I’m going AWOL from the blog for a couple of weeks – because I’m in the midst of another move. After two years in Manhattan, I’m heading home to London.
I have mixed feelings about this – which is not altogether unexpected. I am looking forward to getting back to family and friends, to my lovely little house and to London – a city that I love. At the same time, I know I am going to miss New York and the things we have done here…
So – before I logoff for the move – I thought it might be nice to remember a few of the highlights of the last two years.Our first weeks in the USA were marked by a storm that dumped 20 inches of snow on New York on Boxing Day 2010.
I come from Queensland, Australia. There was not a lot of snow in my childhood. And although London gets the occasional dusting, this was the first time I had to live for weeks with inches of snow. It was beautiful. It was cold and wet… and after a while it was ditty and mushy. But – in those first days of snowfall, NYC was as beautiful as it ever could be.
The USA is a huge place, and while it seems I have travelled a lot in the past couple of years, I have seen only a fraction of the country. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I saw. The diversity of the country is quite amazing.
I am really impressed by the number of Americans who travel through their county’s fabulous national parks – and the deep connection they have with these places. So many people came to talk to us and offer suggestions of places to go and things to see and do. Over and over again, I heard the pride in their voices.
- An air boat in the Florida Everglades. Like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else I’ve been.
New York City itself is a remarkable place. I found myself loving and hating it – occasionally both at the same time. Even after two years, the architecture still blows me away. A subtle change in light can throw a familiar street into a totally different perspective… and I see things I have walked past a dozen times without noticing.
OK – I love the shopping – the number of boxes and suitcases I am bringing back to the UK is testimony to that.
Webmaster John and I are both big music fans – and the live music we saw remains one of the highlights of the trip. There was Roger Waters doing The Wall at Madison Square Garden. And equally exciting was seeing the legendary Pete Seeger playing with a group of kids on the banks of the Hudson River. And it wasn’t just about the big names. We joined and became the sound desk operators for The Peoples’ Voice… a small folk music club that plays in a church basement in the shadow of the Empire State Building. Places like this are the beating heart of music – where people sing and play for the love of what they do.
New York City has so much – but personally, I fell in love with upstate New York – from the fabulous Hudson River to Niagara Falls. We went to vineyards and fibre festivals. We went apple picking and leaf watching. Upstate New York was the place we went to slow down and little and breathe,
Our two years in the Big Apple (except nobody here calls it that) ended as it began. With a storm. Superstorm Sandy pounded New York and New Jersey a couple of weeks ago, causing shocking damage.
We were among the lucky ones and escaped unscathed. The days after the storm will remain one of my most enduring memories of the city. The resilience of the city and its people was beyond words. Despite the loss of power and gas and transport – people kept on with their lives. With the subways flooded, they queued for hours for buses. Restaurants opened their doors, even if they didn’t have much food to offer. Other places lit candles and provided warmth and makeshift entertainment for people without power in their homes. Supermarkets stayed open – even when there was very little left on the shelves. The flooded subways were pumped free of water – and some were running within a couple of days. Businesses reopened. The worst hit areas are still being cleaned up – but the taxis horns are loud outside my window, the construction crews are working and the sidewalks are full of people planning their holiday season.
It takes a lot to get this city down. As much as I am looking forward to going home, New York – I will miss you…
Comments
10 responses to “Heading home…”
Thanks for the fascinating whistle stop tour and lovely photos of New York. And welcome back!
Hi Heather,
It’s been an amazing two years – I am so glad I was able to do this…
I feel a bit sad at leaving – but I am looking forward to gettng back home.
Janet X
Those two years have simply flown by but you have packed them with amazing adventures, Janet! How wonderful to have had that experience. So looking forward to seeing you back in London soon! Safe trip home. x
Hi Victoria,
I wonder if I will see London differently now… I imagine I will – every exprience changes us a lttle… But it’s still home and I am looking forward to getting back.
J X
Oh Janet, how I envy you those two years! I would love to have an extended stay in New York and get to know the city as a resident rather than just a tourist. But welcome home – I daresay we’ll be able to whip up a storm or two for you this winter (if not on the scale of Sandy!).
Dx
Hi Donna,
I’d visitied NYC a couple of times before moving there – and you are right, living in a place is very differnt to being a tourist. There was time to see and do so many things that as a tourist I would never have considered… or had time to do.
Sandy was an interesting experience – but not one I want to repeat.. I’ll be more than happy with just a soft light snowfall this winter.
J X
Beautiful post and fabulous photographs, Janet. Having, as you know, spent eighteen years on that side of the pond, I very much appreciated your completely unbiased commentaries.
But, welcome home, both. Y’all been gone too long.
Eileen
Thanks Eileen. It has been far too long since I’ve seen some of my friends. Of course, now I’m saying goodbye to friends this side of the pond too. Still – a friend is a friend – time and distance doesn’t change that.
See you soon.
Janet X
A great snapshot insight into NY (and USA generally) thank you Janet. I suspect when you return you’ll look at London differently for a while – from another perspective. Living in Australia I have to say so far I haven’t had a yen for NY except to try the NY marathon. Upstate looks lovely. And I agree about the American elections. Millions down the drain in the name of democracy??
Vonnie – there was a terrible row over the marathon this year.
It was scheduled to run the weekend after Sandy hit. The Mayor came out on Tuesday and said it would go ahead – to prove the city was not defeated. There was an immediate outcry about resources – police, generators, even ambulance workers – being assigned to the marathon when they were needed to help storm victims. The mayor saw his error and 24 hours later announced the marathon was cancelled – and all resources would go to helping storm victims.
I would have thought it was a no-brainer from the start – but at least he got it right in the end.
And the really nice thing – some of the people who had flown in to run the marathon instead spent their time helping storm victims clean out their homes… now that’s how to show a people undefeated by the storm.
Janet