Saffer in search of the soul of New York

For the first-time New York traveller, the Empire State building is another definite bucket-list tick – if not slightly clichéd thanks to a certain Mr K Kong.

Aside from the panoramic views and the scary ticket prices, the museum area downstairs which through live demonstrations and 3D cinema show how the building was erected are an opportunity to marvel at engineering from a bygone area.

The panoramic views from the 86th floor are spectacular, and you get to see the entire Manhattan island, giving you a better understanding of downtown and uptown and where the early settlers came in and where the famous bridges are.

The outdoor balcony lives up to every photograph you’ve seen of it, and while not being the biggest area in circumference, you are likely to spend at least an hour eyeing every nook and cranny of the city that you can.

I also recommend spending the few extra bob and going up to the 102nd floor, which is a new public addition, and although it’s indoor it adds a little more pizzazz to this grand dame.

The other grand dame is her majesty, the Statue of Liberty, which thanks to my clever bus company meant a boat ride was included, passing under both the famous Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges before cruising up to Liberty Island.

The cruise itself, with that real-time NY city wallpaper, is reason enough to venture out but putting a tick against seeing Ms Liberty in person is also certainly worth the effort.

The position of the island and the grace of the design of the statue, with that virtuous torch held high, makes it easy to understand why it gave immigrants hope of a better life.

Being a speech and drama student at high school, I had to try a show on Broadway. While the options included Aladdin, Chicago and a famed Michael Jackson tribute even, my firm choice was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, at The Lyric.

The reason was that I loved the series and this production was based on a subsequent book by JK Rowling and supervised by her.

I can tell you that when a show runs on Broadway for years, they pretty much take over every centimetre of the theatre’s being.

The four-hour show was magic, with unbelievable special effects and wand-flames, but it’s the theatre of the mind stuff that impresses even more: the starlit atrium skyline, the Harry Potter carpets, the butter-beer drinks and chocolate wands, the QR codes everywhere that show secret videos, the general merchandise all just takes you deeply into that Hogwarts realm.

The Times Square world, on the other hand, was the only thing I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would. It’s what living inside an electric billboard must feel like.

The amazing piece is the tech in the gargantuan digital screens, which are so huge and so HD that you feel like you’re in space or underwater watching them from the street.

The difficulty comes in the ever-present crowds, and there being not much else to do in the vicinity except shop or grab a bite. I guess the vastness and uniqueness of the rest of NY spoilt me, with Times Square feeling like a place for the younger set only.

But to be fair, there were two stores in the area I did enjoy – the Disney store with its themed sections and the ability to get your pic up in Times Square, and M&M world which was three stories of diabetes in every form imaginable, along with some merchandise.

Then there’s Central Park, which just for the tranquillity it offers, based on its city surrounds, is quite something. I hired an electric scooter and loved whizzing around the park’s circumference, which takes an hour to cover based on it being six percent of Manhattan’s land mass in size.

It’s a real escape from the city, and you feel like you’re ensconced in nature when you’re there. It’s also just so immaculate with vast spreads of perfect flora and fauna.

The list goes on really. Fifth Avenue and the shopping, that Apple store, the Guggenheim and other museums, the Ghostbusters building, the magnificent old churches, Grand Central Station with its planetarium ceiling, the NY Times Building, Hard Rock Hotel, the Rockefeller Plaza, the beautiful NY Public Library, and Jon Noel who played Sade on his saxophone on Grand Central’s doorstep.

Visiting the US is like building a house, just double the budget before you leave home. When you divide the rand by 18 everything is expensive, just stop doing the math, soak it all up, and eat crackers when you get back.

This is one expensive city, with tourist spots happy to take your dollars.

In terms of staying connected, local sim cards are near impossible to get, but you can get an esim, which I found out very late but seemed to be easy enough to install on most modern phones. Use Google maps.

It’s incredible how it shows you the mix between the train, tram and bus routes, right down to the train lines, the stops, you name it, and it’s a lifesaver at night.

And you’re either going downtown or uptown, so that helps. Also, try to fly direct, you will need every minute in NY – and get used to mediocre hospitality, they know you need them more than they need you.

On the flight back I found myself asking one last very important question: did I enjoy NY because the US are just so good at PR – because of all the movies, and Frank Sinatra, and Friends.

Or did I enjoy it for the city it really is. And that comes back to the onion, that top layer and first visit is very Alicia Keys, but the longer you stay and the deeper you look the more you start to see the soul of this city, and you realise that this city is everything they say it is.

There’s a heartbeat and inclusiveness that’s hard to believe until you walk it. It’s unique and special.

NOW READ: New York turns you into a hamster on an exciting Hollywood wheel