My
First New York compiles fifty-six bite-sized recollections of
artists, models, film-makers, journalists, actors and writers, all
detailing their first impressions of the city upon arriving as
residents. The articles were first published in New York Magazine as
part of a series.
The
personal history of each of the contributors is, in a way, secondary
to a sort of fragmented history of New York and what has made its
appeal so great. Stories of immigrants like film-maker Jonas Mekas,
arriving through Ellis Island from oppression in Eastern Europe,
recount the sheer awe of arriving in the new world, Manhattan's
southern topography being the first view of New York many arriving by
boat would see. There are recollections of those constantly-shifting
immigrant communities, illegal sub-lets, parties, coincidences,
success and above all, an idefinable sense of what makes living in
New York such a major aspiration for many people (despite being, as
one person recounts, roughly five times as expensive as anywhere
else).
Arriving
in New York as a tourist brings with it a thrill of suddenly being
forced into a giant movie set, the architecture familiar from
countless uncredited cameo appearances. My First New York perfectly
illustrates the magnetic pull of Manhattan that makes people want to
go and live there, as well as the economic realities (the cost of a
small apartment in most cases is frightening) and the challenges and
risks - one depiction of hard drug deals being conducted on every
corner in the outlaw yuppie Eighties is one especially vivid tale.
For
anyone ruing their life's journey ensuring that they will only ever
be a mere tourist in the city, My First New York allows you to see,
through others' experiences, what it might have been like to live
there, while also providing a fascinating compact history of the city
over the past hundred odd years.
A
Return To The Bryant Park Hotel, New York
 |
| The Bryant Park Hotel. Source: MJA Smith |
It
depends on personal choice - some people like the idea of always
staying somewhere they've not been to before; others prefer the
familiarity of somewhere they've previously stayed. As a generally
risk-averse kind of guy, I know I definitely fall into the latter
category. So when we got back to the UK after a week's stay at the
Bryant Park Hotel in April 2012, we more or less straight away
decided that we'd stay there again when we returned to New York in
May of this year.
My
review of the hotel from last year is somewhere else amongst the
plethora of positive comments about this excellent hotel. At the time
I regarded it as the best hotel I'd ever stayed at. That view was
based on not only the accommodation (smart, minimal, great views
across Bryant Park from the suite we had) but also, critically, the
people working there. A crucial factor in being so impressed by the
people working at the hotel was, first and foremost, their
friendliness. I don't honestly know how many rooms there are at the
Bryant Park, but to always have a smiling 'Good morning Mr Smith' as
you walked past the lobby does make you feel right at home, and like
your stay matters to them. The staff also went out of their way to
make our two young daughters feel every bit as special and welcome as
we were made to feel, something that I frankly wasn't expecting in a
hotel that outwardly seems so trendy.
Two
of the staff that made our 2012 stay so special - Chase and Sarah -
were still working at the hotel when we returned to the hotel this
year. Getting a personal, familiar welcome after goodness knows how
many guests have passed by that reception desk was a really nice
touch, and it set the tone for what turned out - predictably, I might
stress - another great stay at the hotel. Sarah, who the girls had
struck up a friendship with last year, went out of her way to make
them feel special, going out to the Crumbs bakeshop just across
Bryant Park to bring them balloons and cupcakes while we were getting
unpacked in the room, for which she was rewarded with copious
drawings and thank you notes on Bryant Park stationary from the room.
I
don't intend to go into detail this time around as I think my
previous review covered that just fine. However, suffice to say that
the hotel truly felt like a home from home, our Bryant Park Suite on
the sixteenth floor was perfect, the service from everyone was
faultless, everything about our stay was spot on, and we've already
come to the conclusion that come what may, we have to go back and
stay here again next year; I can't honestly bring myself to
contemplate a year where we don't stay at this very, very special
hotel.
A
big thanks again to everyone at the hotel who made the stay this year
so memorable. Home suite home indeed.
This
post originally appeared on TripAdvisor on 09.06.2013
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