Having spent a long weekend in New York, the one thing that stands out for me was the overwhelming confidence that seeps out of every pore. America is confident about its position in the world- despite a debatable foreign policy and an economy that is on the brink of a major downturn.
The star-spangled banner is everywhere, far more than is possibly healthy- I cannot imagine Britain ever flying as many flags. I always thought of the US as a melting pot of nationalities with no real allegience a single flag- this is clearly not the case anymore. Perhaps 9/11 changed it all in the US, I don't know.
I also thought that New York was heavily influenced by the Irish and Italians. I have to say I found little of this. The overwhelming visible culture was one of black America. The music was dire hip-hop/rap/R&B, blaring from almost every bar, store or passing car. Since my last visit in 1994, I would say that there has been a huge influx of immigrants in New York.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sights of New York, notably the Empire State Building, The Music of Modern Art and Central Park. The city seems very safe and relatively clean- certainly cleaner than London, which is an obvious improvement since the 1970s and 1980s. It is not so much the city that never sleeps, because when we went shopping in SoHo, early on Saturday morning, it was closed. But it is the city that offers absolutely everything, at a good price at the moment for Brits.
The New Yorkers claim that the city is the greatest in the world. I'm not so sure. It is certainly the loudest and most brash I have come across. Give me Paris, Prague or Berlin...
The star-spangled banner is everywhere, far more than is possibly healthy- I cannot imagine Britain ever flying as many flags. I always thought of the US as a melting pot of nationalities with no real allegience a single flag- this is clearly not the case anymore. Perhaps 9/11 changed it all in the US, I don't know.
I also thought that New York was heavily influenced by the Irish and Italians. I have to say I found little of this. The overwhelming visible culture was one of black America. The music was dire hip-hop/rap/R&B, blaring from almost every bar, store or passing car. Since my last visit in 1994, I would say that there has been a huge influx of immigrants in New York.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sights of New York, notably the Empire State Building, The Music of Modern Art and Central Park. The city seems very safe and relatively clean- certainly cleaner than London, which is an obvious improvement since the 1970s and 1980s. It is not so much the city that never sleeps, because when we went shopping in SoHo, early on Saturday morning, it was closed. But it is the city that offers absolutely everything, at a good price at the moment for Brits.
The New Yorkers claim that the city is the greatest in the world. I'm not so sure. It is certainly the loudest and most brash I have come across. Give me Paris, Prague or Berlin...
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