New York, New York

Talk about stereotypes...
So you know how all the advertising make New York like this fully huge city - capitalism central, with SOOO much shopping - the whole New York minute thing? And how everyone is dressed like supermodels and walk around with a million shopping bags, and everyone has everything they always wanted? And the Statue of Liberty is this huge monument and everything...
And then in geography it's all about how New York is part of this megalopolis that is really just one continuous city extending halfway down the east coast of the USA?

Yeah. I never wanted to visit New York. Why bother going to where everything is so expensive and everyone is this obnoxious arrogant airhead, and there isn't a square metre of wilderness for miles, and everything is filthy dirty?

It just goes to show you how successfully ads and TV shows display everything just the way they want to be viewed. And I always hated it.

But now that I've actually been there, I'm glad, because all the media garbage really was a lot of garbage. I was genuinely stunned that there were so many trees in and around New York. Like seriously! SO many! Everything is not as grand and shining as they would have you believe - people there are really just normal people, the city doesn't just link continually down to other cities, and everyone's not a supermodel.
So. The real deal?
TIMES SQUARE is everything they want the rest of New York to be like, if I know my ads. Just that section is everything the stereotype says of New York. Super expensive, flashing neon signs and a million shoppers rushing everywhere.
The STATUE OF LIBERTY is nowhere as big as it is in the movies. Half it's height is the pedestal it's standing on, and from the ferry it's tiny. And Fiona says you can't even see anything looking out from the windows at the top. Kinda boring really. New York has got nothing on Paris for awesome monuments...
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. I saw it once from the other end of Manhattan Island, and got a really bad photo. But it looked cool from what I could see.
SHOPPING? Yes, there's lots, and yes it's generally expensive. But there are tonnes of places that aren't - those "I love NY" t-shirts can be found dirt cheap - if you want to risk the quality... And I scored a pair of skate shoes for $15 somewhere.
MANHATTAN? Is not all tall buildings. The south part of the island is great - old buildings and brick roads, small shops and lanes and street markets. And trees lining so many streets. Much nicer than Times Square.
CENTRAL PARK? Huge and gorgeous. Trees, fields, playing fields, gardens, playgrounds - and I haven't seen so much green for a long time. Spring comes quickly here - it was so green in NY, and then we got back to Toronto, and found the same thing had happened. In a week.

So you take a 10 minute drive away from Harlem? (in New York city) And you're in forest covered mountains. Seriously. If you drive out of Toronto, for like three hours its all developed and grey. But you leave New York and drive north? And after about half an hour of outer city it's all mountains, forests, streams and fly fishing for like four hours. With the occasional town. So that part was seriously cool.

So basically, New York was just your average city, that was bigger than normal. No biggie. There are heaps of better cities to visit. Parts are dirty and gross, parts are nice, there's a couple of interesting tourist places, but most of it is just normal city. Nothing great.

Photos up the top are of a) Central Park, and b) Times Square