New York Calling - I

Armed with the '2004 NYTimes Guide to New York', roundtrip redeye tickets from JetBlue and a hotel reservation at the Habitat (the cheapest hotel with the tiniest rooms), I headed to the Big Apple for my first vacation of the year. I now know why NY is called the big apple... its the largest advertisement for Apple iPods...everyone on the subway has them (atleast the white headphones). While on the topic of gear that New Yorkers wear, Ugg boots were in the rage...women that is (Men with these boots are...Ugh)

First, a walk thru Park place to the Central Park and then a visit to the American Museum of Natural History featuring the best exhibits on biodiversity and lots of stuffed animals.

Next order of business...head to Little India- a tiny strip in the lower east side, home to several 'Indian' restaurants with almost identical menus (Mitali is a wee better than the Calcutta restaurant). Little India doesnt exist on any manhattan map like Little Italy or China Town, its just a passing reference in the NYTimes book. The restaurants arent even owned by Indians but by Bangladeshis from Chittagong/Dhaka and Pakistanis. My search for the official India Town outside India continues...

I also paid tribute to the fallen site...Silicon Alley. Once touted as the east coast's answer to the bay area, it is now reverting to Shops and stores.


Subway at Silicon Alley

A word on 'Service with a Smile' in NY. New Yorker's choose to beam the smile at the most inappopriate time. It isnt appropriate for the Hotel Reservation Manager at the lobby who's informing you that the reservation made from the cheap hotel booking site hasnt gone through, to finish the sentence with a smile. If you are spoken to kindly in the city...you have only spoken to an out-of-towner.