Recognize the photo below? Both towers are from the New York State pavilion – or as known in pop culture the 1964 World’s Fair exhibit space ships from Men and Black. New Yorkers may not notice these or other sights on a daily basis, but I geeked out as I heard each and every one of those names or saw sights that permeate so much of North American TV and movie culture: NYPD cars (NYPD Blue / CSI / Law and Order), Brooklyn (Welcome Back Kotter / The Cosby Show), Queens (All in the Family / The Jeffersons), Manhattan (Bewitched / Fame), Staten Island (Ghostbusters), Long Island (Growing Pains), the Bronx (The Bronx Zoo), Harlem (Live and Let Die)… need I continue?
In other words, I knew New York before I even got there.
One thing that surprised me was how calm New York was. Compared to cities like Chicago, New Orleans, New Delhi and Columbo, walking though New York was like walking through a park. Media gives the city a bad image and we are constantly hearing about all the crime and violence that happen in the city. Frankly, after being in New Orleans, New York was a pleasant surprise. (New Orleans is crime ridden and down right spooky).
While in New York I stayed with Greg and Michi in Harlem. My final (and one of my favourite) memories was leaving their apartment really early in the morning on my last day. They booked me a hired car out of Harlem; an old Cadillac driven by a local. As we headed out to the airport in the early morning mist I peacefully watched the sun rise over the city while we listened to soft jazz music on the radio. It was a great end to my trip and it was at that point that I realized that New York was good to me.
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