A bite of the Apple

It's the megacity that David Letterman boisterously terms the greatest city of all, and the clamorous witness to John Lennon's murder in 1980. Frank Sinatra has sung his particular pop ode to it, as have probably many of the 'huddled masses' that arrived there from Europe in the late 19'th century. It's the Big Apple, folks, and we've had our bite of it.

It was the day after news had reached us that my wife's father had died back home in Norway. Still, for several reasons we were going there 'according to plan': our flight home was only two days away anyway, and this was our only opportunity to sample the big city's delights. Yet, it felt very queer rising as early as 6 a.m., still smarting from yesterday's loss, knowing that - somehow - we should all try to make the very best out of the time we had left.

Connie, Leland's younger sister (cf. previous blog postings regarding our American adventure in the summer of 2009) was our guide and our driver in the wee hours of the morning. A novice with regard to New York City herself, she nevertheless had graciously volunteered to bring us straight into the heart of this urban jungle.

STEPPING OFF AT..........GRAND CENTRAL STATION

After two hours in our rented car, and 45 minutes on a commuter train from Port Arthur, we dizzily and wearily entered The Grand Central Station, our first brush with famous NYC venues.
We didn't 'tarry' for long here, but hungrily strode onto the asphalt sidewalks for our premier Manhattan breakfast. The city was surprisingly quiet, but our senses were still relentlessly bombarded by impressions of what makes NYC so special: the sheer size of almost everything just about everywhere you go. Skyscrapers are a ubiqutous feature of the Manhattan daily menu, and just across the street lay one of the many notable giants, the Chrysler building.

Already at this stage, with less than an hour of New York to boast about, an unmistakable sense of awe had crept into our consciousness. This metropolis is, after all, one of the best known and most frequented urban behemoths on our globe. And here we were, presently skirting the massive fence dividing the USA from semi-hallowed United Nation's soil.

UNITED FAMILY AT UNITED NATIONS

Connie led us firmly past the security check points, and for quite some time we just resolutely and unhurriedly attempted to take in as much history as we possibly could. The bulky bust of Norwegian General Secretary Trygve Lie was in the main hall, and so were we - if not for long. Eagerness for more of NYC exterior prevailed, and soon we were out walking again. Because walk we did.

To the Norwegian UN Consulate. Through the Waldorf Astoria hotel lounge. Past the Times Square. Almost turning the corner to Broadway. All ten pairs of feet all through the day left transient and shallow imprints on the asphalt, carpet or marble floors, but they in contrast left more far more indelible imprints on our minds and memories. Stocking our supplies and stalling the worst hunger courtesy of the street vendors, we successfully covered quite some ground on our way to the Rockefeller Plaza.

SEEING IT ALL: ROCKEFELLER PLAZA

If craning your necks to soak up the imposing presence of NYC skyscrapers leaves you in awe, then the view from the very summit of Rockefeller Plaza - 85 storeys up - completely knocks you off your feet in spectacular fashion. There's nothing that can prepare you for the sights you are about to encounter. Atop this celebrated piece of architectural prowess and ingenuity, you genuinely feel perched on the back of an living entity: the veritable dinosaur encompassing Central Park, Bronx, Harlem and hundreds of other household names.

Of the roughly 12-16 million people calling NYC their home, we will always remember Ben, the happy and helpful brother in the Lord we bumped into on a subway train on our way to Staten Island. And Lailee won't be easily forgotten either. Of Tolo stock herself, this intriguing beauty assisted us on the final 'lap' of our walkathon, making our return trip so much easier.

AT A GLANCE: STATUE OF LIBERTY

And, yes, we glided past the Statue of Liberty on board the Staten Island ferry, registering in passing that this gift from the French is factually smaller than I had imagined it to be. But who cared about size this late in the day that all made us fans of the Big Apple?

It's a behemoth, but a most kind one - to us, at least. We weren't mugged; no pickpockets robbed us of either money or mirth; the sun bathed the city in luscious rays of summer heat, and together with our contented guide Connie, we were able to climb into our rented van with smiles on our faces, albeit our hearts never allowed us to forget that we would return home and not be able to relay our joys to a father/father-in-law/grandfather we had known for years.