So Good They Named It Twice

My first time in New York was a bit of a whirlwind - 30 hours as a weekend break in a research trip to Philadelphia. Despite having longer (a whole week!) this time, much of it was to be spent on research. Thankfully, though, my foray into the Albert Gallatin papers turned out to be swift as well as productive, and I have had three days footloose and fancy-free in the Big Apple.

The advice I was given from an NYC native before my first trip here still stood. Walk around as much as you can, he said. There's so much variety and interest in the city that any attempt to flit around between the main sites just won't give you enough of a sense of the place. Keeping this in mind, I've kept my subway journeys to a minimum, and set out my foot wherever possible.

New York is a surprisingly walkable city. It helps that the bulk of Manhattan is on a grid system, so finding your bearings is not particularly taxing. Even on the southern tip of the island, where streets are less neatly arranged, it doesn't take long to work out where you are. Saturday started with a journey to the Staten Island Ferry complex to meet Richard, followed by a trip to Strand, my favourite bookstore in the entire world (or at least its annex). Why? Firstly its layout, which is gloriously higgledy-piggledy. There's enough grouping for you to work out which subject you're looking at, but the shelves are tightly packed together and piled high. Often there are piles of books on the floor, and it is a wonderful place to idly browse. Not for nothing is its tag-line '18 miles of books'.

The main attraction, though, is the price of the books - pretty much everything in there is at least half-price. When you consider that books in the US are on average cheaper than the equivalent price here (especially given the favourable exchange rate), this represents a huge saving. In addition, the understandable greater availability of books on all tihngs American makes it a real treasure trove for me.

This adventure was followed by a route march that took us under the Brooklyn Bridge, through the vast and sprawling Chinatown, and into Little Italy. I've never been a huge fan of Chinatowns across the world. Many have been highly rated, especially those in Vancouver, San Francisco and Philadelphia, yet they have a generally run-down and shabby feel to them. New York's was little different - if, as you might expect, somewhat large in size. Little Italy, on the other hand, was far more enjoyable. It is somewhat tucked away, but has a festive atmosphere, even if it was a little too busy on Saturday afternoon for our tastes.

My next stop was Shea Stadium, home to the New York Mets, but I will write more about that when I compile my baseball post. The next day, I set off for a stroll through Central Park. Central Park is massive in scale, extending for over 50 blocks through the heart of Manhattan. I decided to walk most of them. Nice at any time (in daylight at least), Sunday is the best day for a visit, as the roads running through the park are closed. This means it is easier to amble, and considerably less noisy. Far enough in, you can close your eyes and forget that you are in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. You do have to close your eyes, though, because the framing of skyscrapers does ruin the effect somewhat.

One thing that was interesting was the number of 'soccer' kickarounds that were taking place alongside the more stereotypical softball and football games. I joined in with one family, visiting from North Carolina. It has been interesting to observe the number of football shirts on display in the city. It's obviously unscientific (after all, I may just be running into a large number of tourists), but I've definitely seen more this trip than I ever have previously. That's without counting the large group of Toronto FC fans who turned up at the hostel on Saturday. Who knows, maybe the arrival of David Beckham is having an effect?

My next stop (after walking down Broadway to Times Square, which is one of the most hideously garish places imaginable, although fantastic in its scale) was to Coney Island. Literary fans amongst you may remember the name from The Great Gatsby. Situated at the bottom end of Brooklyn, Coney Island is home to the Cyclone rollercoaster, built in the 1920s and still clattering along its wooden tracks. According to the advertising blurb, it is the most imitated rollercoaster in the world, having 7 replicas across the United States and even Japan.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I hope that it only extends as far as the rollercoaster. Astroland, the fun park that inhabits much of the island, has certainly seen better days. Not for nothing is it closing down at the end of the year to undergo an extensive renovation. It needs it. That isn't to say the Island isn't worth a trip - it is also home to the New York Aquarium, and a vast expanse of beach with a lively boardwalk. Of course, I probably wouldn't have visited at all were it not for the presence of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league baseball team. But more on that later.

Today again started with a trip down to the southern tip of Manhattan, this time to see Federal Hall. Located on Wall Street (so called because it used to be the site of a wall marking the northern boundary of New York), the location played host to some important moments in colonial and revolutionary history. In the 1730s, it was the scene of the Zenger trial, an important landmark in paving the way for a free press. The real reason I turned up, however, was because it was the seat of the United States government for the first year of its existence under the Constitution.

The original building no longer stands, but it was the site of Washington's inauguration (one of the exhibits is the Bible on which he was sworn in), and, indeed, a mammoth statue of the man stands outside - in full view of the New York Stock Exchange. One wonders how proud Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Secretary of the Treasury, would have been to see the economic strength of the USA now. More interesting, perhaps, is the fact that it was in New York that the Bill of Rights was passed through Congress before being sent to the separate states for ratification.

My revolutionary interests sufficiently indulged, I then took a stroll up Broadway, past City Hall, and into Greenwich Village. Most of my time was spent wandering around the buildings that make up the campus of New York University, founded in the 1830s by Albert Gallatin (you may remember him from such paragraphs as the first). The highlight was probably Washington Square Park, again dominated by statues of Washington, one as statesman, one as a general.

Greenwich Village as a whole has a different feel from much of the rest of downtown Manhattan - not only does it have a countercultural history (there is a significant gay presence in the area, and was the location of the Stonewall riots), but it has fewer high-rise buildings and perhaps as a result feels less busy. From there I wandered on to Union Square, overlooked by the grave figure of Abraham Lincoln. One thing that makes New York such a pleasant city is that it is very easy to walk everywhere, but the streets are frequently interspersed with parks and other greenery. Too many buildings would feel oppressive, given the general pace of the city.

And so tomorrow I head down to the District of Columbia, largely to visit the Library of Congress, but also a chance to get to the Smithsonian and Capitol Hill. I'll miss New York, and there's still an awful lot that I've yet to see here. Then again, it gives me an incentive for a return visit. The hostel is not the most exciting in the world, but then again it is secure and in a convenient location. It does have a lot of the gadgetry that perhaps typifies America, though. Of all the tasks that I've wished there could be robotic assistance for, pulling a towel from a holder is not one of them. Yet the bathrooms in this hostel have an electronic sensor to save you from any unnecessary exertions. Who knows, maybe it's saved me from getting my finger jammed? I'll write another missive on my mini-ballpark tour soon, but until then, I hope you are all keeping well.