New York City across the years

I haven't really been to New York City as many times as I would have liked. The first time was in the summer of 2003. This picture of the Empire State Building, from one of the roads adjacent to the bridges, I decided to title "The Forbidden Empire." It was 23 years ago, so you must forgive me for the teenage drama-queen kind of titling. I took the picture with my second digital camera ever: a whopping 4.1-megapixel Sony Cybershot DSC-S85. I remember feeling that I had an insane piece of technology in my hands. And I remember thinking of this picture, shitty contrast and all, as some kind of sublime artistic expression. This is a digression, of course, but my obsession with Sony digital cameras arrived probably 20 years too early: they used to be the equivalent of a calculator with an attached lens, yet their mirrorless cameras have now become a real force to be reckoned with and a more enticing ecosystem to switch to—if I decided to depart from Nikon—than, say, Canon mirrorless systems.

That first time in New York was baffling. Ultra-expensive parking lots, crazy traffic, and angry police officers directing it. No time for anything. The full shebang. What kind of person thinks it’s a good idea to go into New York City in a rental SUV?

There was one more time a few years later in the winter. We almost froze as we tried to get a glimpse of the Times Square ball coming down to mark New Year's Eve. New York’s winter is brutal.

The first time I could take a really good look at the city was in 2011, with a friend I should cherish much more. Finally: lots of roaming around the city (which is what you do in New York City) and Cuban food with mojitos somewhere near Christopher Street.

Christopher Hitchens, one of my favorite public intellectuals, wrote in his memoirs that “Evelyn Waugh was in error when he said that in New York there was a neurosis in the air which the inhabitants mistook for energy. There was, rather, a tensile excitement in that air which made one think — made me think for many years — that time spent asleep in New York was somehow time wasted.” That is exactly how it feels when I am there. I want to take it all in.

2017 was full of museums and the first time I stayed on the island, somewhere near Grand Central. One day we walked around Central Park and by the time we reached Bethesda Terrace, it was rather dark, so the luminous beauty of the fountain next to the water was unavailable to the naked eye. It was also too late (and off-season) for the rowboats filled with summer dresses and their sparkling reflections in the water, but you could hear from the top of the terrace what sounded like a nearby concert. A powerful Rufus Wainwright-sort of voice, perhaps. Walking down the stairs, inside of the arcade, we found this singer serenading the lonely arches with the lyrics of "Somewhere over the rainbow" in what looked like an intimate and surreal ceremony of solitude.  Such are the surprises that New York City holds for curious strollers in September nights. I couldn't help but think that any place somewhere over the rainbow must have a terrace, a fountain, and an arcade just as beautiful as those.

One of my favorite shots of the 2017 visit is this view of Mid-town from the Rockefeller Center (above)

And this view of the El Dorado, an architectural jewel, from one of the lakes in Central Park. (above)

The last visit in 2024 is now full of nostalgia. It brings about memories of things and people lost along the way. 

A team lunch at The Edge, with an incredible view.

A boat ride on the Hudson.

Including the Staten Island Ferry

Meeting Vlady, the guy who sells movie scripts in Soho for 20 dollars, as a reminder that stories like his are only possible in real cities.

His scripts, printed on colorful paper, are a real analog joy to behold:

Deli sandwiches:

5th avenue architectural sights:

And gigantic museums to get lost on:

I live in Dubai, so I get my fair share of skyscrapers every day. I have walked all over Tokyo, Rio, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Sydney, Seoul, Berlin, Cape Town and Los Angeles. I imbibed all their awesomeness. But when I think of a real city the first one that always comes to mind is New York. I can’t wait to be back. Any excuse is good enough.