Upper Manhattan

Today I toured Upper Manhattan. Back to Union Square, then continued on foot northwards.

Herald Square. Cheeky sparrows, writing bums and bored cops. All crossing the road on red. Right in front of the cops. Nobody says anything. Stop, but only if you’re Latino. Then it costs $20. It’s free for white people.

Seeingthe flat iron building live after 6 years of studying architecture is really something. And despite all the lectures, I don’t trust its wind resistance. It’s bound to blow over.

The Empire State Building is of course an absolute must. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to walk up, which I would have liked to have done. The lift costs a whopping $18, and it’s packed at the top. It’s a great view, but somehow there’s no sublime atmosphere. There are some very nice roof terraces in NY, you can see them from the top.

Times Square bores me. Loud, crowded, colourful, transient. I see a Puerto Rican who doesn’t have a flag on and isn’t even dressed in white, blue and red. I look at him with irritation and he looks back. It’s no joke, today is some kind of bank holidays for them, they all had these colours. Onwards through Bryant Park and Little Korea to Madison Park. That’s what the Americans like: a blues festival and finally some free drinking. I’d rather sip 2 litres of juice to keep coughing and then drive home.