Visiting New York is always a surreal experience. The thought of going to (arguably) "The Greatest City in the World" is such a thrill I can never begin to describe. It was so otherworldly.
The first time I visited Manhattan was when I was 10 years old. My mom had to constantly remind me to close my mouth and walk faster. I didn't care if I looked like an ignorant buffoon who in true to form klutz fashion bumped in to people and said 'excuse me' like a broken record. I didn't even look. Quite rude that was. Being a small town boy from the Philippines, I was in awe of the tall buildings that hurt my neck every time I tried to look up to the peak of the gigantic structures. The people walked so fast I felt like a Lilliputian in Gulliver's hometown. The folks on the street were so interesting I had to stare. Which of course was rude, too. My uncle who resides in New York was amused with me. He knew my eyes were taking in a lot of stimulus and paid no mind to the information overload that could potentially give me culture shock. I need to dig old pictures of that visit.
Two years ago, my brother Jun and I visited. When our plane approached Newark Airport, the buildings of Manhattan and the 5 boroughs of New York were very visible as it was a clear day. I nudged my brother to look at the small plane's window. He smiled like a little boy. It was his first time to see NY. My smile was bigger...much bigger...I felt the same in 1982 but it's a lot more exciting now. I felt such a rush, a tear rolled from the corner of my eye.
I had to tell my brother: "Kuya Jun, Sinatra is singing in my head. New York, New York!" He gave me a hearty laugh and said, "Sa akin din! (Mine, too!). We were laughing our heads off. The flight attendant looked at us as if she knew that Frank Sinatra was belting away inside our brains. She probably heard that hundreds of times.
"IT'S... UP... TO... YOU.., NEW YORK ...., NEW YORK!...papapa dadam papapa dadam papapa dadam...!"
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