Travel Journal

I’ve just come back from an amazing trip to Brooklyn, thanks to Globus for including it in our itinerary. This wasn’t your typical touristy tour, which made it even better. I got to walk in John Travolta’s footsteps from ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ enjoyed some incredible pizza at local spots where the NYPD hang out and drove under the train tracks like Popeye Doyle from the French Connection. The Brooklyn accent is something else—‘fougeddaboudit’—it felt like being in a scene from Goodfellas. We ended our tour on the Coney Island boardwalk, admiring the famous Cyclone rollercoaster.

This morning’s tour of Manhattan was fantastic. We visited 5th Avenue, the Rockefeller Centre, and saw the Empire State Building as we wandered through a few small parks. Our guide was excellent, pointing out interesting architectural details, and we wrapped up at the impressive and tasteful 9/11 Memorial next to the new Freedom Tower.

Yesterday afternoon, Globus took us through Central Park on our way to our hotel near Times Square. We saw the classic hot dog vendors, steam rising from street vents, and of course, the iconic yellow cabs. Later, I walked the High Line in the Meatpacking District near the West Village. It’s an elevated urban park and a great example of urban regeneration.

Here’s a funny story that captures the essence of NYC: I was in a bar in Hell’s Kitchen and ordered a couple of cold ones. A woman overheard my accent and asked where I was from. I decided to have a bit of fun and said, ‘think of a place as far south from here as you can imagine.’ She thought for a moment and replied, ‘Staten Island?’

I absolutely love New York!