New York state of mind

By JIM EAGLES

New York. The Big Apple. Hub of western capitalism. Chief temple of the false god of mammon. An ever-throbbing dynamo of creativity. Terrifying to some, exciting to others and, surely, fascinating to all.

New York is the only entry on the list of places Travel readers most want to see before they die which is not there because of ancient ruins, elegant customs, glorious history, stunning scenery or fascinating wildlife.

In fact in a sense it represents the exact opposite of those standard tourist attractions. It is the epitome of the brash, modern, metropolitan, materialistic society.

Of course there are plenty of wonderful things to see in New York - amazing buildings, great art, incredible museums, fine food, diverse cultures and marvellous music - but that's not what makes it so special.

New York exudes energy and vitality.

If you've ever visited the generation room at one of our big hydro-electric power stations and sensed the power pulsing out, then it's like that.

New Yorkers seem focused - often to the point of rudeness - on getting things done. It's the ultimate happening place.

The Big Apple draws ambitious people from all the corners of the world to its ultimate challenge.

Some thrive and prosper in its exhilarating atmosphere, some hate it and flee, some are chewed up and spat out, but no one is unaffected.

If you want to see the world in all its diversity then New York - like Antarctica, Mt Everest, the Sahara Desert, the Dead Sea or the Pacific Ocean - is one of the extremes you shouldn't miss.

It's definitely a place to see before you die. Even people who hate it say that.

A few years ago my wife and I ended up being the only non-Americans on a birding tour of Trinidad and Tobago and, during a break from looking at the colourful hummingbirds, tanagers and flycatchers, I asked their advice on where to visit in the US.

They were unanimous in nominating New York as the place we must see - although none of them lived there and none of them wanted to.

One chap, I think he was from Washington DC, told us what he said was the archetypal New York joke: A visitor to the Big Apple stops a local as he is bustling by and says, "Excuse me, buddy, can you tell me where I can find Yankee Stadium, or should I just go screw myself?" I guess it's funnier if you're there but I know what he meant.

Another of the group, a grumpy Florida lawyer - he called a fellow twitcher, an amiable banker from Miami, "a baldy little twit" because he didn't hold a tour boat for him - spent ages explaining to us that he went to New York once or twice a year, always had a fantastic time and didn't spend a lot of money.

The key, he said, was detailed research. He used the internet to find out what shows were on and to book cheap tickets, scoured hotel websites looking for rooms available at cut rates and searched for restaurants with special deals.

Then, he said, he was working his way through New York's amazing museums and art galleries - places like the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of the City of New York - which were usually either free or cheap to get in and often had special exhibitions.

And finally, he said, each trip he saw a few of New York's amazing structures, such as the Statue of Liberty, Wall St and the nearby New York Stock Exchange, Brooklyn Bridge, the world's first steel suspension bridge, opened in 1883, the Empire State building, (from 1931-1977 the world's tallest building, and still the most famous skyscraper in the world), the United Nations and Times Square, Broadway and all those theatres.

"Everyone should go there once," he told us very seriously, "and when you've been there once you'll want to go again."

It's good advice and I still hope to follow it.

You see, despite all that purple prose, I've never really been to New York, though I've talked to a lot of people who have, and shamelessly stolen their descriptions.

An airline snafu did once leave me stuck with my family at New York's JFK Airport for, I think, seven hours.

I was keen to take a bus or a taxi into the city and just look at the buildings and feel the atmosphere. But the rest of the team, raised on horror stories of dark alleys and muggings, wouldn't budge.

So for seven hours we saw luggage going round the carousels, ate the worst airport food I've ever experienced in my life, looked at aircraft insignia from around the globe and watched the world and her father go by.

Meanwhile the eight-million-person generator was cranking out its power just down the road.

But I'll get there one day.