New York City space

I am wide-awake this morning at 5 am, jet-lagged from a trip to New York. This was my first visit to the Big Apple. Although very much like I imagined it to be based on the descriptions offered by many friends, the experience is not one I would have passed up. I firmly believe that the only way to really understand a place is to personally move around in its space. No matter how many pictures are painted of it for you, visually or mentally, it remains an enigma until you have first-hand experience of it.

Here's a taste of my ruminations on NYC. But don't take my word for it. Go try it for yourself....

Having been blessed with the opportunity to see many cities throughout the world, my mind was doing a comparison/contrast to other places I have traveled. Its similarity to Paris stood out. I suppose it is the fascination with and love of art that ties these two cities together. Both claim to be the fashion capital of the world. I stand by Paris, although NYC comes in a close second....

Inside Saks on Fifth Avenue

Another thing that reminded me of Paris was NYC's open air markets in the parks. We stopped by the one in Union Square to take a peek at the vendors wares. I was attracted to the fruit and vegetable stands. They had some succulent-looking apples of many varieties being sifted through by the locals.


These large cabbages stood out with their vivid purple and green hues next to a ripe pumpkin.

I was bummed that I did not live here and, thus, could not take some of these luscious fruits and vegetables home with me to bake into delicious tarts and pies.

Another comparable element of NYC to Paris is the caliber of cuisine and its richness of diversity in ethnic foods. I'll share some of my encounters with NYC cuisine over the next few posts. Stay tuned....