New York City + World Pride 2019
- Damien Chung
- Nov 5, 2019
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 11, 2021
We all know that song, New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Is NYC really the dream? What made NYC the city out of all the other cities in the entire world?
Flying into La Guardia has already got me hyped up, this is the largest city in the United States, if not at least it is one of the world's largest. Cloudy sky, I caught a glimpse of the Manhattan skyline at a small hole of otherwise an overcast sky, my dream has already come true, seeing the amazing city that people have been praising. After arriving, I got to the arrival baggage claim and collect my luggage then right before I get to head out of the gate, an agent asked me to show my luggage tag when I got from check in, luckily I didn't lose it. After getting out of the door, I search for the sign that leads me to a small bus stop that takes passengers and staff to the subway station that connects to the rest of NY. The first bus came and it was already crowded, people were squeezing in like sardines, and I wasn't gonna even try since I have a massive suitcase, and you know you are in NY because people are literally everywhere and rushing to go somewhere.
Another 10 minutes and another 2 buses came and I manage to get onto one, a few minutes of traffic congestion, we finally got out of the airport and heading to the subway terminal. After getting on the subway, I arrived at Port Authority where I connect to the bus to New Jersey where I will be staying for the next few days. Lovely host but she messaged me saying she won't be available as she has cancer and she needed to go to Florida for a second opinion, I hope she's doing alright.
I took a shower as NY was giving me that summer heat, and off I go to the heart of NYC, Times Square. I had my first go at the $1 NYC pizza and I instantly fell in love, the topping is the most insane amount I have ever seen, SHAME ON YOU DOMINO'S AND PIZZA HUT! Ok, I did not pay $1 since I went for the mushroom pizza which is $2.50, but hey it's worth it and everyone who goes to NYC, I would say try it at least once even if you are not a pizza fan. There are also deals and different prices for each chain store, so it pays to do some research and walk around to find out where the best one is.
The next few days I had reserved my time for the main reason I wanted to be in New York, that is the World Pride / Stonewall 50th anniversary. It is a commemoration of the guys, girls, queens and kings that fought for the rights of what we have today, although not perfect, we have the duty to continue the work to continue fighting for full equality and not having to be ashamed of what we identify as, or get physical harm because society decided that we are not worthy of being a human. We have to celebrate what we have achieved, but not forget how much more we have to go to be free of discrimination, whether that's in our home, school, work or society in general. Everyone should have the right to express themselves without causing harm to another person, right wing has a platform to have their voice and opinion, and we as the LGBT+ community should also have our own voice and opinion about our issue. If we can respect each other and compromise, we can live a happier and peaceful life. Religious discrimination is the ultimate bomb facing our community right now and as a religious person myself, I can see that people have missed the big picture about what religion is supposed to be. For example, Islamic religion would not be that much different to a Christian religion, it's supposed to be peaceful and helping each other, but some people misuse it for a much evil intent and cause harm instead. This article is not about religion so I am not going to continue ranting about it, but it is an issue of significance and I hope people will have a good long think about their actions.
NY is BIG, and it's filled with many activities around the city, from museums to arts to theatre to architecture, it seems like there's something for everyone. The most recent new attraction would be the Hive and The High Line, it's a good walk and giving you a very unique perspective of what NY is all about. Back to my previous topic about Stonewall / World Pride, it is a weekend full of events, activities and parties. I have to be honest that I didn't get much sleep given it's always early morning and late nights, it's a YOLO moment right there. After that crazy weekend, I took the Staten Island ferry across to, you guessed it, Staten Island. There is a new shopping outlet that has recently open and I had a quick stroll around and took the ferry back to Manhattan. If you want a good view of the Statue of Liberty, it won't be this ferry but you can definitely see it at a distance, but it's free so you can't have the best of all worlds. The rest of the attractions I went to include Madame Tussauds, Gulliver's Gate, National Geographic Encounter, Top of the Rock, 9/11, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Museum of Sex (18+), American Museum of Natural History, NY Transit Museum, and I even drove all the way to an airfield in New Jersey to visit the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of NJ (it's a small but rich in history museum), before concluding my NY trip at the Empty Sky Memorial over at New Jersey.
New York is full of history, some are tragic events and some lead to the right to live and celebrate individuality. It's a city full of activities that make it a city that never sleeps. NYC is a city that you can find many cultures mixed on an island, it's a jungle that is beautiful and unique in its own way. You can also spot all the money sucking tourist traps, grumpy customer service staff, rats running on the subway track, imperfect subway system that causes me to get stuck for 15 minutes because I got on the wrong platform, but those are small obstacles and is the experience that made NYC what it is, once you learn the ins and outs, you will be able to get past it.
CLIMATE:
The end of June to the start of July is rather warm in NY, a light jacket would be recommended just in case but in most cases a t-shirt and shorts are all you need during this time period. Some indoor places do have strong air conditioning so that is something to be mindful of.
FOOD:
NY is home to the $1 pizza, and not all pizzas in the $1 pizza shop is a dollar. You can get a cheese pizza for $1, but toppings are extra, some pizza shop does more topping variety and some don't, so shop around if it doesn't have the choices you want or go for the plain one if you are really hungry. Always bring cash as they don't usually take cards. There are also deals such as 2 pizzas and a soda for under $3, they will have posters up in the store if they have those deals. There are several joints that do $1 pizza, the ones I have been are 99 cents and 2 Bros. There are a few other ones but they are on the lower Manhattan which I did not have the chance to try.
Another great choice is Vanessa's Dumpling House, located on 220 E 14th St. They have the cheapest dumplings I have ever seen, if you are not fussy about pre-made dumplings that stay in the oven for God knows how long, then it's a good budget food. They do have another shop near Wall St but they charge a significantly higher price.
The last great eat I have for you is Joe's Steam rice roll, located right next to the Canal St subway station, inside Canal Street Market. They offer a great portion of rice rolls for a very affordable price. The vegan rice roll start at $4 and if you want protein or other toppings they do cost more, but the great thing is that you can pick all the veggies available and add sesame seed for free.
TRANSPORTATION:
NY is also home to some of the most extensive subway networks in the world, you can travel mostly North - South by subway, East - West by bus. It's not a perfect system, and if you are new to the NY subway system, make sure you take a good look at the entrance signage as they would indicate which side the train would be going to. You will mostly see signs that say Queens, Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, check your Google Map or other map providers to see what direction the train is going, because if you are like me, you will end up on the wrong side and you can't get to the other side without getting out to the street and cross the road to get on the other side, and then not being able to get in for 17 minutes on the same station after swiping (for unlimited rides card). There are several lines that stop at one side of the platform, so check you are on the right line before getting on board, there are signs above the platform that shows the name of the street or station it is going to, sometimes they might
mismatch with your map but it's mostly accurate if you read it carefully. It can be complicated for the first few days so make sure to add ample travel time in case you get on the wrong train (WEBSITE). If you are staying in New Jersey, there are many buses that go there from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and they use a separate ticket from the MTA in NY so make sure to get your ticket at their counter or ticket machine before you go to the bus stop or use their app to buy a ticket for single or 10 trips. They have a zoning system that is not very clear so you might want to ask them before buying the ticket if where you are going will cover that zone (WEBSITE). If you stay near Hoboken, Newport or Exchange Place, you can also get the PATH train that runs to the World Trade Centre or Midtown Manhattan, they do cost more and they are a separate fare from the NY MTA if you have an unlimited ride.
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