match.
I may never go to watch another tournament match again, but I’m glad I did see this. It’s an experience that’s difficult to describe, but 1 that should be experienced. With the traditional American Beer and hot dog. Next stop Wimbledon. For strawberries and cream.
p.s.: Had to have a Grey Goose cocktail. Just so that I could get a souvenir for the kids.
p.p.s.: And Frank and Hanit had to go out and come in for the 2nd and 3rd time to get souvenir baseball caps that were being given for free, but we managed to miss.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
US – A country that respects its own
Yesterday was 9/11 (September 9), the 9th anniversary of the attacks by al-Qaeda on the US. An attack that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The place where the towers were are being built and in addition to commercial centers, a memorial is part of the design. And as I pass it almost daily on my way to office when in NY, it seems to grow virtually everyday. You can see and get updates on whats happening at:
http://www.wtc.com/
This is the location where a memorial ceremony was held yesterday. And it was amazing. Each and every person who lost their life that day had their name read out. Many of the families of these people, as well as the survivors gathered here to pay homage. The names along with a line about their profession sometimes was read out by the families of the victims of 9/11 and the people involved with creating the new World Trade Center.
The media did its part and most of the channels covered the event live. And across the day paid tribute in their own ways. Most of it extremely nicely and sensitively done. I was impressed especially by the kind of equal homage given to all the victims, rich and poor, powerful and ordinary, black and white, ... What was even more amazing is the kind of respect and reverence given to the service men in uniform, the firefighters, the police, the armed forces, ... Something that we in India, need to desperately learn.
And this was just 1 service. There were memorial services held all over the country. At the sight of the other attacks, as well as in places which were not directly affected. Most of the VVIP’s, including the President participated in these ceremonies. In fact, to cover more ground, Michelle Obama was at a different ceremony from the one the President attended in Washington DC.
Ordinary homes all over the country put up the America Stars and Stripes, and several had messages, and some had flags with messages. The most common message being “We will never forget”. And it seems like America did what it promised, “... never forget”.
There are several things that I do not agree with as far as the US and its dealings with other nations, but the 1 thing I cannot help but love and respect is its treatment of its people. Its a country that not only refuses to forget a tragedy that took place 9 years ago, but uses the opportunity to honor the victims, whilst bringing together the people of the country.
And I join the Americans in saying, “God bless America”.
http://www.wtc.com/
This is the location where a memorial ceremony was held yesterday. And it was amazing. Each and every person who lost their life that day had their name read out. Many of the families of these people, as well as the survivors gathered here to pay homage. The names along with a line about their profession sometimes was read out by the families of the victims of 9/11 and the people involved with creating the new World Trade Center.
The media did its part and most of the channels covered the event live. And across the day paid tribute in their own ways. Most of it extremely nicely and sensitively done. I was impressed especially by the kind of equal homage given to all the victims, rich and poor, powerful and ordinary, black and white, ... What was even more amazing is the kind of respect and reverence given to the service men in uniform, the firefighters, the police, the armed forces, ... Something that we in India, need to desperately learn.
And this was just 1 service. There were memorial services held all over the country. At the sight of the other attacks, as well as in places which were not directly affected. Most of the VVIP’s, including the President participated in these ceremonies. In fact, to cover more ground, Michelle Obama was at a different ceremony from the one the President attended in Washington DC.
Ordinary homes all over the country put up the America Stars and Stripes, and several had messages, and some had flags with messages. The most common message being “We will never forget”. And it seems like America did what it promised, “... never forget”.
There are several things that I do not agree with as far as the US and its dealings with other nations, but the 1 thing I cannot help but love and respect is its treatment of its people. Its a country that not only refuses to forget a tragedy that took place 9 years ago, but uses the opportunity to honor the victims, whilst bringing together the people of the country.
And I join the Americans in saying, “God bless America”.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Older, but Wiser ?
A few days ago I celebrated my nth birthday. I guess I’m at a age where I would live to believe I’m young and the only ones who agree are my peers. An age when I was young, I referred to those of that age as “Old Fuddy Duddies”. And we continue to refer to people 10 years older as “Old Fuddy Duddies”. Who says Theory of Relativity doesn’t apply in real life.
And no matter how old you get, you’re never tired of receiving Happy Birthday Greetings, personally, by phone, by sms, by e-mail, on facebook, and by snail mail. Actually, I don’t think anybody bothers with snail mail anymore. And this year, I got significantly more birthday wishes than normal. Thanks to facebook.
When you’re younger, a birthday is a day to celebrate, go out with friends and have a blast. As you get older, you tend to introspect a lot more. Which in a way is ironical, since you don’t do it when you need it. A thought that occurred to me whilst I was introspecting, on growing older. That's a give in. The question is “Do you actually grow wiser ?”. I don't know about you, but for me, the answer was a shocking, “Probably not” which I decided to dilute a little to “I don’t know”.
Since this seems to go against the grain of normal wisdom, I decided to give this more thought. Was I being cynical or could there be some truth in this. And I did, what I normally do when faced with a problem. Logicalize. A word I made up to mean, “Think through the issue using logical thinking and process”.
Growing older has 1 implication. We’ve lived a few more days on planet earth. And depending on what we do, in most cases learn a little more. The problem is that this learning is based on what we are doing. And therefore, we aren’t learning the subject but just a process. So we become efficient at doing what we are doing. We don’t necessarily become good at it. As an example, take any skill, say driving. If we don’t have our fundamentals right, then we will continue driving the way we know. And with each passing day, we’ll become more and more confident that we are doing the right thing. And keep wondering how come my cars clutch needs to be changes every 6 months, as compared to my friends who don’t bother changing it even after 2 years.
The same is true in all other aspects of life. We learn what works. And how to do it quickly. But do we ever learn how to do it right ? We just assume we know it all. A standard phrase, I’ve been doing this for 20 years. With a smirk. And an implicit suggestion that I know what I’m doing. But we forget to appreciate is that, unless we validate and improve at every stage, it could mean that we’ve become perfect at doing it wrong.
And I’m going to start examining what I’m doing, especially things I’ve been doing for ever, such as shaving, driving, eating, drinking. And whilst at it, Breathing.
And no matter how old you get, you’re never tired of receiving Happy Birthday Greetings, personally, by phone, by sms, by e-mail, on facebook, and by snail mail. Actually, I don’t think anybody bothers with snail mail anymore. And this year, I got significantly more birthday wishes than normal. Thanks to facebook.
When you’re younger, a birthday is a day to celebrate, go out with friends and have a blast. As you get older, you tend to introspect a lot more. Which in a way is ironical, since you don’t do it when you need it. A thought that occurred to me whilst I was introspecting, on growing older. That's a give in. The question is “Do you actually grow wiser ?”. I don't know about you, but for me, the answer was a shocking, “Probably not” which I decided to dilute a little to “I don’t know”.
Since this seems to go against the grain of normal wisdom, I decided to give this more thought. Was I being cynical or could there be some truth in this. And I did, what I normally do when faced with a problem. Logicalize. A word I made up to mean, “Think through the issue using logical thinking and process”.
Growing older has 1 implication. We’ve lived a few more days on planet earth. And depending on what we do, in most cases learn a little more. The problem is that this learning is based on what we are doing. And therefore, we aren’t learning the subject but just a process. So we become efficient at doing what we are doing. We don’t necessarily become good at it. As an example, take any skill, say driving. If we don’t have our fundamentals right, then we will continue driving the way we know. And with each passing day, we’ll become more and more confident that we are doing the right thing. And keep wondering how come my cars clutch needs to be changes every 6 months, as compared to my friends who don’t bother changing it even after 2 years.
The same is true in all other aspects of life. We learn what works. And how to do it quickly. But do we ever learn how to do it right ? We just assume we know it all. A standard phrase, I’ve been doing this for 20 years. With a smirk. And an implicit suggestion that I know what I’m doing. But we forget to appreciate is that, unless we validate and improve at every stage, it could mean that we’ve become perfect at doing it wrong.
And I’m going to start examining what I’m doing, especially things I’ve been doing for ever, such as shaving, driving, eating, drinking. And whilst at it, Breathing.
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