Happy New Year 2012: Live from Times Square, New York
New York is one of my least favorite places I’ve ever been, but the presence there of a large conglomeration of friends and authentic Indian restaurants ensures that I visit more often than I otherwise would. It’s a slightly more expensive version of Bombay, that’s my impression, after four trips to the Big Apple. So it wouldn’t be too hard for you to accept if I said that I have little on my schedule except food and socializing on my impromptu winter vacation in the Northeast. Traveling from Atlanta, I was hoping to catch some snow and was ready for a ‘white’ Christmas (as Home Alone 1/2/3 told me. Note to self: check them out). It ended up being annoyingly warm most days I was there.
Do the basics while you’re there: Times Square, Wall Street, NYSE, Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, Lady Liberty. If you’re studying English literature in New York, Central Park might inspire you and provide you with some fodder (no, not for a dissertation on Southeast Asia). Contact a local to show you around; Life would be so much easier while avoiding the crowds and subway routes. And if you think you can handle more touristy stuff, buy tickets to a Broadway show in Times Square.
One can go to the top floor of Rockefeller Plaza or the Empire State Building for spectacular views of the skyline and downtown. I timed my visit to the Rockefeller at sunset to get both day and night views. Look at the lights of the Empire State Building. Like the Google doodle, they change depending on the occasion. If you prefer grand views for free, get out of the madness and take a leisurely walk along the Hoboken waterfront in Newport. It’s my way of enjoying New York City. Distance is nice to me!
I recommend spending a couple of hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET); there is something for everyone there. Personally, I loved his collection on Egypt: royal mummies, jewelry, contents of the burial chambers, and parts of the walls of the pyramids. Although I’m not much of a connoisseur of painting, I found it fascinating to see some ‘familiar’ names like Rembrandt, Picasso and Van Gogh come up casually. For a more in-depth experience, take the audio tour. Well worth the five bucks and you can shrug your ‘donation’ to the museum.
And if you’re longing for ghar-ka-khana and can’t afford a return trip to India, Edison’s in New Jersey would do you a lot of good. Be sure to visit Paratha Junction on Mahatma Gandhi Avenue. It is THE Indian restaurant in the entire US for me. Even the Saravana Bhavan food and Woodlands buffet doesn’t come close to the ghee drizzled aloo paratha and dhal makhani at this place. Oh my gosh, as I type this I’m picturing food on my lips and I’m crying! I remember buying a week’s worth of parathas during my summer trip. For a leisurely meal at home, order food online and have it delivered. On a side note, have you eaten at the ‘Jus parathas’ chain in India? I used to like them so much but the usual excursion from my school days seems to have closed and I have not seen another one in Chennai.
In addition to the paratha delight, there were also burrito bowls from Chipotle and lettuce wraps from pf Changs and caramel turtle cheesecakes from Cheesecake factory and falafel sandwiches from Central Park carts. Although they were also delicious, I’m not excited enough to write about them here. Another restaurant that impressed me, not because of its food but because of the dining experience, was the Melting Pot. It’s a popular chain on the East Coast that offers a not-so-humble chocolate cheese fondue on their menu. The pyrotechnics of the ignited rum in the chocolate fondue was a surprise to me, and I would have clicked a few pictures had I been prepared. If I visit this place again, it will be for the novelty factor alone.
Also, usually people are next to Times Square on New Year’s Eve for the famous ‘ball drop’. But for some of us, getting drunk was something more than that!