Left Bangalore for Dubai on 24th July. The Emirates hospitality starts off at Bengaluru until Dubai. The immigration / passport control guys just mechanically do their jobs with no sign of welcome of any sort in sharp contrast to the Emirates staff! Dubai is a vibrant city thriving with the footfalls in its malls built with extragavance from the largesse of its bountiful oil wells. Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Batuta Mall & the largest of them all , the Dubai Mall are so spacious that a day would'nt be enough to explore them. The roads are a dream that we dream in Bangalore & the cars too are the ones we dream about! The one that stood out was the 6.0 Litre black beast of an SUV can qualify as truck - the Cadillac christened as Escalade (see pic above). Comfortably seating four across in the rear is actually a 10 seater & but the ample seats will keep you on its edge by its sheer speed & torque! The greening of the desert has been accomplished with a missionary zeal & the opulence going with it leaves you wide eyed with awe!!
Our long haul non stop 14 hour flight to New York again by Emirates was uneventful except to realise that the flight stewards were smiling and full of charm even while announcing landing despite the planeload of demanding kids and many first timers (me included). The JFK airport ,though not as posh as Dubai Airport was business like...even the trolleys costs a dollar. The immigration guys are'nt too welcoming either sizing you up by checking the documents with an eagle eye - you could be a potential illegal immigrant!
The place we stay (Manhattan) overlooks the East river & the Hudson ...New Jersey across and of course the Majestic Statue of Liberty stands tall in the distance. Wall Street, Brooklyn, West Street, Ground zero (WTC) are just a stone's throw from here. Bowling Green subway station is just below visible from the 34th storey apartment and so are the ferries , boats and luxury yachts jostling in the pier. The walking paths of Battery Park along side the pier are clean and replete with fitness freaks doing their own thing oblivious to the rest of the world. The visit to Ground Zero leaves you stunned with the enormity of the tragedy-but the ground realities are typical of the Americans--never say die -and from the activity going on at the site its just a matter of time that the new structure rises high symbolising their spirit!
Our long haul non stop 14 hour flight to New York again by Emirates was uneventful except to realise that the flight stewards were smiling and full of charm even while announcing landing despite the planeload of demanding kids and many first timers (me included). The JFK airport ,though not as posh as Dubai Airport was business like...even the trolleys costs a dollar. The immigration guys are'nt too welcoming either sizing you up by checking the documents with an eagle eye - you could be a potential illegal immigrant!
The place we stay (Manhattan) overlooks the East river & the Hudson ...New Jersey across and of course the Majestic Statue of Liberty stands tall in the distance. Wall Street, Brooklyn, West Street, Ground zero (WTC) are just a stone's throw from here. Bowling Green subway station is just below visible from the 34th storey apartment and so are the ferries , boats and luxury yachts jostling in the pier. The walking paths of Battery Park along side the pier are clean and replete with fitness freaks doing their own thing oblivious to the rest of the world. The visit to Ground Zero leaves you stunned with the enormity of the tragedy-but the ground realities are typical of the Americans--never say die -and from the activity going on at the site its just a matter of time that the new structure rises high symbolising their spirit!
The sights around Times Square especially in the evenings are fantastic. Each building has got to compulsarily light up the front facade with neons and strobes. Madame Tussauds and a whole host of upscale stores like Bloomsberg, Macy's , JC Penny are located here. An array of restaurants catering to every cuisine in the world you can find but never convert the dollar into the Rupee. We had dinner at Bubba Gump which has the theme of Forrest Gump in everything right from the furniture to the table mat! You also get gifted an exquisite glass if you order any speciality of the day! New York teems with cars of all sorts. Its a veritable treat for car lovers. Not only do you get to see the luxurious stretch limosines which are almost as long as a bus but the sleeker ones too. Its so surprising to 
see massive and gigantic 24 wheeler trucks maneuvering the streets of NY with such ease! The NY police are visible everywhere and in one of the taxi rides when the driver just overshot a changing signal he was issued a ticket. Neither the driver nor the cop exchanged a word!! New York city is an agglomeration of five buroughs viz: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Queens. Most of
see massive and gigantic 24 wheeler trucks maneuvering the streets of NY with such ease! The NY police are visible everywhere and in one of the taxi rides when the driver just overshot a changing signal he was issued a ticket. Neither the driver nor the cop exchanged a word!! New York city is an agglomeration of five buroughs viz: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Queens. Most ofthe towering buildings are very old. Many of them maintain the original facade and only the rear has been reconstructed. Century old apartments have all been remodelled with the original facade! The interiors mostly have wooden panelling and are fitted with the most modern amenities. (to be continued)
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