I spent last week in New York City. I'm still processing what I found. Since returning to Seattle, one overarching question has grown in importance for the story I'm telling. Namely - what can be said about the historical arc of that part of Midtown Manhattan generally known as the Garment District. Or Garment Center. Puh-tay-toe, poh-tah-toh. This part of NYC has tried re-branding for a while now, with no apparent luck. But that's merely semantic - calling a duck say, "a mud ballerina" only gets a debate over the future flight of a thing so far. The Garment District in my consideration exists as a place with more history than present or future - no offense meant to anyone with a stake in this debate. I'm just saying that the more time I've spent trying to understand the Garment District, the more I'm intrigued by what I find looking backward.
Read MoreServing up a small slice of New York on the way back to Seattle
Ticking off the things I was surprised by over the past few weeks on the road would take quite a while. And even though my flight to get home to Seattle is long enough to justly explain almost any subject, I'm going to keep it relatively simple. There were some things I really did enjoy. In some cases repeatedly. So in no particular order, here's a few things I'd do again if I were heading back to New York City tomorrow.
- Everyone knows of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. But if your ancestors arrived between 1855 and 1890, chances are they came through the Castle Clinton National Monument (or Castle Garden, back in the day) complex in Battery Park. There's a big renovation under way. But combined with an under construction view of the Freedom Tower, it's well worth a trip to the far tip of Downtown. Seeing the crowds of construction workers milling about early in the morning outside the WTC site - smoking, joking, being total doods - was a slice of real street life that I will speak of fondly for some time to come.
- I've got a sentimental connection to Ulysses S. Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park, all the way up to 120th Street on the West Side. If you run through Central Park and want to tack on a few extra miles, head west at the north end (which is basically 110th). I'm a sucker for places in the City where you're not overwhelmed constantly. This is one of those rare places. Early mornings, especially.
- I enjoyed the benefit of catching up with a friend from way back who lives in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. He showed me all around and back to his place on Broadway - where the Hasidic men act they can't even hear M line train clamoring along on an elevated track all the way to and across the Williamsburg Bridge back into Manhattan. I'd started my day in Brooklyn over in Park Slope. Don't get me wrong - it's awesome over there. Totally different vibe, though. What sounds like a constantly evolving landscape in Williamsburg is fascinating to hear about from someone who lives there, who knows it from seriously deep in the mix. If you go, find Marlow & Sons. Sample at least a dozen oysters. We also had a duck pate` plate that came out looking like a big ol' scoop of ice cream. Mmmm...liver ice cream (drool).
- Back in Manhattan, stop to light a candle in St Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue. Donate a buck or two. Then go use the bathrooms in Trump Tower. Do not spend a dollar on anything Trump-y. But say a prayer in both places. Preferably not the same one.
- The still new-ish High Line Park is simply gorgeous. Basic logistics for those unaware - the elevated rail line used for the manufacturing areas of lower Manhattan was turned into a park starting back in 2002 instead of being torn down. It's totally unique and draws your attention to the art and funky architecture and all sorts of stuff to see in the neighborhood. Which is basically Chelsea - a place so hip you want to pull the whole neighborhood down a dark alley and punch it in the face. But that alley would probably smell like a herb garden and be lit with really intriguing dangling light fixtures, so don't bother. Just walk the High Line, preferably near sundown.
- Even though I didn't need to stay there, I will admit to getting totally sucked into the newly developed little block o' Great Northwestern biznesses (or ones with the vibe we create in our cities out yonder). I'm speaking of the stretch along 30th, between Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The Ace Hotel, Stumptown Coffee and The Breslin Cafe - all stylish, friendly and good at what they do. I was one of the innumerable folks waiting in that ridiculous line for Stumptown's coffee bar, I had the most delicious light breakfast one day at Breslin's when I just couldn't take a twenty coffee order deep line, and I repeatedly used the tables in the lobby. What can I say - I was spending a lot of time in the bordering garment district. If you're over there, just go and see what I mean.
Slightly heroic views of The Great Wall and The Big Underpants
The one excursion from Beijing that gets the most outsized praise is a visit to the Great Wall of China. I easily overheard a dozen people around me say "bucket list" when they didn't know what else to say about the views. That's not to take anything away from the spectacle - it is a big ol' thing to behold up close and a somewhat challenging stairclimb. Chairman Mao Zedong gets consistently misquoted as having said that everyone who scales the Great Wall is a hero. Mao actually said you weren't a hero if you didn't climb it. Which is rather passive aggressive for someone who killed so many people in the camps. Anyhoo, I'm sure the term "hero" had more bite in the days before parking lots full of tour buses. As it is now, let's just say that all you prospective heroes should wear shoes for hiking and be prepared to hold your ground when the pushing begins. We picked the closest section - Juyong Guan. That section along with another nearby (Ba Da Ling), constitute the Great Wall for Dummies equivalent. The next time I go Wallin' you'll find me visiting the farther afield section (Mutianyu) where they actually have a giant metal slide coming back down. Seriously. For those day planning for Juyong Guan - expect seven towers up (that's how people measure the sections climbed) to get as far as you can go, 45 minutes each way if you're being truly heroic, save some time for pics, and you've got yourself an easy half-day excursion before heading back toward Beijing. If only Disneyland so easily minted heroes.
The remainder of our time in and around Beijing was mostly spent exploring the modern equivalent of what New York's garment district must have looked like in its heyday. Imagine men riding bikes pulling carts with huge bales of goods, while deals get done in open storefronts. At hand is the trade of goods worth oodles of "RMBs" - what everyone calls China's currency, the yuan. Beyond this life on the street somewhere north of wholesale, we also visited factories surrounded by countless brand-new high-rise apartment buildings anonymously scattered around the outer circumference of Beijing. All the energy and resources briefly re-directed to prepare for the Olympics in 2008 is now entirely focused upon building these elements of the business and residential infrastructure. I suppose it's too easy to say that if you wanted to see where jobs were being truly created in the world, look no further than these areas. But that doesn't make it feel any less true.
Tomorrow I'll move the recap beyond Beijing to Shanghai - a city with a lustier vibe for capitalism or whatever might best characterize what's going on in the business of China's daily urban and economic life. Yet I can't step away entirely from the good feeling I have for my short time in Beijing. The news isn't all good there. I was told Beijingers buy over 2000 new cars each and every day - the traffic reflects that consumption. I luckily hit a very short duration sweet spot for breathing without concern for the famously scary smog. And if you want a scary sight, just try using the public bathrooms in The Forbidden City. Still, even a few epically grumpy cab drivers couldn't take the edge off the way people welcomed me. The food came in waves of awesome, thanks mostly to our utterly fantastic tour guide (let me know if you're in the market, because my man Alan remains open for business, bright as China's future and good enough with the language to even dissect the folksiest American slang). For nerds, the history rocks. And the trajectory of Beijing is as upward and angular as the impressive CCTV Building. Which is not yet open, but does sport the single best landmark nickname in world right now - the Big Underpants.
The remainder of our time in and around Beijing was mostly spent exploring the modern equivalent of what New York's garment district must have looked like in its heyday. Imagine men riding bikes pulling carts with huge bales of goods, while deals get done in open storefronts. At hand is the trade of goods worth oodles of "RMBs" - what everyone calls China's currency, the yuan. Beyond this life on the street somewhere north of wholesale, we also visited factories surrounded by countless brand-new high-rise apartment buildings anonymously scattered around the outer circumference of Beijing. All the energy and resources briefly re-directed to prepare for the Olympics in 2008 is now entirely focused upon building these elements of the business and residential infrastructure. I suppose it's too easy to say that if you wanted to see where jobs were being truly created in the world, look no further than these areas. But that doesn't make it feel any less true.
Tomorrow I'll move the recap beyond Beijing to Shanghai - a city with a lustier vibe for capitalism or whatever might best characterize what's going on in the business of China's daily urban and economic life. Yet I can't step away entirely from the good feeling I have for my short time in Beijing. The news isn't all good there. I was told Beijingers buy over 2000 new cars each and every day - the traffic reflects that consumption. I luckily hit a very short duration sweet spot for breathing without concern for the famously scary smog. And if you want a scary sight, just try using the public bathrooms in The Forbidden City. Still, even a few epically grumpy cab drivers couldn't take the edge off the way people welcomed me. The food came in waves of awesome, thanks mostly to our utterly fantastic tour guide (let me know if you're in the market, because my man Alan remains open for business, bright as China's future and good enough with the language to even dissect the folksiest American slang). For nerds, the history rocks. And the trajectory of Beijing is as upward and angular as the impressive CCTV Building. Which is not yet open, but does sport the single best landmark nickname in world right now - the Big Underpants.