Day 15 – Leaving New York and a reflection

After four wonderful days in New York we left rather early.  It had been recommended that we take the little bus to the Port Authority and then a taxi to JFK airport.  It was thought that would be our least risky option.  Despite our early start, about 6am, I was concerned about traffic given the love of cars that Americans have (possibly only New Zealanders are as attached).  So after talking with Lynda we decided to take our fate in our hands and use the public transport options. It worked well.  The subway took us to the Airtrain which connects with JFK in very good time.  We only had to carry our luggage down one flight of stairs.  There were escalators and elevators everywhere else. 

We flew Jetblue.  I had upgraded our seats to “Evenmore Space” which gave us the best legroom I have experienced.  Our flight was delayed by an hour due to an issue the staff had with legal hours; it seems they had timed out due to a late arrival the previous day.  At least they were keeping us safe.  But it meant getting another crew, hence the delay.  The only complaint that I had about the flight apart from service, was that that the seats had to be the most uncomfortable I have experienced  It was as if the padding had been squished to the utmost.   The service was adequate but not as good as either Air NZ or Air Canada. At one point I wanted some water and it was as if I had asked for the crown jewels. 

It was mid-afternoon by the time we got to Los Angeles.  After checking in we decided that all we had time to do was go out for a meal which we did at the Hilton where the food was reasonably priced but not that well cooked.  It was much cooler than I expected it to be in  LA, being around 19 degrees.

Looking back on our time in New York it was busy.  The weather was nice and to an extent that dictated our activities.  We did not get to a show or see a museum, there was just not enough time.  Next time I come I would love to go further into Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.  There are also the museums and shows.  Perhaps that is for a winter visit.  

It has been a colder winter that has lasted longer than usual; that goes for Canada as well.  Spring is very late in arriving.  None of the trees in either Ottawa or Quebec were showing any sign of green and there were no flowers out yet.  Montréal did have the first signs of spring with the first green shoots and a few flowers tentatively trying to decide if was warm enough to come out.  Whereas in New York the tulips were flowering, daffodils were past their best and the trees were the verdant green that one sees in early spring.  People were also out in the sun.  Park benches and the grassy area had people everywhere lying in the sun. 
 

Buses, trucks and yellow cabs

New York seems to be a city of yellow taxis, buses and large cars and SUVs.  The traffic was extremely slow. When we came out of the Lincoln Tunnel onto 40^th Street during rush hour it was often faster to walk.  Yet for all that traffic flowed, drivers were patient and they seemed to be aware of both pedestrians and cyclists.  On other hand the roads in New York were terrible.  Potholes everywhere the surface was rough and looked like third world roads.  Some it apparently a legacy of the harsh winter they have had. 

Reclaiming the streets

Several months ago I saw a TED talk by the New York City Traffic Commissioner (I think) who talked about getting traffic off the road and providing opportunities for people to reclaim the seats.  One day they  painted off areas of roads and put out tables.  Immediately people started sitting in them.  We experienced all of that.  Compared to last time I was here the absence of gridlock was really apparent.  But it was all the people on the streets that was the most noticeable change.  The air did not seem to be as polluted (perhaps that was more to do with engine technology).  It also seemed a safer place; someone we were talking to said that it was the safest large city in the US.  Police were very apparent and were mostly walking about.  They had their values Courtesy Professionalism Respect on their cars and what was more surprising they did not appear to be wearing stab proof vests; at least those on the beat.  Compared to last time they were certainly interacting in a friendly way with people.  

We were lucky to talk with locals.  They certainly provided insights into the place; some of which I have shared.  We found the locals courteous but not overtly friendly.  Apart from the people with whom we had dinner,  there was little interest in us or where we came from nor much interest in engaging in any other way.  There was only one very friendly man who described himself as retired from the army who was cheerful and very friendly and stood out as it was a wonderful interaction.
The other thing that we noticed was that Spanish was effectively the second language.  In San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles all public notices were in both English and Spanish.  The neighbourhood we were in was all Spanish speaking with a number not able to speak English fluently.  It truly is a country of immigrants!  It is a very strange country to be in.  On one level it is very familiar through TV, literature and movies but on another level it is very foreign which makes a wonderful place to visit.  Language the same but the culture so different.