My affair with The Big Cities

There was a time when I hated big cities and all that I associated with  them was noise, the clutter, the pageantry and hype . I would often get lost there.Given a chance, I preferred wilds or the offbeat , rustic, charming towns or heritage sites in ruins. But of late , I seem to be lured by these big cities..

Maybe its the energy, the sights and sounds or just the romantic past tucked away in them, but certainly my fascination for these sprawling metropolises seems to grow. I've always loved Bombay and yes, Delhi too. And Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

 People in NYC watching a street performance

In the international scene, New York and London  fascinates me . And Rome, SFO, Zurich, Dublin, Munich. I enjoy Singapore and Hong Kong and my memories of Melbourne and Sydney, though very old now, still linger. Yes, there are museums , palaces, castles and several sightseeing spots ; but that's not all. Although all these cities are different from each other as chalk and cheese, there seems to be certain reasons why they lure me .

The energy - It  radiates in your mind as you walk down the roads, absorbing the sights and sounds. Whether its India or abroad, there is so much life everywhere . The trains or the tubes - the city virtually moves to their rhythm.And I am not just referring to the nightlife. Walk on the streets, go to a cafe, go shopping or sightseeing, the energy seeps into you and how !

 Times Square in Hong Kong

The streets - They are the living spaces and they are so vibrant. There is so much colour everywhere. You just have to walk down the streets of a city to discover it. Little unknown cafes to bookshops to mega malls and up scale restaurants, to curious signboards and billboards to street performances .. the streets symbolise the city. I hate coach tours for the simple reason you can never feel the pulse of the city. Your feet may get swollen, but you never know what you discover. All those days in NYC, I would just sit in a cafe at Manhattan and see life unfold around me.

 NYC - Times Square

Events - Watch out for the live shows or the musicals or the plays . Some of them maybe free or you may get a discount somewhere. And its worth every penny as you bring back an experience that is unique to the place.

 The Lion King Show in Lycium, London

Nightlife - Why would anyone visit any of the big cities and not capture an essence of its nightlife ? So,while you are looking for a " happenning " place, you may also find some taverns and pubs which have either a lot of history or are quaint and yet full of life. Seek them out. I love Clarke Quay for instance in Singapore and we went to some real old pubs in London which was so lively and fun and the pubs in Dublin which absolutely rocked with some great Irish music

 In a bar in Dublin

The city within the city - So, you come to every city with a list of sightseeing attractions and monuments that you must see and do .But here is a city often hidden beyond the city we now . I went on the London walks last week, where we saw the London of Dickens and Shakespeare ; we also did  see the old London wall. There are many Delhis within Delhi today and Chennai will take you to the fishing hamlet that was once Madras, the settlement formed by the British East India Company. Everything is not just about history - there is art, architecture, literature that forms the cultural ethos of the city. Soak into it !

 Outside Westminister tube station in  London

I can think of many more reasons , but these are the five that comes to my mind. What about you guys ? Do you like big cities and why ?Would love to hear from you

By the way, if you would like to follow me on my journeys and travel with me virtually, I would like to invite you to join me on Facebook and on Twitter where I update on the go..

Holidays in New York

New York City consider as popular tourist destination that offers various attraction sites especially for young individuals. This place is just one of the few venues where lots of peoples can easily come, enjoy and having a great time together with friends or family. Holidays New York offers consider as a remarkable experience for everyone. The following are recommended places for everyone to take a visit and witness the beauty that it offers with a sense of adventure and remarkable experience.

• Statue of Liberty


• Empire State Building


• Rockefeller Center


• Brooklyn Bridge


• Time Square


• Grand Central Station


• Central Park that consider as National Historic Landmark ever since 1963 and also become the most visited urban type park in United State.

So what are you waiting for, begin planning now as to have a leisure holidays New York vacation travel thru doing early booking on airlines and hotels for accommodation. Nowadays, there are lots of traveling agencies online that provides various information about traveling packages and deals upon going to New York. This traveling packages and deals usually cover for transportation, accommodation, dining or restaurants and attraction sites to tour or have some adventures. Indeed, availing this type of holidays New York packages and deals supports travelers to save time, money and experience a hassle free travel.

New York City Travel Hot Spots

Gay bars in New York City is one of the most popular destinations for gay people. It composes of impressive DJs that providing sexy music’s for everyone. The bars here had usually pole dancers for entertaining. The lights are all exotic that can make a person dance surrounded with hot gay people. All the bars are operated every night till morning. If you love to go at gay bar that is attached in hotels, restaurants or coffee shops, New
York has these bars. Music has different kind in which you can ask some request. Whether you like the Latin or salsa, DJ will guarantee your request. There are bars here for adults and young also. Therefore, all ages are free to come here as long as it will not do anything like bad staff. Gay bars are open daily but the hottest night is in Saturday and Friday.

However, if you are looking for a gay bar that only serves coffee or classy drinks, you can choose gay friendly hotels. The surroundings are perfectly luxurious and pretty. It has a beautiful swimming pool if you like to have some night swimming with your friends. It eventually makes your night unforgettable and enjoyable.

Las Vegas Top Restaurants

Las Vegas is one of the most popular and rich places all over the world. It is also known as one of the luxurious in terms of hotels, restaurants, clothes, everything that you can see here are mostly all  expensive. So it means that if you are going to visit here you should have to make sure that you have your enough budgets for your foods, shopping activities, hotels and so on. One of the expensive places here are the restaurants. When you spend vacation here you actually want to find restaurants offering low cost prices since most things here are costly. The good thing is that there are plenty of fast foods to choose from if your money is budgeted. Various restaurants, food courts and cafes offer as low as 15 dollar above. With that price you can eat your favorite foods or the delicacies here.

The cheap top five restaurants here are the following below.

• NASCAR café. The café is located at Sahara hotel particularly offering cheap burger. Their burger is famed because many want and love to eat their man made burger.
• Canters Deli. This is found at Treasure Island hotel. Their main menu is the noodle soup and chunky sandwiches. The restaurant is open 24/7 in order for you to order anytime you want.
• Chin Chin Café. The basic foods here are Chinese. If you are fond of eating Chinese foods then this café is the perfect restaurants for you with low prices.
• Tower’s Deli. It offers a lot of foods such as soups, salad, sandwiches and desserts with affordable prices.
• Earl of Sandwiches. It is located at Planet Hollywood hotel. The sandwich was invented by the owner itself. The sandwich comes into different flavors such as cheese, olives, red peppers and much more.

Remembering September 11 - New York City

I happen to visit the St Paul's Chapel in NYC, situated very close to the World Trade Centre Site.

I was told the chapel miraculously survived the destruction and was a refuge of survivors and rescuers. I saw a lot of people breaking down as I sat in the chapel for a while and looked around the memorials and the small symbols of peace and sacrifice exhibited there

Heat Up your Vacation in Sea Isle City

Everyone looks for a perfect vacation where they can experience absolute relaxation and endless fun at the same time. There are various vacation spots all over the world that you can choose from but if you want to have the most unique vacation then rentals in Sea Isle City would be a great choice.

Sea Isle City is a city in New Jersey, United States located on Ladlum Island. Sea Isle City is just right for a summer vacation or a travel spot for your family, friends and loved ones. You can find a variety of Sea Isle City rentals where you can stay for your long and exciting vacation. This city offers different activities that you will surely enjoy especially during the month of June which is packed with activities for everyone like concert nights, movie nights, dance parties, fair, exhibits and many more.

For those who are vibrant and outgoing individuals the city is also giving you outdoor activities such as walkathons, runs, basketball, surfing, and skate boarding. There are more to look forward to in Sea Isle City aside from these events such as festivals and parades .And what is best about this city is its beautiful and comforting beaches that will give you a calm atmosphere treating you to an extraordinary respite. Rental in Sea Isle City will surely welcome you with its best service and soothing ambiance of their accommodation perfectly designed for special guests like you. You can also find sea isle city real estate where you can discover more than what you are looking for. Sea isle city is a tourist destination which accommodates you with all necessary services packed with awesome views and fun activities.

So when you are up for a hotter and fun vacation, go straight to Sea Isle City and experience a vacation for a lifetime. Brace yourself for the wonders of Sea Isle City, simple yet a perfect vacation spot.

Messaging - the American way

 

Recently my mother in law had some visitors. A couple of guys had come home , asking for details wrt the census. These guys were going from door to door, knocking on homes, asking for details . While I was in New York last month, the census activity was on as well. I do not know how the process works there, but what I did see was an advertising campaign where messaging was loud and clear - on bill boards, buses and even in subways asking people to cooperate wrt the census. For instance - the message on this hop on hop off bus says it all. Incidentally I saw quite a few buses with the Incredible India campaign on it.

America America - 2

Overheard at JFK while waiting in the long queue for the immigration clearance - "Papa , yeh airport bada hai but achcha nahin hai. Sirf decorations achcha hai." The kid is obviously not fascinated by the airport and the father looks tired . Standing behind me is another couple from India and their infant just starts screaming out of hunger. The mother hurriedly prepares the bottle of milk and tries to comfort her baby . Another child stares at the crying baby and dragging her backpack, she looks at her mother and says, " Innum evala neram ? " She needs to use the washroom urgently. Her mother , meanwhile is worried on two accounts - the kid's grandmother who was wheeled in is now lost in the crowd and they have a connecting flight in the next hour or so and they still need to collect their luggage and go through the check in process. " But didnt you check in your luggage directly to your destination ?" I asked her as she was transiting through JFK ." No, I cant, this is some American security procedure as its JFK, " she says.

Looking around me , I dont just see Indians in the visitor's queue but an amalgamation of nationalities. Some are transiting, while for many like me, it is their first trip to US. I wasnt surprised to see the number of Indians around me. US was always on every aspirational Indian's list and I remember as a teenager picturising the suburbs where the Indian diaspora lives as an upscale version of Pondy Bazaar . After all, there is Saravana Bhavan everywhere . However I pinched myself out of my reverie and told myself " Come on, Im in America, in JFK, THE airport , in New York City,..." and all I felt was exhaustion as I waited for my turn for the stamp.

A traveller's diary has to begin somewhere. A date, an incident, a thought..mine probably started in Chennai at the visa office or even much earlier when I applied for the visa.The interview itself was a cake walk, except that you still need to get burnt in the sun even though procedures say you can come a few minutes before your interview. A couple of girls waited with me in the queue for the interview - one was attending a conference and another was going there on a project. No prizes for guessing, they were both from IT. " Are you going on work ?" one asked. " No, as a tourist, " I replied and found myself saying the same thing to the US official clad in a kurta and peering through his glasses at my passports and looking for an excuse to deny me a visa. I looked nonchalant and then came the question, " Do you work ?"
I said, "as a consultant yes, not for a corporate. " "Thats still work " he quipped , probably suggesting that I am lying to him about my reason to visit US .I shrugged and a few moments passed as he flipped through the passports and looked at the stamps of various nations. And then he smiled , looking at an Australian stamp way back in 1992. " Ah !youve been to Australia, what were you doing there ?" He probably thought I was a student there . " A tourist again," I replied, and added " I like travelling to places..thats my passion and I do some bit of travel writing as well.." I chose not to elaborate further and he nodded and decided I was speaking my truth . Just as I was leaving, he suddenly asked " Do you have kids ?" When I answered in the negative, he smiled and apologised for the question and added inadvertently," Im always asked the same question too..been married for many years and I dont have kids..collect your passport later. " I smiled . He was just doing his job, I guess.

But the man at the immigration counter was a different cup of tea. He was clearly bored and looked irritated. He had just finished asking a lady from the Middle east a barrage of questions and when it was my turn, he just signaled he was taking a break. I waited for another ten minutes and finally he was back and gestured me to come over. I handed my passports to him with the immigration card bookmarking the US visa stamp on it. His first question was " Which passport has the US visa ? " When I mentioned it was the second , he immediately snarled at me, " So why are you carrying two passports then ?" I didnt reply for I wasnt sure what to reply , but I realized he didnt expect a reply. He just painstakingly removed one staple after another and tossed my old passport at me. Then came the formalities. And finally before I left, he just showed me a page on my new passport . It was dated 2007 and a transit Dubai visa was stamped on it . As I had a few hours before my connecting flight to Germany, I had decided to step out and had got the visa at the airport. The official had stapled my baggage tags to the page along with the stamp and the immigration man was pointing to it. I wasnt sure what his problem was , as I had travelled in 2007 and I told him the story behind it. He seemed impatient and didnt let me finish .." But you have wasted a page..why have you stapled the baggage tags ? " he snorted back. I was trying hard not to laugh, but muttered I will inform Emirates next time and left the man to harass the next visitor to US.

Foggy and warm..

 

 

It was extremely cold and windy, even though the sun was shining bright. As the ferry landed on the Liberty Island, we looked behind to see the fog slowly cover New York City like a thin sheet , which slowly spread across the sea and the horizon..

 

 

To see more skies around the world, click here

What bull !

 

In any country, the streets offer great fodder for your lens. I recently did a photo feature on New York in CLAY and most of them were around Manhattan. On most days, I used to hang out at Wall Street and take a long walk across Fulton Street to the South Sea Port. When tired, I used to return to the Battery Park and watch people, birds and squirrels .The site of the WTC along with the Trinity Church was one of the places thronged by tourists. As the Financial Centre was at Wall street, one of the attractions was a massive sculpture of a charging bull which seemed to be the favourite of the tourists. There was always a group of tourists out there waiting in turn to pose for pictures and if they found no place in front of the bull, they would take a picture against its rear . Wiki says that the bull was featured in the movie Kal Ho Na Ho..I found it amusing to watch this crowd as it would be like a continuous session of posers and photographers.In fact there were so many people that I could not get a single picture of the entire bull.

America America - 1

I have to start my US posts with one admission - That I was never fascinated with America and anything American, barring of course Robert Frost . This country was not in my top 10 wishlist nor was I ever tempted to study/live there or marry someone with a US tag.For someone like me who was always interested in culture,history and literature besides natural wonders, Europe held greater fascination .

However when I got the opportunity to travel around US , I decided to go with an open mind .I wanted to explore the country as a tourist/traveller and I must admit that I liked what I saw. If possible, I would even like to return - but only as a visitor. Nevertheless the trip has been great and I must say that its not just the place, but the many people we met - from friends, family to perfect strangers who made the trip happen for me. And so, here is my perspective on America which is not going to be a travelogue featuring destinations, but it will be a random expression of my thoughts and experiences in the country.

Battery Park - Manhattan

Normally we all wear the garb of a tourist when we visit a place . We usually have a short span of time, less money and a list of must see places and we run from one place to another taking pictures and buying souvenirs.Time means money and we do not want to waste even a moment hanging around anywhere. Sometimes, we call ourselves travellers and we seek to experience a place, its culture, meet people and go to off beat places. The travellers tend to look down on the tourists as they walk around with a bit of a swagger and a knowledable air about them. And then of course comes the vagabond, who has absolutely no agenda and who just wanders soaking in everything and letting the place and people get under his skin.

In this trip, I have been all of the above . There have been days when Ive played the perfect tourist to the hilt,especially when I did a whirlwind trip of the west coast and bought more souvenirs than chocolates.Sometimes I was the traveller with a swagger . For instance there was an American lady from New Jersey who asked my help to buy her a train ticket to New York from the automated machine . She said that in all her three decades of living in Jersey, she had never bought a ticket to go to New York and she got dropped there by car. She asked me how long I had been here as she assumed like many other Indians I was living here. I told her I was barely three days old in US.

Pier 39 - SFO

And then for many days, I enjoyed being the vagabond ,walking around Manhattan and Central Park, listening to some amazing music on the streets of NYC and SFO, looking at birds and squirrels at parks or watching people and their antics . And needless to say the best experience was in being a vagabond. I am glad I had a busy husband at work while I roamed around ( although I cribbed about him dragging me off early morning and dumping me at a museum or in some subway. ) I hardly saw many tourists in NYC except near the site of the twin tower and the bull at Wall Street. The crowds that filled NYC on weekends were mainly locals and people who came in from neighbouring towns and states.

A hoarding at Times Square

To give you a basic update - I spent little less than a month in US and explored NYC for almost a fortnight . And then we took a ten day holiday to do a whirlwind trip of the other coast. But the streets of New York have left a lasting impression in my mind. The skyline and the statues, the museums and the shows have of course been captured in photographs, but what stays in my mind is the energy, the music and the efficient but dirty subways (Just happenned to see Taking of Pelham 123 in the flight before I landed in the US and I felt like I reliving the movie while travelling through them ) The heart of any city lies in its public transport and while the subway routes are rather confusing for a visitor, I had learnt the difference between an Uptown and a Downtown train before I left.

Most of US that I saw is indeed man made and this is probably one of the reasons that I was never really excited initially to spend loads of moneys to see tall skyscrapers and never ending bridges. I had never been a fan of big cities except Bombay , but here I literally had to eat my words. Man made here means scale and scale is well, beyond words. And the experience of walking down the Brooklyn Bridge or the Golden gate or seeing the lights of Manhattan coming up from an evening ferry or watching the skyline from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building may be considered touristy , but the infrastructure and scale here makes you wonder whether everything is just about money or good foresight and planning.

Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

Ive had many conversations with friends, bloggers and strangers on the American way of India, racism, Obama, recession, emotional security, children and of course travelling. I would save these for another post. While there are so many memories and thoughts that are pouring out, there are a few I would definitely like to forget - The immigration interview for instance and the paranoid security at airports.

Its 4.45 am India time now and even after 3 days, my jet lag continues. I will go back and catch another 40 winks , before morning dawns .

Hop on Hop off across the US

It has been a while since I said Hello here and I blame it purely on travelling, lack of time, low online connectivity and laziness. It has been about 20 days since I landed in New York and then I have been criss crossing the country to see places like Phoneix, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, LA, Santa Barbara, SFO ,Monterey - Big Sur on the coast and now back to NY-NJ. Met a lot of friends and family and its been a great time bonding while travelling around.

 

Ironically, this has never been my style of travelling. I usually do a lot of research and plan an itinerary before landing anywhere and then see places which are a combo of touristy and non touristy and spend quite a bit of time everywhere. This time though, its been like literally being on a hop on hop off bus across the US and trying to see whatever I can within the short span of time. In most places, we had friends and family giving us company, taking us around and guiding us, except in Vegas where we were on our own. And its been fun either ways.
Im heading to Manhattan in a few hours if the weather holds as its been raining here and the temperature is in single digits..else am planning to snuggle up and read and enjoy the warmth of the heater next to me.

Hotels in Las Vegas this Holiday Season

THERE are definitely many hotels in Las Vegas since it is the sin capital of the world. Almost all of the hotels there have luxury games in them except for the few inexpensive ones which are ideal for those who are traveling as backpackers only.

The following are the rather expensive hotels in Las Vegas but if you are a millionaire out there reading this article, why not binge on them? Bellagio is one of the most famous landmarks in the Vegas strip. In fact, it is so famous that it is being parodied by lots of movies, the most famous of them being the Ocean series. Bellagio has its own state-of-the-art spa, an art gallery, an indoor garden and it prides itself to be the base of Cirque du Soleil. When the Cirque du Soleil is not performing, it plays hosts to equally popular artists such as Celine Dion, the Italian tenors and even world boxing championships. Of course, guests in the hotel will enjoy tremendous discounts in watching these shows as a package.

But if you’d rather stay at a neat yet inexpensive hotel, I suggest that you may inquire from your trusted travel agency so they will book you to the right place to stay while you are on a wild adventure in Sin City.