First of all, I want to say 'thanks' to Larissa, for inviting me to assist in invading her home for the next couple of weeks. Secondly, I want to say 'thank you' to all of you readers for welcoming a group of different 'voices' while she's away!
Because I'm the 'kick off' post, I wanted to have a little fun and share some completely random facts about New York City, being that Larissa will be spending some time there. So, I've created a hypothetical letter for Larissa. Just think back to the days of being in school and having a list of words that you had to put into sentences, and that's what I've done here! I hope you enjoy!
Dear Larissa,
I know that you have been anticipating your trip to New York for a while now, and I'm so glad that you will get to see your friend after so long!
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| taken from ME! |
The flight may take you nearly eleven hours from Rio de Janeiro to JFK International airport, but it will be well worth the time. And speaking of time, don't worry about getting jet lagged. You're only one hour ahead of us people living on the eastern seaboard. What a relief to be able to jump in, without any extra weariness, and experience the 'City That Never Sleeps'!
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| Taken from visitingdc.com |
As you fly over the airport, look out the window, and take a look at Long Island. You are now 12 miles outside of lower Manhattan! YAY! You're here! As you step off the plane, just make sure that you hold on to your overhead baggage, and let the signs guide you through the gates of the world's 12th ranked busiest airport! Think of it this way, in 2009, NYC welcomed 45.4 million visitors, with the majority being from the UK (1,136,000), and Brazil ranking 8th (354,000)! You're contributing to so many statistics and you didn't even know it!
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| domino.research.ibm.com |
As you make your way out of the airport, it won't be hard to find one of the most famous vehicles of NYC. Yep, you guessed it -- the yellow cabs! The founder, John Hertz, read in a study that yellow was easier to spot, and voila!, you have thousands of yellow cars at your disposal. Well, not exactly. Even though there are over 12,700 licensed medallion taxis that work the streets of NYC, when you have a population that was last estimated in 2006 of 8,214,426 people, that take up the densely populated space of 303 square miles, getting a taxi can be a chore! That's over 27, 000 people per square mile!!
But residents of the city aren't the only people you'll be battling. Besides all the international and domestic travelers that visit NYC, many others live in, or commute into, the city for work. New Yorkers travel an average of 40 minutes to work each day, and usually traverse their route using some form of mass transit. Parking is hard to come by in this busy city. No wonder that the annual subway ridership in 2009 was 1, 519, 866, 600, and nearly 5 million people use the subways each weekday! Having said all of this, I think it may be best for us to walk around the city when we meet each other next week!
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| virtualtourist.com |
We'll spend some time taking in the diversity of "The Big Apple". There are numerous choices in formal and informal dinning ranging in diversity of tastes ! Although, the weather this time of year is usually very nice averaging around 76F (24C) during the day, and dipping to an average of 60F (16C) at night, so we may want to snack at one of the 3,000 cart vendors that line the 6,375 miles of streets. But, no matter what, you'll need to grab a slice of pie -- pizza pie that is!
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| Taken from ME! |
I know you have a busy schedule with your friend, so we won't have time to hit one of the many famous Broadway plays of the Theater district. However, we'll definitely need to spend time shopping-- hitting Fifth Avenue and Macy's. Did you know that the Macy's in NYC is the world's largest store, covering 2.1 million square feet of space with over 500,000 items? It's huge!
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| equator3.com |
As we walk amongst the fast walking crowds -- oh, that reminds me.. never, ever stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk to window shop! You will be plowed over. We like to walk fast here! :P Now, back to my original thought. New York City is one of the most diverse cities offering a diverse selection of activities. In fact, more than 47% of NYC's residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home. And Manhattan's Chinatown is the largest Chinese enclave in the Western Hemisphere!
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| nycluxarylivingblog.com |
Now, don't go falling in love too much with this fun, cultural, and busy city! When you look at all those high rises, you're either looking at businesses or housing -- both of which are very expensive! The average sale price of a small one bedroom apartment is around $1.49 million -- and that was in 2007! Plus, just between us girls, if you're looking for a man, you're chances will be lowered in this female dominated city. Fifty-two percent of the residents are female! No wonder why eHarmony is such a hit! :)
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| heatingoil.com |
It always amazes me that this amazing, wealthy and powerful, culturally diverse, home of the United Nations Headquarters, home of the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange (The New York Mercantile Exchange), and home to the world's first museum for kids (Brooklyn Children's Museum), has been rumored to have been purchased for $24 in trinkets from the Leni Lenape Indians at Bowling Green!
Despite the fact that I could go on, and on, with all that is NYC, and just how easy it is to fall in love with, I think it would be best for me to let you go so you can experience it for yourself. After all, you have physically be there to take in the awe of its wonder!
I hope you have an amazing and safe trip!
Your Friend,
Tanya
I'm leaving you with one question to try your best guess at, and I'll give you the answer that I was able to find, when I return on Sunday!
Q: How many Starbucks coffee shops are located in
New York, New York??
And, if there's any NYer's-- or others-- who want to point out any mistakes I made, or add to the interesting list, please feel free!
I've wanted to go to New York for so long. Not so much to check out the sites but to taste all the great food I hear about. Hehe, I'm so weird. Whenever I talk about places to go I always try and figure out what that place is known for food wise :-)
Stephanie G
Paranormal Haven
ARGHHHHHHH! Macy's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH! SO, so jealous! You're totally kicking it 'Sex and the City' style!
Have fun babe ;)
Great post! I live an hour outside NYC and this made me crack up!
Hope everyone has a great time!
I've always wanted to visit NY. Heck, I'd even want to live up there! But for some reason, I haven't found the opportunity to travel up there yet! Which is such a bum deal because I hear it is so amazing! This is an awesome post. Love the pictures!
I'm gonna guess 350 Starbucks. I'm probably way off, but they usually say there is one on every corner.