New York City. About sock selfies, Big Apple movies and songs, having the biggest, and "hanging in there" (September 2023)

Translation disclaimer: This page was translated using automated software for your convenience. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of the translation. The content will be manually reviewed later.

Day 1 : Our cruise ship MS Silver Shadow is scheduled to dock at Pier 57 around 7:30 a.m. This means anyone who wants to experience the arrival of NYC will have to be on deck or on their terrace by at least 6:15 a.m. if they want to spot, say, the Statue of Liberty at night .

I startled awake at 5:00 a.m., look outside, and see us already sailing alongside Manhattan. I dress immediately and sprint like mad with my iPhone, mounted on a support frame, to the Observation Deck. There are barely three people there. In short, almost everyone missed the arrival due to arriving so early. Luckily, I was able to catch a good bit of it, but almost no one else did.

Disembarkation and a short drive to the International Times Square Hotel. While we wait on the bus, a man, unclear what or why, greets us with a " Hi guys " and tells us about a US Airways passenger plane that made a miraculous, successful emergency landing on the Hudson River right after takeoff, at exactly this altitude. Five minutes later, he's back joking around, and another five minutes later, performs a magic trick with a coin. Welcome to New York, a city of would-be's and nutcases .

After checking in, we immediately walk to Times Square - a mere seven minutes, it's that close. We're immediately overwhelmed by the familiar interplay of billboards, flashing video spots, and other flickering attention-grabbers. And then there's the hustle and bustle of the largest, diverse, mixed mess of "human flesh in motion" ever seen. People-watching is an attraction in itself here. We're all used to tattoos, piercings, and colored hair (though: green, purple, pink, anyone?), but in NYC, everything is doubled. Wait a minute, make that times four. It's teeming with costumed characters trying to lure you into a selfie or photoshoot in the hope of a tip.

A quick overview: all sorts of Disney characters, some grimy and cheaply dressed, but also serious pieces like a tall Statue of Liberty with an American flag, a Star Wars robot, and a large, roaring King Kong—the list goes on. And also and behold, the famous "naked cowboy"—muscular, in white underwear, short boots, and a cowboy hat, but ... he's not exactly a good guitar player.

Overwhelmed and already exhausted, we return to prepare for what is to be my highlight (literally) of the trip: a helicopter flight over the city and all its attractions, with open doors and therefore the opportunity to take shoe and leg selfies.

It's incredibly expensive, but when I overlooked the city from the Empire State Building in 1988, I vowed to one day fulfill this dream. Not without a struggle, however.

Booking it online well in advance, deciding on the hour, calculating, paying extra for the shoe selfie guarantee, the requirement to be there 75 minutes early, and no-shows meaning no refund, caused me quite a bit of stress back then. But we're not there yet. FlyNyon is in Kearby, which is in New Jersey, so a different state, and across the Hudson River. With its uncertain traffic, timing is a risk. Moreover, we're unable to snag an Uber because the yellow cabs are expensive and it's a little over an hour's drive. They also have to notify us when a foreigner crosses a state border, and there's the toll for the Lincoln Tunnel. Panicked, we accosted the bell boy, who is, of course, friends with the limo boys at the door. In the end, we got everything sorted out for "only" $125, which is about €120. Swallow. But we have no choice.

Once there, I'm weighed, have to sit through a safety video, and listen to endless advice, guidelines, warnings, and prohibitions. My specially purchased video holder isn't allowed, but we each get our own: take off the cover, put the frame on, and secure it. It has a leg you can hold with one hand and a loop for around your neck. We're given a complicated suit, all straps, and taught how to release the emergency lock. Everyone has to do it one by one. We're lined up with 24 people, four helicopters with six people each, determined by weight distribution. Then another safety video, and then we drive to the heliport, somehow in the middle of nowhere, an industrial wasteland. Once at the helicopter, we stand in line, and the pilot, a quite young man, continues with do's and don'ts: instructions on the headset, such as when you're allowed to stick your feet out. "But definitely don't stick your head out, or the wind will blow your headphones away, maybe into the tail wheel and then we might be in for a swim ," he says. I'm taking my shoes off because I only have slip-ons, so it will become sock selfies.

I get the second-best seat; the luckiest one gets to sit next to the pilot, but I'm sitting backward, which means less wind resistance and, more importantly, I'm one of the three of the six who can stretch their legs. We immediately fly over industrial Hoboken, Sinatra's birthplace, and then across the Hudson River straight into Upper Manhattan. I'm shooting photos and video like crazy. Once over Central Park, we're given the "legs-out" command. A wonderfully thrilling moment. The Sinatra song "New York, New York" is playing in my head. I want to be a part of it . The city is at (under) my feet. I'm hanging in there (my meaning). Foot loose and fancy free (my feeling).

Then back to Lower Manhattan, skimming through Queens, over the Brooklyn Bridge, and around the Statue of Liberty. I remain mesmerized by the views of this magnificent city. I absolutely love long-distance views, so this unique experience is, for me, the experience of a lifetime .

Our flight lasts 35 minutes, which is the most comprehensive option. Other helicopters depart from the southernmost point of Manhattan and cover just downtown Manhattan in 20 minutes. Click here for my video impression (then go to: All Videos , second from the left ) (2'28”).

For the return trip, Nella could have gotten an Uber for $58, but it was a Friday night and rush hour, and the 45-minute ride ended up being an hour and a half and $78, mainly because of the endless queues at those now much-too-small Lincoln tunnels.

Tomorrow we'll take the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus to see as much as possible, as we only have two days and will have to make choices. Choosing will mean losing.

Day 2. We walk to M&M's—" Design your own M&M in 2 minutes!" - the starting point of the Big Bus, and immediately capture the best spots at the top. The ride takes in Lower Manhattan, with countless sights. We choose to stop only at The Edge

to get off.

This iss a recently developed space with striking modern architecture and a plaza with beach chairs and a large screen. The brand-new building houses several floors of shopping malls , but we're there to climb to the 100th (!) floor with its glass platform offering stunning 360° views of the city. It's the highest open-air observatory in the Western Hemisphere. The glass walls add a fun element, allowing you to take fun simulated photos, like falling from a skyscraper. But it's also the best spot for a clear view of the city (besides a helicopter, that is).

The tour is filled with numbers and records: highest, longest, most important, but it's also nicely interspersed with references to where movies were filmed or in which boroughs certain TV series like Friends of Sex and the City were filmed. This is topped off with song excerpts about New York. Quite entertaining.

My little selection of SONGS about New York, Manhattan and Broadway:

"New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra

"Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys

"Autumn in New York" - Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

"On Broadway" - The Drifters, George Benson

"Manhattan" - Ella Fitzgerald

“New York State of Mind” & Uptown Girl” – Billy Joel

"Lullaby of Broadway" - Doris Day

"Welcome to New York" - Taylor Swift

“An Englishman in New York” - Sting

"The Only Living Boy in New York" - Simon & Garfunkel

"New York City Serenade" - Bruce Springsteen (click this great composition)

"Dancing on the Sidewalks of New York" - Nat King Cole

"Sidewalks of New York" - Duke Ellington

"Rhapsody in Blue" - George Gershwin (instrumental)

But in my head now plays that beautiful, cinematic song by Prefab Sprout: "Hey Manhattan." Click here to experience this great song.

“Guess what! Summer's arrived, I feel the world's on my side

The Brooklyn Bridge stretches below me.

A billion souls all dying to know me.

Well, here I am! Loaded with promise

And knee deep in grace

What I want is here on my face and

I feel like I own the whole damn place.

Hey Manhattan! Here I am! Call me star-struck Uncle Sam.

Strolling Fifth Avenue

Just to think Sinatra's been here too

These myths we can't undo they lie in wait for you.

We live them until they're true.”

And FILMS with reference to a district or location:

Place/zone/district	Film
General	Manhattan (Woody Allen)
	Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
	Gangs of New York
	Past Lives (recent, recommended)
	Die Hard 3
	Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
NYC Public Library	Ghostbusters
Greenwhich Village	Friends (TV)
Upper West Side	West Side Story
	Seinfeld (TV)
Upper East Side	Sex and the City (TV)
	Gossip Girl
	The Devil Wears Prada
Little Italy	Moonstruck
Wall Street	Wall Street
Lower East Side	When Harry met Sally
Broadway	Broadway Danny Rose
5th Avenue	Breakfast at Tiffany's
Plaza Hotel	Home Alone 2
Radio City Hall	The Godfather
Brooklyn Bridge	Once Upon a Time in America
Empire State Building	King Kong
Staten Island Ferry	Working Girl

And so many more of course. Just those many top mafia films like " The Godfather " (1972) - Francis Ford Coppola, " Mean Streets " (1973) & " Goodfellas " (1990) - Martin Sorcese, " Once Upon a Time in America " (1984) - Sergio Leone, " Donnie Brasco " (1997) - Mike Newell, " Carlito's Way " (1993) - Brian De Palma.

We pass the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, NY Stock Exchange and the Charging Bull statue, the ferries to Statue of Liberty and Staten Island, 9/11 Memorial, World State Center, Edge, Hudson Yards .

In the evening, we dine at an Italian restaurant. It's pretty good, and with five beers on the menu (Stella, Hoegaarden, Duvel, and Chimay Blue & Red), Belgium is the best-represented beer country.

We pass Times Square again, even more impressive and extravagant in the evening. And flashy. And all those street food stalls with their impressive international mix of offerings. From simple to sophisticated hot dogs, pretzels, pizza slices, halal gyros or kebabs, bagels with cream cheese, falafel in pita bread, churros, chicken and rice, arepas and empanadas, and countless more. A city of diversity in every respect.

Something I unfortunately don't get around to is eating the famous, local pastrami sandwich at a deli. You can't do everything. There are certainly more upscale restaurants where you can take your time and have top-notch service, but generally, a visit to a restaurant boils down to: quick ordering, quick service, a quick check, and being looked away. The fast-food principle. And, in line with this, world-class soccer star Messi has barely made the jump to the American soccer league and he's already grinning at us from large images advertising... the Messi burger.

But we remain fascinated by all those people and their extravagances , and I understand my former assistant cruise director, Tom Crutchfield, a New Yorker himself, who once told me that New Yorkers are, by definition, " nutcases ." Oh yes, and even more than elsewhere, it rains " Oh my God's " here. And also that eternal " Hi, you guys..."

About BROADWAY :

Almost next door to our hotel, The Broadhurst Theater is playing “ A Beautiful Noise” (about Neil Diamond).

Directly opposite, “ Spamelot ” will soon be rebooted with Eric Idle playing Monty Python's Holy Grail, billed as the ultimate, most comical musical ever.

Within walking distance, we can see hundreds of shows every night. Broadway (the street) is barely three blocks away. Mind-blowing. In the Broadway district itself, there are 46 theaters and another 200 off-Broadway . And they're all waving Tony Awards.

The biggest hit right now is "MJ," about Michael Jackson (four Tonys). I saw incredibly long lines for their afternoon performance. And yes, lines and queuing, even for restaurants, are part of life here, unless you're a celebrity, of course. The lowest admission prices start at $52. I'm struck by how many shows are theatrical or musical adaptations of famous blockbusters: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Back to the Future, The Lion King, Aladdin, Moulin Rouge, Some Like It Hot.

Day 3. Our flight isn't until the afternoon, so it's time for the Uptown Tour. This takes us north towards Central Park. We'll pass by Rockefeller Center, the MoMA, Grand Central Station, the MET, Central Park Zoo, the Plaza Hotel (cost: from a minimum of $500 to $2,000 and more per person per night) Columbus Circle, and Carnegie Hall.

And then our departure approaches. Luckily, we managed to get a late checkout. The pre-booked taxi picks us up at 2:00 PM to take us to JFK for our return flight. I receive the news that our king is leaving for the United Nations conference week in NYC.

Well, we've noticed...

We're picked up by a black BMW limousine. The driver, it turns out, has taken over a colleague's shift with us, as he has to pick up the Ecuadorian top ministers at JFK with the Ecuadorian flag, then return with a police escort. But... half of Manhattan has been cordoned off by the NYPD for UN week, and traffic is at a standstill, especially on the arterial roads around Fifth Avenue. And that's vital to our destination, as the blocked streets, especially to the Queen's Tunnel, proved virtually inaccessible.

What our driver did then was outrageous. Driving uphill, changing from lane 1 to lane 5 or vice versa, constantly navigating through orange lights, drumming, honking, resetting the GPS, adjusting, analyzing (while driving!), speeding, using emergency zones… it all evoked a kind of admiration. And our driver of Indian descent (once a truck driver to California = 8 days there and back + 13 other jobs) turned out to be a champion. We (and he) made it on time. A bonus after our time here. Indeed, New York is too much . Enough adrenaline for a while. Going back to a city that… loves to sleep... my Bruges.