A dozen years later, I’m back in the city that doesn’t sleep. Hello again NYC! What was it like this time around? Bright lights all the way from uptown Manhattan all the way down to The Battery. It wasn’t so on the 2012 visit with Sandy’s “knockout” presence painting a dismal picture. Her arrival left much of the city, everywhere in Lower Manhattan south of 39th Street, power-less. The great divide was evident at nightfall and crossing 39thwas the gateway towards darkness or light, depending on which direction one’s heading. It was like a scene from an apocalyptic movie. However, the superstorm and its aftermath didn’t diminish the Big Apple’s delectability. I took my big bite of the city, never minding the hike down the 10th floor apartment and up to start and end a day. 

Not so on my recent visit. It was a quick climb up my fancy third floor room with a street view in a brownstone house in the Charlton–King–Vandam Historic District, where the largest cluster of Federalist and Greek revival style row houses can be found. I lived the Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle, or something like it, staying on the top floor of an iconic building in Hudson Square, Lower Manhattan. “She stayed in a pad. You have the entire house” said my host, Mylene C., who, like Carrie, collects shoes and scurries along the ground stoop in different heels daily. This was where my West Side –and beyond— stories took off.

Hudson Square is charming for a number of reasons and the list starts with the beautiful brownstones. The shopping, nightlife, food and art scenes are vibrant, and steps away from the front door, whether it’s within the area or the neighboring districts of Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich and Tribeca.

Nearby home are great food choices, whatever the cuisine of preference. Here’s a couple: Dominique Ansel Bakery along Spring Street for a bite of the famed cronuts, DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann) and chocolate croissant for breakfast (because it sells out in a flash once doors open); and along the same street, have a drink and a bite of no-frills good burgers, pies or steaks in one of the oldest operating drinking establishments in NYC— the legendary Ear Inn, aka the James Brown House, a 1770-built Federal-style structure, home to the African aide to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. It was a riverside property back then with the Hudson River shoreline just five feet from its front door. Today, the waterway is a block away flanking the West Side Highway, a popular path for walking, running and biking.

Exploring the food scene farther, my high school girl friends took me to their favorite Chinatown resto, Hop Kee, where the waiter had to stop my host from ordering for more as it won’t fit the table for six; discovered good pasta in a quaint resto in Italian Town with my hosts Rob and Mylene; and with my Davao clique, feasted on delicious slabs of 28 oz. T- Bone Steak, a favorite among locals and celebrities, at 1977-established Knickerbocker Bar & Grill in the heart of Greenwich.

In this fascinating, ever-evolving city, “been there, done that” may just not apply. There’s always a new facet to whatever has caught the heart which makes one eager to see what it is (or maybe, one can never get enough of it). It’s a love affair that lasts forever. Hallelujah to the city’s public transportation system, reliving it—and creating new ones— is effortless. Just hop on the subway. I did and made my rounds: a relaxing stroll in Central Park at daytime and the High Line in the evening; to MoMA, to dive into modern art (I wish there was more time for MET and Whitney); Times Square at three minutes before twelve for the Midnight Moments, when art takes over the digital billboards (braved the windy winter night and voila! a computer glitch on the very evening I went); said my beaded prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral; sipped coffee pairing it with Magnolia Banana Pudding on a sidewalk café by Rockefeller Center; viewed the holiday window displays of the luxury shops and the stacked giant luggage of a renovating Louis Vuitton flagship store along 5th Avenue; and checked out why the Vessel and the Oculus are viral on the net. Photogenic, yes, at least the latter has a useful purpose other than just picturesque.

While the subway was a big help in exploring, most often navigating through the city on foot was a preference –minus the aid of Google map. Not surprisingly I got lost, perhaps on purpose (though tiring in the end until I find my way back home) for I got to chance upon interesting areas, like Washington Square Park, a giant shiny bean sitting on a sidewalk along Tribeca, finding out after that it’s Anish Kapoor’s; and, bumping into NYC’s colorful characters like a cigarette-toting man with long fancy nails known as Marc Jacobs—just one of those days in the city. Would I have the same nonchalant reaction if it was Anna Wintour, I wonder. 

Perhaps this is why New York City makes the heart skip a beat. In the dynamic and ever-evolving city, it lives up to its name—that there’s always something new to see, new to experience waiting for those who visit. The list just keeps getting longer! The trip to the Big Apple was the shortest at three nights. I wasn’t able to do everything I needed and wanted to but the bite I took was fulfilling enough. I still said no to a Broadway show even if it was hosted (gasps, I hear). Perhaps next time. Meanwhile, the unticked boxes on my list will keep the heart in I❤️NY beating in me, a very good reason to head back to the city that doesn’t sleep. Soon.

How about you, what’s your NYC story?

Vaccines available, travel restrictions easing and the virus to be treated as endemic soon, it’s the green light we will all be waiting for. It’s time to move forward. After being cooped up for a long period, what will your big leap be? 

Businesses are eager to open their doors wide open— restaurants want to serve full capacity, entertainment centers want to reopen, the hospitality industry wants to operate in full force, tourism spots want to welcome back its visitors, schools want to fill its classrooms with students once more. 

Just as the airlines are hungry to fill up its fleet of wide-body aircrafts with passengers, the travelers are itching to hop on one to a destination they missed most. Perhaps more than shopping, which was accessible online in the course of the pandemic, it’s traveling that most people miss most. The itch needs a good scratching. As soon as traveling becomes hassle-free, globetrotters will leap and soar to where their heart desires. 

Where will I head first? Japan is on top of my list. The ramen and the desserts, the politeness of the people, the Cherry Blossom, the cool weather, the well-preserved old world architecture against the modern backdrop, nature highlighted on a pedestal, small streets waiting to be explored, the bullet train ride to another prefecture. Of course, the Sakura gives away the time of year I want to visit. Are they welcoming back tourists at the end of March? Most importantly, will they be granting tourists visas soon? 

I asked world wanderers on social media what the first post-pandemic destination will be. The place would register quickly for sure. From the 50 respondents, guess which countries scored highest? 

Japan ranked first with 15 points. The Japanese Consular Office in Davao will be happy to know this and pitch it to ANA to make the Davao-Tokyo direct flights happen. 

Unanimously, the top three reasons for the visit (and revisit) are 1. Food; 2. Culture; and 3. Nature & the sights. While there are those who dream to tick Japan off the bucket list, those who did have fallen in love with the Land of the Rising Sun. Yes, Japan can be pretty addictive. I can attest to it. 

“I had always been enamored with Japan and its fascinating food scene and culture,” shared Ken Ong. 

The USA came in second with 11 points. While the US is an ideal destination for the brood for its theme parks and shopping, family is the main reason for travel to the US this time. After years apart, many long for reuniting with loved ones. 

“I want to give my son a big hug,” shared Chari Gavino, who hasn’t been with his son for three years. 

South Korea is on the third spot with seven points, and you may have an idea why. The long lockdown period has viewers glued to Netflix and its myriad of K-dramas. It was an escape from the dreadful situation outdoors. 

And not to forget the BTS, who melted hearts like butter with their baby faces, fashion, smooth dance moves and melodic tunes. Travelers get the permission to dance their way to Seoul, live out K-drama scenarios in palaces, feast on authentic Korean cuisine and if lucky enough, have a selfie with a favorite boy band member. 

“I’ve indulged in so many K-dramas and BTS concerts during the pandemic so I want to cap it off with authentic kimchi, Samgyup and some Soju. Borahae!”, Bunny Sy exclaimed. 

Clearly, women dominated this destination for the reasons given above. For the men on the list, the food and weather were the primary reasons. “I want to relax in a cold place like Korea and see beautiful views. This covid is too much of a bad experience,” said Anthony Ang. 

The fourth placer is not just one country. With 4 points, these travelers want their pandemic-aborted European tour to happen soon. Deprived of travel for a long period, they might as well see as many countries as they can in one go, they said. It makes sense. 

Number five is Spain with three points. The reasons are varied- to see family, anniversary destination and fascination for the place and wanting to see it for the first time. 

Thailand and Hong Kong tied for the sixth spot. The former being culturally rich and gastronomically exciting, and the latter for its proximity and familiarity, and the thrilling big city vibe compacted in the small area. 

Votes came in for Vietnam, Taipei, UK, the Holy Land, Switzerland, even Iceland. 

Dream it, claim it. The Universe is very generous. All you have to do is ask. 

Now ready for boarding…. 

Follow D’ Durian Daily on Facebook 

For more lifestyle stories, visit dduriandaily.com 

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com

St. Paul’s Chapel, a Episcopal chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church, is the oldest surviving church building and the oldest public building in continuous use in New York City. It is located in Lower Manhattan in the Big Apple, on 209 Broadway, between Fulton and Vessey Streets. Almost two centuries since its completion in 1766, the Georgian architecture styled building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Among the chapel’s famous worshippers were several presidents of the US—George Washington (along with the members of the US Congress during his inauguration in 1789), Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush— and many more distinguished personalities— George Clinton (the first governor of the New York), Governor George Pataki, Prince William, Lord Cornwallis, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani.

The most prominent names in history may have worshipped in the halls of this chapel may have lifted the place into prominence, but what is more interesting is how St. Paul’s Chapel has survived a couple of catastrophes in the history of NYC (and the US)—the Great New York City Fire of 1776 when a quarter of the city was burned during the American Revolutionary War, and the September 11, 2001 attack of the World Trade Center that led to the collapse of the Twin Towers. With the chapel’s rear faces Church Street, opposite the east side of the WTC site, it’s a miracle that not a single window was broken when the towers collapsed. It was a sycamore tree— the miracle sycamore— on the northwest corner of the property that was hit by debris sparing the Chapel, as Church history declares.

For eight months after 9/11, St. Paul’s Chapel served as a place of rest and refuge for the volunteers numbering by the hundreds, working in 12-hour shifts 24/7 serving meals and making beds, counseling and praying, attending to their medical needs, etc. 

Today, the Chapel is one of the popular tourist destinations in the Big Apple. Showcased within the sanctuary are the memorial banners, an extensive video history of the 9/11 event, and a couple of exhibited works that call attention—the "Healing Hearts and Minds", an exhibit consisting of a policeman's uniform covered with police and firefighter patches sent from all over the world, and hung from the upper level over the pews is the "Thread Project", a composition made up of several banners, each of a different color, and woven from different locations from around the globe. 

Memories of the past live inside the St. Paul’s Chapel. Whether you’d like to check out George Washington’s pew or view the 9/11 memorial installations, this is one place worth checking out. It’s a very short walk from the 9/11 Ground Zero Museum.


For more travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on February 20, 2014.