New York City – An Insider’s Guide – Part 1
Classic New York holiday scene: ice skating at Rockefeller Center.
New York City – The borough of Queens, to be specific – is where Larry Kessler grew up…in “a modest house with yellow shutters on a busy street.”
“On winter nights, I’d pull back the heavy, pleated, living room drapes to watch the developing storybook scene. I remember the amber street lights and the pure white falling snow. I’d trace my finger on the icy window, swirling figures and shapes, then erase them with the side of my hand.
You can only feel this kind of warmth in the safety and love of your childhood home. But you grow up. And someday you grow out. California kept calling me, and one day I answered that call, drove cross country to raise kids in the bright white light of SoCal.
Travel. How do we choose where we go?
It was the right move, but on a cool evening this past December, for so many reasons or for no particular reason at all, I decided to fly back to New York. I wanted to spend time with my brothers and my mom. To see my best childhood buds and share some new laughs and hugs. And I wanted to see my New York City all gift wrapped for the holiday season.
Travel. Journeys. Is it a conscious choice we make when we decide where to go? Do we choose of free will? Or is there a power far beyond our ability to reason that compels us, like a cosmic magnet to a particular place on this blue marble?
Larry’s first New York stop: Carmine’s, Times Square.
Start your New York adventure with friends
Everyone’s got a first place to hit when they visit the Big Apple. For me, it’s Carmine’s Italian Restaurant in the heart of Times Square.
When you start your NYC adventure with family and friends at Carmine’s, you feel your pulse quicken in this microcosm of the city. Criss-crossing waiters spinning pirouettes deftly balance huge platters of classic Italian favorites. High ceilings make space for paintings of Caruso, Pavarotti and sweet old Sicilian grandmothers.
Hmmm…Grandmothers. It’s Christmas time! I take a few moments to breathe it all in and notice a table of four lovely silver-haired matriarchs. They’re all sparkly in their once a year holiday reds and golds. I shake hands with their waiter and slip him enough to cover a round and a little something for his Christmas stocking. I tell him to tell them they’ve got a secret admirer. I never look back.
Iconic New York: roast chestnuts.
Iconic New York
Every city has its icons. Perhaps it’s just that New York City has so many. St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Getting all spruced up. Felt to me like The Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow getting all polished to meet the Wizard. Word has it the Pope will visit NYC in 2015. Scrub scrub here, scrub scrub there.
I love St. Patrick’s. It stands firm and proud in the city center. It’s New York City. At the same time it carries the DNA of the great churches of the world, as a spiritual home to all people. My best buddy Bob is tight with Father Timothy Dolan, The Man at St Patrick’s and the leader of all Catholics in America. A local boy with humble Queens roots sharing stories with world leaders.
My man Charles ringing that Salvation Army Bell on Fifth Avenue. New York has so many spectacular visuals. And oh, the flavor of international food shifts from one street corner to the next. But there’s something about the clanging of that bright, brass bell that calls me home. Let’s fill up that bucket Charles. Up over the top my man.
“Showplace of the nation” Radio City Music Hall in Rockefeller Center.
New York! New York!
Picture this. It’s 10 days till Christmas. There’s a crisp snap in the air. You hold your body close as you protect yourself from the night’s winter chill. NYC will remind you how alone she can make you feel. So many people who all walk with purpose. Heads down. Don’t make make eye contact. Buddy I got my own problems. No I don’t want to be saved.
And then you turn the corner to Sixth Avenue. Pop! Pop! Sparkle! Movie classic! OMG Radio City Music Hall. Seen it in a thousand movies. Music Award Shows. This ain’t some Vegas wannabe. It’s the greatest music venue. Rockettes doing that leg kick thing in unison. Holiday light extravaganzas. This is the real deal. New York, New York. Those Vagabond Blues are melting away.
And then, a realization. I’m not cold anymore. My shoulders relax. I make eye contact and smile….I get a nod…. I’ll take it.
Ever really been deeply satisfied? Like way down deep. I’m talking cellular level here. I’m off to a really good start.
Freedom Tower, One World Trade Center, New York.
With all due respect
Paying my respects to the fallen at the World Trade Center Memorial. The Freedom Tower, a fitting replacement? My thumbs are up. Interesting note how a snapshot truly is a moment in time. Notice the comb-like structure that borders TFT on the left. This is the skeletal structure of what will soon be a shopping center. So this exact photo composition will soon disappear.
Click here to read Part 2 of Larry’s Insider’s Guide to New York
Larry Kessler is a frequent contributor to Authentic Luxury Travel. Be sure to read his previous articles Larry’s Meaning of Life Travel Experience and First Time in Europe – Journey to Connection.
Category: USA Eastern States
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