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As any of you who know me know, I have no sense of direction. . . . → Keep Going: But it didn’t feel like 5 miles]]> Since I got my iPhone in December, I’ve fallen back into shutterbug mode. I’ve discovered Instagram and generally enjoyed exploring Manhattan with my camera. Most of these had been on my way to or from somewhere, or walking home from work through the park on a gorgeous, early spring day. What I hadn’t done was dedicate a day to taking pictures like I used to do while in Spain. That changed yesterday

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(21 Photos)

As any of you who know me know, I have no sense of direction. Up and down? I’m OK with those. Right, left, east, west? Not so much. I usually do OK within the park and after having accidentally re-found Cherry Hill on Friday night when it too late/dark to get a good picture, I had a general course planned for Saturday morning. I just didn’t realize how long it was.

I entered the park at E. 86th and headed north along the reservoir. The east side of the reservoir had the sakura in peak whereas they are totally gone on the west side. Odd. From the south end of the reservoir I dropped down toward the Delacorte and new-to-me deck over the Turtle Pond via the great lawn and some amazing cherry, plum and magnolia trees. It’s amazing how many more turles you can see when the brush is cut back. I wanted to go up to the top of Belvedere Castle but the crowds were too big so I headed east around the Turtle Pond to the Poland/King Jagiello statue where I just s at and people watched for a bit. It was a gorgeous, warm-for-March spring day but a little too cool in the shade so I kept walking again after too long.

At the top of the hill to the south of King Jagiello I found another wonderful tree where I probably stopped and took photos for 20 minutes. Photos, yes. These were 20 or so of my best from yesterday but I took 248 in a matter of four plus hours. Yep, Shutterbug Cari is alive and well. From there, cut down through the crowds by the Boathouse and Bethesda Terrace to cherry hill. Surprisingly after the blossoms by King Jagiello and the ones I’d seen earlier in the week near the Pilgrim statue, where I returned on my way out of the park, the blossoms on cherry hill weren’t as magical. I still enjoyed the view of the Lake and the people watching.

By this point, my achilles were starting to hurt (fit flops and hills in the park don’t mix) so I decided to head out and make my way to the gym … but then I found the pilgrim blossoms even closer to peak than earlier in the week and an hour was gone to taking pics. Those trees are where the majority of the pics above are from – and they’re what spurred me to figure out how to edit photos on my computer and upgrade flickr so I could post them. WOW. These are by far the best sakura I’ve ever seen outside of Himeji or Hiroshima. The perfect climax to a great day.

I was floored when I tracked my route in MapMyFitness and realized it was more than five miles. Followed that with seven miles at the gym. A productive day in many ways.

A quick visual overview: Osaka vs. New York City

There’s no question that New York City  has far more lines and might evn be better compared with Tokyo, but even factoring in PATH, Metro North, etc. ,NYC doesn’t have anywhere near the mix of public and private lines that Tokyo does.  I’ve . . . → Keep Going: Subways*: Osaka vs. New York]]> I’m sure I’m committing heresy by saying this as a New Yorker, but I really dislike the NYC Subway system. Not for the usual reasons you hear: dirtiness, safety, etc. I don’t think either of those are nearly as bad as the media makes them out to be.

A quick visual overview: Osaka vs. New York City

There’s no question that New York City  has far more lines and might evn be better compared with Tokyo, but even factoring in PATH, Metro North, etc. ,NYC doesn’t have anywhere near the mix of public and private lines that Tokyo does.  I’ve travelled in Tokyo, I find it far easier than NYC

What Osaka has going for it is clarity. If there’s a stop, the train stops. End of story. None of this, it’s a cold Wednesday and there’s a squiggly at the stop name so we’re going to go express.

Not to mention the PA systems actually work in the Osaka trains so you can tell if, for some reason, a stop was going to be skipped.   No, I didn’t miss my stop, I scooted out the door in time at Union Square so that I wouldn’t have to backtrack from Canal to Astor Place, but I can see how easily it would happen.

Signage is a very good thing.

That said, the NYC system has some definite pluses: the fact that you can get almost anywhere at any time and it’s convenient. Rarely have to walk more than a block or two in Manhattan before you stumble across a line or fiv, but I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.

*And yes, I mean the train, not the restaurant. A similar analysis could apply though, I miss Subway Japan’s free tote bags

Overall an interesting article, which asks an interesting question:

If this many people will show up in New York with little prodding, imagine how many would come if the city actively encourages them.

That left me wondering about the amount of prodding that a destination such as New York City requires. It’s not a destination that you have to explain a lot about: people know New York. Based on what they know, they make a decision as to whether it’s a place that fits their needs and wants. Can you . . . → Keep Going: New York New York: Big City of Dreams]]> Remaking the City’s Image, With 50 Million Tourists in Mind

Overall an interesting article, which asks an interesting question:

If this many people will show up in New York with little prodding, imagine how many would come if the city actively encourages them.

That left me wondering about the amount of prodding that a destination such as New York City requires. It’s not a destination that you have to explain a lot about: people know New York. Based on what they know, they make a decision as to whether it’s a place that fits their needs and wants. Can you convince someone who’s more interested in a rural village or a ski holiday that New York is the place to spend their time and money? Probably not. However trying to catch those who are considering NY is where this increase could possibly come about.

It’s interesting that the article mentions the perception of cost. I think that’s a problem that plagues many international cities: Tokyo and London for two. NYC is now in a similar situation as Tokyo in that neither city is as expensive as they used to be. It’s also likely that they were never as expensive as they were perceived. When I lived in Japan people would gasp about how expensive they heard it was–but a lot of that was based on the exchange rates of old and the stories of the hundred dollar melon. Sure, they exist, as does the hundred dollar fish, but they’re the exception rather than the rule. I tell people all the time, you can eat gourmet foods or you can eat like the locals. A destination is only as expensive as you make it. So while yes, things in NYC cost more than they would in a smaller town (aka dinner for 11 for $218 including tip in Gettysburg), I think they’re comparable to other large cities.

I knew there was a reason I waited so long to discuss that article, because it fits so well with this one!

ONE reason people visit New York is to catch a glimpse of things they’d never see in the average American city.

No debate or disagreement from me on that one. NYC is, hands down, the number one place for people watching. Osaka is great too because of the strange sights (yes, Santa in fishnets!), but NYC has such an odd mix that makes it all the more intriguing.

But then again, it’s home and I’m biased.