New York -

Williamsburg – two different sides of New York

Gosia — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 18:00:38 +0000

I visited Williamsburg at the end of my trip to New York. Actually, I had no special ideas about this part of NYC as it isn’t covered very widely in guidebooks. However, the moment I got off at Bedford Av Station, I knew I was in the right place. Williamsburg is located in the north of Brooklyn and is named after the bridge that is often confused with the Brooklyn Bridge. It is quite quiet here compared to Manhattan, there are no perpetual traffic jams in the streets and the pace of life seems to be significantly slower. Williamsburg consists of two completely different parts. The first belongs to the orthodox Jewish community, the so-called Hasidim. The place looks like time has stopped here. Only men with sidelocks in black hats can be seen here. They are mainly descendants of emigrants from Eastern Europe who escaped from the Holocaust during the World War II. When visiting Williamsburg, I had no idea that I would land in a place like this, so I wasn’t dressed properly. While there are no clothing restrictions across NYC, a modest dress code applies here. Anyway, I immediately felt that I shouldn’t have been here. People passing me looked away as if I weren’t there, they were certainly disgusted with my shorts and T-shirt. Actually, I felt there like in the Mea Shearim district in Jerusalem. Taught by experience, I preferred not to take my camera out for fear of being hit by a stone. The second part of Williamsburg is inhabited by a variety of artists and hipsters of various origins. This is reflected in murals, atmospheric pubs and interesting spots. Looking at these two different worlds, you can easily guess that the moods are quite tense here. Williamsburg’s charm lies in the abandoned industrial development that is now getting a second life. One of the largest plants was the Domino Sugar factory. The factory was established in 1856, and less than 15 years later it produced more than half of the sugar sold in the entire United States. It was closed in 2004. Objects related to the former factory are brought back to life and fit perfectly into the modern, industrial look of this place. The factory building itself still looks quite psychodelic, while its surrounding has been transformed into a recreation area for residents called Domino Park. The long promenade with an amazing view of Manhattan, a playground, fountains, pubs, a dog run, a Bocce or volleyball court are the main attractions of this place. A popular meeting place is the Brooklyn Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1988 and was the first place of this type to be opened in NYC. Moreover, the trend for craft beers was initiated there. Currently, Brooklyn Brewery has many types of beers on offer and a small gift shop. Williamsburg is worth visiting on Saturday when Smorgasburg takes place – a huge open-air food market. From spring to autumn, Smorgasburg attracts hundreds of people who want to try unique dishes at reasonable prices. By the way, there is a lot to choose from, over 100 food trucks offer skewers, pasta, seafood and a variety of delicious desserts. Market is located right next to Marsha P. Johnson State Park, which offers amazing views of Manhattan. Can you imagine a better lunch spot? Right next to the market there’s also an old record market, as you can see in the picture attached, it also has a lot of enthusiasts ? Williamsburg is also famous for its unique second-hand shops. In addition, a flea market is held every weekend on 7th St, Brooklyn. As I mentioned in the previous posts, I love this type of places, because they are practically not visited by tourists, thanks to which they have a local atmosphere. Williamsburg flea made a huge impression on me. On the spot, I expected to see a standard assortment like in this type of bazaar. Meanwhile, I felt as if I were in the States some dozen years ago. I am not a fan of products sold in these types of places, but to be honest, if I’d had a place in my luggage, I would have spent a fortune there. In the end, I was only tempted by the New York license plate. In addition to clothes and jewellery, you can also find old photographic equipment, books, flags and baseball accessories. However, this is not all, as you go further north, you can hear the Polish language in the streets. There is the famous Greenpoint, which is the “enclave” of Poles in New York. It’s best to end your trip at Peter Pan Bakery, where you can try delicious donuts. Williamsburg combines tradition and modernity. Abandoned industrial plants coexist with modern buildings and street art. Williamsburg is also an amazing mix of cultures where the orthodox lifestyle coexists with the hipster one. Certainly, to drop here it’s worth deviating a bit from the route marked by the guides ?

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Brooklyn Bridge-21 elephants and 17 camels…

Gosia — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:32:58 +0000

The Brooklyn Bridge – an icon of New York and one of the most recognisable symbols of the Big Apple. I admit I didn’t expect that it would make such a big impression on me. By the way, just knowing that this is one of the oldest span bridges in the world it’s a sufficient reason to be under big impression. Actually, when it was built in 1883 was also the longest suspended bridge in the world. Less than a week after its opening ceremony, the bridge became a place of tragedy, 12 people died on it. During Memorial Day celebrations false alarm about the alleged risk of bridge collapse caused panic among the people participating in the march. This accident and lack of trust for innovative construction caused the residents of NYC to stop using the bridge. It was only the ingenious move of the city authorities who decided to lead 21 elephants and 17 circus camels across the bridge that restored the confidence of NYC residents in the Brooklyn Bridge. To this day, its elaborate construction consisting of powerful stone towers, as well as a large number of steel wires makes it awesome. I won’t even mention marvelous views of Manhattan. In addition to its basic transport function, the Brooklyn Bridge was also the place where wine was stored. Massive granite pillars created isolation and guaranteed perfect conditions for storing wine in the cellars inside. One of these rooms also served as an anti-bomb shelter during the Cold War. It was discovered only in 2006 during bridge construction inspection. Inside the room were medical supplies, water and a supply of high – calorie crackers. Currently you can visit here a photography gallery, located inside metal containers. Being around, it’s also worth visiting the so-called DUMBO. DUMBO is nothing more than an acronym used to determine the NYC area – Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries DUMBO was a warehouse and industrial center, also today you can see old warehouses, made of characteristic red brick. Currently, many of these buildings are transformed into iconic boutiques and small art galleries. However, DUMBO’s most important point is the corner of Front and Washington streets. You can recognize it by a large number of tourists, trying to capture a perfect snap 😉 It’s worth going here both day and night. The view of two bridges – Brooklyn and Manhattan is terrific! Moving further towards the Brooklyn Bridge, you can see the iconic Jane’s Carousel from 1922. It creates the amazing, old-fashioned atmosphere of this place. It’s also worth taking a look at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where you can find an amazing view of Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge . Visit this place both day and night.

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Central Park, New York – surprising discovery

Gosia — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:14:17 +0000

Central Park was opened in 1857 and since then it has become one of the most recognized places in NYC. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen it in films no wonder it is considered as one of the most frequently filmed park in the world. This is an amazing place that looks even more amazing from the bird’s eye view. Central Park turned out to be a big surprise for me, especially one place I hadn’t read about in any of the guidebooks before going to NYC (believe me, I did my homework througly). You’ll find out more about this place in the next part of the post ? Central Park is a completely different reality in New York, you can enjoy greenery, water, sun and peace that you won’t find in the rest of Manhattan. It’s hard to imagine the scale of Central Park. On the other hand, did you know that its surface is greater than the Vatican and Monaco? Actually, it was only when I was flying a helicopter over NYC (as I wrote about here) that I realized how huge area it occupies. There are a total of 93 km of pedestrian paths in Central Park, so seeing it all is quite a challenge. Central Park idea was actually born in 1863. At that time, the city bought 843 acres of land for less than $ 7,5 million to develop it as a park. I wonder what is the value of this area now… Central Park is Mahattan green lungs. New Yorkers love this place because it allows them to rest from the hustle of NYC, which can really be a nuisance. You can see there people jogging, cycling, walking around with small children or having a picnic. Central Park is an interesting place also in geological aspects. You can see there interesting rock formations – the result of glacier activity about 12 thousand years ago. The place that must be visited while in Central Park is Strawberry Fields Memorial. It’s a mosaic devoted to tragically died John Lennon, and its name comes from the Beatles song ′′ Strawberry Fields Forever “. There’s the inscription ′′Imagine′′ also referring to Lennon’s famous song. Strawberry Fields has over the years become almost a place of worship and pilgrimage of the singer’s fans. It’s located opposite the building where John Lennon lived and died. In the center of Central Park there is so-called the Great Lawn, huge green area reaching 22 hectares. This is the perfect place for a picnic with a view of the Manhattan skyscrapers. Great view of Manhattan can be captured also form Sheep Meadow, which according to the name, served as a pasture until 1934. On the other hand, the Central Park panorama is best admired from the Belvedere Castle. Right next to the castle there’s a place that turned out to be the biggest discovery during my exploration. Walking around Belvedere Castle, I accidentally came across a certain monument. When I came closer, it turned out that I was standing in front of the monument of Polish King Władysław Jagiello. It’s impossible to hide that this is the largest monument located in Central Park. There’s also the following inscription: ′′ King Jagiełło, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, founder of the open relationship between the peoples of central and eastern Europe, winner over the Teutonic invaders near Grunwald, July 15, 1410 “. Finally, a small bonus ? When you’re in Central Park, don’t miss a bookshop located on its edge (on the corner of 5th Avenue with 79th Street) called Albertine. The bookstore is famous for its large selection of French literature. On the other hand, this place is unique because of the amazing interior.

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New York skyscrapers – how to eat your cake and have it?

Gosia — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 06:39:02 +0000

Skyscrapers – this is probably the most distinctive element of New York. I won’t hide that when I was going to NYC I was fascinated by the number of skyscrapers I would see on the spot. Meanwhile, New York skyscrapers have surprised me in several other ways. First of all, I didn’t expect them to be so tall. Buildings in the size of the Palace of Culture an Science in Warsaw are let’s say of medium size. This makes a huge impression, but on the other hand, it also has some drawbacks. Manhattan’s high and dense architecture makes it very dark, virtually there’s no light. Another issue is the problem with navigation, high buildings cover the access to sufficient numer of satellites, as a result GPS goes crazy. Not discouraged by the lack of navigation, I decided to see the icons of NYC. The first and most important skyscraper – One World Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower, is 541 meters high and belongs to the highest buildings in the world. It’s called the same as the North Tower of the original WTC, which collapsed on September 11th, 2001 as a result of a terrorist attack. From the One World Observatory deck, you can admire the amazing NYC panorama for 38$. Right next to One World Trade center there’s a museum dedicated to the 9.11th tragedy, which I will write about in another post. In my opinion, there’s one of the prettiest skyscrapers in NYC – Woolworth Building. Although it is located just a few blocks from the former WTC, it was not destroyed during the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Chrysler Building, built in 1928 is another richly decorated skycraper. It used to be the highest building in the world but just for a short time. Already in 1930 first place on the podium was awarded to the Empire State Building which then was under construction. Empire State Building world’s highest building between 1931 and 1972, including a 443 meter spire (1,454 feet). It’s an icon of New York, a beautiful skyscraper reminiscent of old times, a cherry on a cake of NYC skyscrapers. Therefore, I faced a dilemma on how to eat a cake and have it. After all, it’s impossible to admire NYC panorama without the Empire State Building, but on the other hand, it would be pitty not to take advantage of the opportunity to be on its observation deck. My doubts wre dispelled by the price of a trip to the top, ′′ just ′′ 46 $! Luckily I found another solution, which I will write about in a moment. In the area of TRIBECA, at Thomas St Street. 33 there’s an extraordinary skyscraper. First glance at this building leaves no illusions, tourists are not allowed here. This skyscraper was built in 1974 and is unofficially called Long Lines Building. It resembles a massive fortress and there’s indeed something in it. It was built for one of the most important phone centers and data processing in the USA. In order to ensure maximum protection, its construction is reinforced and you won’t see any widows there. According to some conspiracy theories, it is used by the US National Security Agency (NSA) as a spy center. Moreover, some sources say that inside is a NSA base called TITANPOINTE, which aim is to capture phone calls and internet data. Personally looking at this building I can believe everything 😉 Sightseeing New York from the roofs of the skyscrapers unfortunately costs a lot. The total cost of admission to the skyscrapers described above would be over 100 $! Therefore, and also because I don’t like half measures, I chose another option… a helicopter flight over Manhattan! I took advantage of Helicopter Flight Services and paid $ 125 for a 15 minute flight. In fact, my trip was much longer because I caught an earlier 20 minute flight that there was one free seat. What’s more, I got the best seat right next to the pilot. As you can see, solo travelling has many advantages 😉 How does it look like to see New York from a helicopter? It’s an incredible experience when you fly over the Lady Liberty, and in the distance you can see the Financial District (FiDi) with the proudly dominant One World Trade Center. Farther is even more interesting, skyscrapers look like an intricately arranged Lego bricks construction. Additionally, during my flight, heavy, rainy clouds and gloomy weather created an interesting dark atmosphere of Gotham. I really liked this vibe. From the bird’s eye view you can see passenger ferries and a huge USS Intrepid carrier, currently located in the museum (post here). On the other hand, the Empire State Building looks marvelous from the sky. Central Park is making an incredible impression, I can only guess how this place must get on developers’ nerves. So much undeveloped land… On the other hand, I have to admit that I did not settle for a helicopter flight. You know appetite comes with eating, that’s why I thought to myself: to be in NYC and not see the skyscrapers at night? This is how I found myself on the observation deck of Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. In fact, there are three sightseeing terraces where you can admire the amazing NYC panorama. The views from here are literally amazing! On the other hand, the perfect and cheapest option to explore New York from a slightly higher perspective are the numerous bars located on the roofs of the buildings, I wrote about here. In fact, there’s no use spending money on admission to an observation deck, while can you have the same view for the price of a drink. 😉

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Coney Island – spooky funfair and incubators on the promenade

Gosia — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 06:43:54 +0000

Sometimes it happens that when being in New York, the only thing you just want is to quit this city and go… just to the beach. The optimal solution is just an hour trip from Manhattan (Q subway line) to Coney Island, located at the southern end of Brooklyn. Getting off at Ocean Parkway station I have only a few minutes of walk to the famous beach. First glance, it looks similar to other kinds of beaches – promenade, sand, water… However, I see a few things that make this place unique during low season:– it’s quiet,– there are no people,– it’s clean,– it’s bright, there are no skyscrapers that cut off the sunlight.What’s more, this place is the quintessence of kitsch, total denial of fancy Manhattan, quite perverse and I guess that’s why I’m starting to like it here. In mid-September Coney Island Beach captivated me also with something else, deserted old funfair looked pretty spooky. However, I still have in my head famous drama – Requiem for a dream that was filmed here. There are some people around, but everything looks like in slow motion, although I don’t rule out that after a week of sightseeing noisy and busy New York my perception can be a little bit disfunctional 😉 Coney Island was supposed to be a typical American Dream, second Disneyland or Las Vegas. In the 1820’s it was an exclusive resort of New York elite. However, over time it began to attract social margin, becoming the center of gambling and prostitution. At that time among a lot of attractions you could find there illegal boxing fights, special shows during which the audience could throw baseballs at black actors. However, this is not the end… during the walk along the promenade you could entertain yourself watching so called Incubator Theater where newborns fighting for survival in incubators were put on display. Anyway, Sigismund Freud’s words ′′the only thing about America that interests me is Coney Island ′′ can be considered as a true recommendation. On the promenade there are a number of old restaurants, among them the famous hot dog chain – Nathan’s Famous. What’s more interesting, this famous fast food was founded in 1916 on Coney Island by an immigrant of Polish origin. Every year on Coney Island on Independence Day, hot dog championships are held. On the way back from Coney Island it’s worth taking a walk around. At first glance, it’s far from exclusive Manhattan. I can hear Russian or Ukrainian on the streets everywhere. A little further I see a large supermarket, this is a real discovery because I haven’t seen any large shopping center in NYC in the past week. Although I don’t like shopping, I’m going in, just out of curiosity. Prices here are three times lower than in the City, and the atmosphere is kinda Slavic, Russian can be heard everywhere and the assortment includes even sausages, sausages, vegetables, famouls Polish cookies Delicje and Ptasie mleczko… I can’t believe it! The lady at the checkout looks at me suspiciously, to buy products I need a customer card which I don’t have, I’m trying to explain, but I only hear ′′ Ya ne govoryu po angliyski “, I didn’t expect that! As I read later, it turned out that the Coney Island Beach area is also called Little Odessa, due to its population of immigrants from Eastern Europe. All in all, don’t miss Coney Island while being in New York. It’s an interesting option for a one-day trip, here you can see a completely different reality from the one in downtown NYC. Like this post? Check out the other ones:

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San Gennaro, Little Italia and Chinese vibes in SoHo NYC

Gosia — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 19:21:55 +0000

It was a beautiful September morning, while eating breakfast I started checking Manhattan’s map to organise a sightseeing plan. I actually didn’t have any specific plans for that day, I just wanted to go around the city, watch people and take a couple of pics, okay, I admit, maybe not a couple, but at least hundred photos 😉 While browsing the google map, suddenly my attention was caught by a purple spot in place of some streets in southern Manhattan, more specifically around SoHo. Well, what is SoHo actually?SoHo is an acronym used by New Yorkers for the part of Manhattan located south of Houston Street. Obviously, this is not the only acronym NYC residents use to locate some places in the city, we can also distinguish:NoHo – North of Houston StreetNoLiTa – North of Little ItalyTriBeCa – Triangle Below Canal StreetLES – Lower East SideUWS – Upper West SideFiDi – Financial DistrictUES – Upper West SideThere is also – DUMBO, which is used to define one, not so stupid spot, but I’ll write about it another time. Remember these acronyms, when asking New Yorkers how to get somewhere, and also that metro is called subway here, while northern and south direction is defined as uptown and downtown. Back to the topic of SoHo and the surrounding area, I decided to check what the mysterious information on the map means. I got off the subway on Canal Street station. Immediately I felt as though I were in the south-east Asia. An amazing amount of colors, smells, exotic vegetables and fruit let alone ubiquitous noise typical of the bazaars in these areas. Of course, all of these can be seen here but in American version, more civilized when it comes to sanitary conditions, but it does not change the fact that it brought back so many memories. I didn’t quite get back “from Asia” when a few hundred meters away I uncovered the mystery of the purple stain on the map. I was actually on Mulberry street, Little Italy – part of Lower Manhattan, which, as the name indicates, is inhabited mainly by the population of Italian origin. During my stay in NYC, it turned out that the annual celebration in honor of St. Gennaro – patron saint of Naples was organised there. This tradition began in 1926 by Italian immigrants mainly from Naples. Fiesta exceeded my wildest expectations, to be honest, I had the opportunity to see the last such a big party in Moscow during Labor Day’s celebration 😀 The number of diverse dishes at the stalls literally knocked me down. San Gennaro Day is a great opportunity to try delicious traditional Italian delicacies. The iconic position in addition to pizza and pasta is Sicilian dessert – cannoli which consists of crispy waffle with ricotta cheese filling. It is also worth trying zeppoles, i.e. Italian donuts which can be filled with pudding, jelly or cannoli cream. There’s also no shortage of stands with traditional Italian meat products. As you can see in the picture below, that’s a pretty profitable business 😉 Generally, San Gennaro feast is a perfect opportunity to meet friends, the streets then are crowded and forget to find any free seat at the table. Obviously, you can’t forget that San Gennaro Feast is a religious festival. At the entrance to the feast you can see St. Gennaro figurine, decorated with the donations from worshippers. All of this and the typical temperament of the inhabitants of Little Italy, makes you feel really like in Italy here.

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Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum – New York from the aircraft carrier deck

Gosia — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:38:14 +0000

I’ve always liked visiting places and museums of a military character. I love getting back to my visit in Pearl Harbour or crawling through the tunnels in the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Therefore, I won’t even try to describe my reaction when browsing tourist attractions in NYC, I saw a picture of USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. What happened next when I read that Intrepid is just one of the many exhibits at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, you can only guess 😉 Intrepid had been in service since World War II (1943) until 1974. Apparently, it could accommodate 3 thousand people and around 82 planes. During World War II it was used in the Pacific against Japan. After the end of the war, it was moved to the reserve, but it didn’t take long when it was sent to the Atlantic waters near Guantanamo on Cuba and after that around Vietnam, during the Vietnamese War. What’s more interesting, Intrepid also served as a heliport for helicopters gathering space capsules from the sea. On the board of the carrier you can see Lockheed A-12, the predecessor of the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and many other aircrafts and helicopters. When on board, look for MiG-15, a gift from Poland. Part of the aircraft carrier’s board is occupied by a special hangar – Space Shuttle Pavilion, where you can see Enterprise space shuttle. Although Enterprise never had a space flight, it is a fully functional shuttle that was used for testing and experiments as a prototype of the next spaceships. What’s more interesting, it was originally named – the Constitution, but as a result of the intervention of Star Trek fans, it was finally given the name – Enterprise. An interesting place you can’t miss while being in the museum is USS Growler submarine. During service which took place for only a few years (since 1958 until 1964) it was used by the intelligence service during the Cold War and served as a base of guided missiles. You can also imagine here how the life of a crew sentenced to live underwater looked like. On the other hand, the culmination moment of my visit was seeing with my own eyes the fastest passenger plane – Concorde, once belonging to British Airways airline. I won’t hide, that my heart beat faster. To this day, I remember when I was a child, watching these machines taking off on TV and I wish I’d ever been able to be on their board. Check out other posts from New York:

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