Big Apple for the US Open - Day 2

Part 1 is posted here https://adilmemoirs.blogspot.com/2020/05/big-apple-for-us-open-day-1.html

The initial plan...
After a thoroughly enjoyable but tiring day of watching tennis at Flushing Meadows and reaching back at 1am, I thought I would have difficulty waking up in the morning and head back. However, today was a special day as I would get to watch Roger Federer in action. I was thankful to US Open authorities for keeping Federer's match in the day session as that would mean I could watch the whole match. On reaching Flushing Meadows, I first head to the practice courts as Nadal is later supposed to practice and would be signing autographs after his session. Unfortunately, every one is having the same plan and I find myself only in the outer holding pen. After waiting for more than an hour, the heat and humidity gets to me and I decide it would be better to actually watch tennis than hope Nadal gives autographs to the spectators.
Action on the outside courts...
So I glance the schedules of the outer courts and find that giant Karlovic is playing. At 6'10'', he is an imposing figure with a terrific first serve. I capture a video of his serve and the video fails to capture the movement of the ball as he serves. Karlovic wins in straight sets and I am off to check the next match. Daniela Hantuchova is playing Misaki Doi. The match gets over quickly as Misaki Doi pulls off a straight sets victory. While DH is storming off the court after the match, I did manage to get her autograph.
The main event...
After catching action on the outside courts, it is time to head back to Arthur Ashe as Federer is playing his first round match. This was the reason for us coming to US open and buying tickets for all four sessions. It does take a few minutes to sink in that we are watching Roger Federer in action. RF has decided to be on top of his game and show all his tricks, the downside of which is that the match gets over in hour and fifteen minutes. As RF fans, we would of course have liked the match to go on longer, however the quick match also meant RF showing all his tricks and playing well. After the match is over, we try to see if we can head to the lower levels and get RF's autograph. Unfortunately, security informs us that we need lower level tickets for that, so the pictures will do for now. As we head out of Arthur Ashe, the mind is content with the experience of being able to watch RF play live. RF makes it to the final and loses to Djokovic, a match which we watch from back home in San Jose.
The last rites of the Grandstand stadium...
The Grandstand is the third biggest stadium at Flushing Meadows after Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums. It is attached to LA with 4000 sitting capacity. After the 2015 season, the Grandstand was demolished and a new independent Grandstand was built. So we were lucky that we got to experience this wonderful intimate stadium in its full glow. From what I heard, the new one while a beautiful stadium does not give the same experience as before. After watching RF win on AA, we head to Grandstand to watch Petkovic take on Garcia. A terrific three setter ends with a come back from behind win for Petkovic. During the match, S removes and puts on the RF mask backwards and later when we watch the replay, we hear the commentator say someone has put on a RF mask backwards and is causing some commotion in the stands.
Watching the (future) champion...
After experiencing a match at Grandstand, I want to go to Court 17 (fourth biggest stadium at Flushing Meadows). However, the  matches there do not interest me, so I head to outside court to watch Flavia Pennetta play. A three setter where the momentum kept shifting between the players, FP finally wins 6-1 in the third. During one point, the ball flies into the stands and S tries to catch it, but messes it up. After returning back, we watch that point many times on the replay. After the match is over, we manage to get FP's autograph. Little did we know at that time that two weeks later, FP would be on Arthur Ashe hoisting the women's championship trophy.
Saying Goodbye...
Soon it was time for the finale, Andy Murray playing Nick Kyrgios in the evening match on Arthur Ashe. Once again, it was time to absorb the atmosphere of the cathedral of tennis that Arthur Ashe becomes during the evening session. A thoroughly entertaining match, I take leave of Flushing Meadows with Murray leading 2 sets to 1 so that I can catch my train back to Edison. This time, I am well in time for the 1030pm train and reach Edison well before midnight, tired but happy after another exciting day of watching tennis.
Final thoughts...
It was certainly an exciting trip to Flushing Meadows. I recollect this trip every year in August/Sept when US Open starts. While the experience of sitting in Arthur Ashe stadium or Louis Armstrong stadium is great, the real tennis experience comes from watching matches on the outside court.

Big Apple for the US Open - Day 1

The Prologue...
In 2014, as we were watching Cilic beat Nishikori in the US Open final, my friend S mentioned that we should head to New York to see US Open 2015. Fast forward few months and tickets for US Open go online. We finalize our plans to go see all the tennis stars. Since RF is the main attraction and having a tough year, we decided not to take any chances and go for the first round. Since US Open has morning and evening sessions on Arthur Ashe and do not decide the order till a week before the event, we decide to go for both Day 1 and Day 2 morning and evening sessions. S books the tickets and the countdown begins. As the summer continues, anticipation builds up. I book my tickets deciding to spend the weekend at Edison before heading to Queens on Monday and Tuesdays for the US Open. 
First Serve...

Its Monday, August 31 2015. Previous evening, I have looked at the schedule and found the stars of the day would be Djokovic in the morning session and Nadal in the evening. But first thing, it is time to go to Louis Armstrong stadium and catch a seat close by to watch Nishikori against Paire. There is lot of support for the Japanese star, of course, the biggest cheers for him come from me. So loud is my cheering and clapping that when I don't clap for one point, he actually looked up at me wondering why I wasn't clapping. Unfortunately, the best of clapping and cheering is not enough as he loses in 5 sets wasting match point in the fourth set. While I do feel sad at him losing, there is still lot of tennis to watch. Off to one of the outside courts to watch Tsonga, but he has already finished his match. S manages to get his autograph as the security officers whisk him away. 
Practice sessions...
Next, I head to the practice courts to see Sania Mirza practice along with Martina Hingis. Going on day 1 and 2 means only singles action, so only way to see the doubles stars is at their practice session. I have a nice seat at the practice court but decide to head to see some matches and return back for RF's session. Wrong decision as I find out. The practice courts stand is full and I can't access them. Well, just have to wait till tomorrow to watch him play. 
As we walk around deciding which match to check out next, S has brought out the Federer masks he got. A TV reporter sees us and asks us to walk with masks backwards as he takes our video. Please don't have your eyes towards the camera. As we don't know which channel he is working for, all we have is the solace of knowing our backs are going to be on TV.
Highlight of the day...
The women's matches have been completed at Arthur Ashe and its time for the highlight of the morning session. World no 1, Djokovic playing his first round match. In 1:11, Djokovic wins 6-1,6-1,6-1. The one point I remember is when Djokovic has game point and ball lands out, but line ref calls it in. Djokovic challenges and is at his seat even before the umpire calls for Hawkeye. Of course, the replays show it is well out. 
After watching Djokovic win 6-1,6-1,6-1 in 1h 11min, I decide to head out to watch action on the outer courts. While watching matches at Arthur Ashe stadium is an amazing experience, the outer courts often have riveting action which you can watch from the front row. I head to Court 10 to watch Daria Gavrilova, a former US open junior champion play Daria Kasatkina, who was playing her first grand slam match after making it through to main draw as a lucky loser. I end up sitting next to DG's coach and it is an interesting experience watching the coach keep motivating their disciples. Finally as DG faces match point, her coach shouts "you can do it" to which DG replies "No, I cant". Well, as you can guess the match is over on the next point. 
The evening session - When Arthur Ashe comes to life...
I finally catch up with S and S to decide the next course of action. I want to go to Arthur Ashe to watch Serena Williams, but Wawrinka is playing on Louis Armstrong court. So we decide we will head to AA when Serena is about to start the second set thus getting matches on both court. Unfortunately, by the time we reach our seats in AA, Serena's opponent has retired and the match is over. So we just wait for the last match to start on AA, it is a big one. Nadal vs Coric. While we are waiting for the match to start, I chat with our neighbor who is a big Rafa fan. It is an interesting conversation where he tells us how he has been following Rafa for a long time and how modest and nice person Rafa is. The match gets interesting when Coric wins the third set and Rafa looks to be struggling, however I need to leave to head back to Edison. After reaching home, I find out that Rafa won the fourth set and the match. I get delayed reaching NY Penn station and miss my train, so need to wait an hour for the next one. It initially gets cancelled, but thankfully they found and fixed the issue, so I get to Edison around 1am, tired but happy after a long day of viewing tennis. Of course I dont have to time to think much about it as after sleeping for few hours, I am heading back to NY and Flushing Meadows for Day 2 of US Open, which is coming up soon...

New Travel Blog

I have decided to have two different blogs, one for general and one specific for travel plans. The travel blog is located below

https://adilstravelmemoirs.blogspot.com/

Look forward to comments and brickbrats for both blogs...

Where the East meets the West

"We will begin our descent into Hong Kong shortly" goes the crackling voice over the PA system. Words that feel very soothing after a 14 hour long journey across the Pacific cramped inside a tube of metal affectionately called the Boeing 777. We finally land at 6am local time and my connecting flight to Mumbai is scheduled at 810pm. With lot of time to spare, I decide to visit Hong Kong city and do some roaming around.

After spending sometime charging my phone and checking emails, I head to the immigration counter. There is a long queue for immigration, however with multiple counters operational, it just takes 20 minutes for clearing it. Not making any comparisons, but similar queue in both Mumbai and San Francisco took my an hour and half. The officer asks me some basic questions regarding my stay after which I am given the permit allowing me to stay in Hong Kong for a maximum duration of 14 days. After clearing immigration, I head to catch the Airport Express to the city. The Airport Express is the fastest way to get to Hong Kong Central from the airport. The journey is swift and in no time am I at Hong Kong station located in the Central District of Hong Kong. The station is located on the premises of the International Finance Center and the sea of humanity passing through the station takes me instantly back to Churchgate station and Penn Station in New York.

Before leaving home, I had chalked out a plan for doing some sightseeing in Hong Kong. It all looked very easy then, but now that I am in Hong Kong, everything seems so confusing. In this confusion, the familiar sight of Starbucks feels very comforting. I head inside for a cup of refreshing Machiato while checking the map for the route to Peak Tram. After checking the map, I am back on the road and thankfully the signs on the streets are quite helpful. I easily find my way to the lower level terminus for the Peak Tram. The peak tram is a funicular tram heading up to Victoria Peak, the tallest point of Hong Kong. The tram arrives in five minutes and soon we are on the way up. This is my second trip on a funicular and I am enjoying every moment of it. As the tram heads up the slope, all the skyscrapers around seem tilted at 45degrees. Slowly but surely, we head up the hill and reach the top of Victoria Peak, located at a height of 550 meters. The Peak tram covers about 400 meters in altitude over a distance little more than a kilometer. The view of Hong Kong Central and Lower Kowloon is quite breathtaking, however there is rain in the air with gusty winds ready to spoil the show. The clouds are covering the view of the city, but the site of clouds covering Victoria Peak is quite enthralling. I would have loved to roam around the peak, but it was cold with the rain and the wind and I decide to head back indoors to the tram station. I do consider sending postcards from Victoria Peak post office, however the post office wouldnt have opened for another hour and so have to cancel those plans. I take the tram back to lower level enjoying the slanted looking towers once again.

Next on my agenda after Victoria Peak is to enjoy a ride on a double decker tram in the city. Hong Kong Island has an extensive tram system and is the only system to employ exclusively regular double decker tram services. These are popularly called "Ding Ding" based on the double bell ring the trams sound to warn pedestrians of their arrival. All the tram lines pass through Central Hong Kong and I checked the map to find out where I could travel. The tram lines run east to west and the stations are numbered sequentially. As you head east, the station numbers are increasing odd numbers while increasing even numbers are for west bound line. I am at 68W station and decide to head west till 80W station. This station as I later find out is the stop for Macau Ferry Terminal. The ding ding arrives and I am off to the upper deck. The deck has 1-2 sitting layout and I find an empty window seat in the front half. As the tram crackles away slowly on the creaky rails in the middle of busy Hong Kong roads, I take in the atmosphere inside the tram. The wooden seats does lead an old world charm to the trams. While there are justifiable concerns of motorists about trams slowing down the traffic in downtown, lot of Hong Kong residents use the tram and it is one the most environment friendly modes of transportation in the city. We are now passing through central district of Hong Kong and it bears a lot of similarity to Central Manhattan though I am not sure how people in New York would react to a tram running slowly through Madison or Park Avenue and slowing down the vehicular traffic. After getting out at 80W stop, I head to the Macau Ferry Terminal and roam around for few minutes. After enjoying the views of the ferry terminal, I decide to head back to Central. Due to the different numbers for the stop on the east bound track, I am initially not sure which stop to get down. Thankfully the maps also have the name of the street and I find out 33E stop is the closest to star ferry terminal. After another fifteen minute journey crackling the rails on the street, I am back to where I started my tram journey. While I have traveled by light rail in many places, the enjoyable experience of the tram in Hong Kong will very much be at the top.

After the tram ride, I decide to head to Tsim Sha Tsui located across the Victoria Harbor. I will be taking the famous Star Ferry across the harbor and head to the ferry terminal. After getting off the tram, I walk back to Hong Kong station and from there take the sky walk to the ferry terminal. As I walk, the amazing skyline of Hong Kong Central rises on my right side and it is a beautiful sight. On reaching the ferry terminal, I head to pier 7 and buy the token for the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui. TST is the lower part of Kowloon peninsula and has a beautiful promenade with beautiful views of Hong Kong skyline. It is also well known for its shops and eating places. The star ferry arrives and since it is raining, I have to settle on the lower level. The ferry leaves soon and begins the short journey to TST pier on the other side of Victoria Harbor. Next to the TST pier is the old clock tower which is the only remains of the old train station at TST. After taking few snaps of the clock tower, I head to the promenade. The promenade has two levels and so I can escape from the rain. Looking at the view of the skyline across the Victoria Harbor, I am immediately reminded of lower Manhattan and thus starts the inevitable comparisons. Of course lower Manhattan is one of its kind and I dont think any skyline can match the charisma of it. However the Hong Kong skyline is very impressive and is made all the more beautiful with the rain clouds blanketing the Victoria Peak in the back ground. After walking around the promenade enjoying the views, I decide to head for lunch. Looking around for some place serving local food, I spot Starbucks, McDonalds and Subway in almost every block in TST. I guess its the sign of increasing globalization. I finally find a restaurant serving chinese food and enjoy curry chicken with rice. Its little past 1 when I finish my lunch and I have to decide my next action plan. I can roam around TST promenade or check some other place. However it is raining steadily and hence I decide its best to head back to the airport. Taking the star ferry back to Central, I am back at Hong Kong station. The Airport Express takes me back to Hong Kong International Airport in 24 minutes and thus ends my visit to Hong Kong.

There are still five hours to go before my flight to Mumbai. Hong Kong airport is a treat for an aviation fan with views of wide body airplanes taking off and landing continuously. Thus these hours pass by in a jiffy and it is time to board the 747 to Mumbai. In the five hours I spent roaming around, I see plenty of B-747, B777, A330, A340 and of course the super jumbo A380. For all A380 fans, you should definitely visit Hong Kong airport. I was able to see Emirates and Singapore Airlines A380s at adjacent gates with a British Airways A380 parked little distance away. Lufthansa's B747-8, the worlds longest passenger plane is also waiting for the return flight to Frankfurt. (I also spotted Thai Airways and Malaysian Airlines A380 on my return journey). I would definitely recommend aviation fans to travel via Hong Kong airport.

They call Hong Kong as Asia's world city and I would say it is very true. Hong Kong has the best of both western and eastern worlds. All the road signs, instructions and announcements are in Cantonese and English and hecne very easy for the tourist to roam around. The public transport system is quite good and people in general were friendly and helpful if you had any questions. While the weather was little bad the day I was there, I definitely enjoyed my visit and would definitely love to visit Hong Kong again. 

26 years, 26 memories

While talking with my friend Aigis, I got to know that he was considering writing his blog entry on his memories from childhood and school life. Reading about it got me interested in making my own list. As I got started, I realized I could write 26 memories, 1 for each year that I have lived on planet earth. I know its not yet November 15, but I guess 2/3rd of my 26th year is already over. So here we go...26 years, 26 memories. Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts on this post.

1) The twin diesel engines taking the Mumbai Delhi Rajdhani Express speeding past Boisar. It started a long life passion for trains that continues with Amtrak, NJTransit and Septa trains even today

2) I dont remember which was the first episode of Tom and Jerry that I watched, but have loved watching each and every episode of it and love watching it even today. I still have more than 9 hours of Tom and Jerry cartoons on my laptop.

3) The days when Indian cricket started and ended with Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin out means its time to close the television as even Gods wouldnt have been able to save the Indian team and help it win.

4) My first international flight from Mumbai to London on British Airways on way to Philadelphia. It was the first time I was travelling alone and everything was overwhelming me so much. Never felt so small and unmeaningful as on that journey.

5) My two return journeys to home from Philadelphia. The feeling and excitement of landing at Mumbai airport was just tremendous. Can never forget it.

6) My first news of the day presentation in school. I had completely forgotten about it and remembered it at 11pm the night before. With the help of Mom, saw the 11pm news and wrote something. It was the same day that lot of Seniors from the Indian Cricket Team had been dropped and half of my news telecast focused on it.

7) The day I drove a car for the first time. This was on Sanju Motor Training School's car. With the trainer sitting there, it was easy as he was controlling the clutch. The first time I started our car, it gave such a jerk that I really thought I had broken the car. But slowly started the interest in car driving. And making the switch from right to left wasnt difficult.

8) The first three years in the swimming pool. Every time I felt confident about learning, the summer would be over and the pool would be closed for rest of the year. JP Bhai tried his best to teach me swimming, but eventually after three long summers of trying, he gave up. A month after he gave up, I learnt swimming and that started another long life affinity with water and water sports.

9) My first cycle ride on my own. I forgot that there are such things called as brakes. Went too fast and then banged into a wall. Fortunately, neither me nor my cycle got damaged. But that fall reminded me that I need to improve my cycling a lot.

10) My first camping trip. Shyam had planned one to the Appalachian Trail and Sajeel and Sajeel's two friends joined us. It was the first week of November and I saw live snowfall for the first time. It was wonderful experiencing fresh snow in the Appalachians.

11) Going to Somaiya College during admissions round. A fellow student came and sat next to me and started chatting. That was the first time I met Sandeep Pillai and was the beginning of a friendship that is still going on great.

12) Joining the Drexel Badminton Club. The badminton courts have literally become my second home here. Made so many good friends there. Have got addicted to badminton and finally this year took part in the local badminton tournaments here.

13) Winning the GK contest in school. Got me interested in general knowledge and started my participation in many quiz contests. Wont forget the drama in the Rotary Inter School Quiz in 2000. It was a negative marking round and we lost 20 points there. Add 20 points and we would have won our semifinals. Finally won quizzes with Sandeep during the four years of Somaiya. Our most frequent opponent was Aigis, a veteran GK champion.

14) My class X examinations were going on and India was playing Australia at that time. We usually had a five day break between exams (something that definitely continued during the engineering exams). But between Science and Hindi exams, there was only one day. And Dravid and Laxman had to choose that very day to bat the Australians out. Tried studying a bit in between breaks of cricket. Was so happy when I got to know three months later that I had scored 85 in Hindi.

15) Going to Vadilal ice cream factory with Bejoy. We would play cricket in the lawns and then every hour, head inside the factory to enjoy some fresh ice cream. I have had a lot of ice cream in the last few years, but nothing to beat the fresh taste of Vadilal.

16) The trump card wars with Bejoy. Shawn Michaels as super trump. Hulk Hogan as Rank 1. Undertaker Height 6 feet 10 inches. Stats that no one born in the 80s would forget. And the initiation into WWF (now known as WWE). Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart, Stone Cold vs McMahon. Do I need to say more?

17) The cricket matches on the terrace. If the ball fell out of the terrace, the batsman would be out. That started the tradition of playing defensively and concentrating more on technique. I know I am not even a thousandth as good as Dravid, but it felt good when I was compared to him once on the field.

18) Watching cartoon network a lot. TNT movies would start at 5.30pm and it was a day of great celebrations when they changed the timings and Cartoon Network ended at 9.00pm. The Centurions, Popeye, Scooby Doo, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, some of the very best cartoons I saw.

19) 26th July 2005. This was an unforgettable day. For a journey that normally took only an hour, I took 26 hours due to the rain and flood. Pretty much used all modes of transportation that day. Walking, swimming, climbing atop a bus, taking a boat, travelling by bus, car and auto rickshaw. This day had it all. And I had this experience only because I wanted to attend the last lecture of the day.

20) The interview for co-op with Motorola. Dont know why, but I was so nervous that day that I just mumbled something during the two hour long interview. It was the worst possible interview anyone can have. I guess it was only the fact that I literally bugged Bob with emails and phone calls in the previous two months that I got the co-op at Motorola.

21) Messing up the board while holding the topographic map in Shekhran Sir's class. Topographic map became lopographic map due to my activity. As a punishment, I was supposed to write an essay on Discipline and its benefits. Next day was also the day when I was supposed to give a speech during the school assembly. So I had my topic ready. Shekhran Sir was so pleased with my speech that he agreed to give me some extra marks during the tests that followed soon after.

22) Dr. Abhang Prabhu. I will never forget him and his lectures in Agrawal Classes. I was his usual bakra (being a PCM student) and he tried his best to convert me to a medicine student. Thankfully I won and became an engineer. But he made me so famous in the class that Agrawal Classes K batch of 2002-03 was rechristened Adil's batch.

23) Going to Wankhede Stadium with Ruchir and Shreyas to watch Day 2 of Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Bengal. Got to see my cricket idols in real. Sachin, Zaheer, Agarkar, Jaffer and Dada were in action that day. Highlight of the day was Zaheer removing Dada for a duck. And the selection committee for the WC was meeting in Mumbai that day. So was able to spot Rahul Dravid, Sir Geoff Boycott, Dilip Vengsarkar, Vinod Kambli and Tendulkar family in the pavilion.

24) The Kingfisher Open was going on at the CCI tennis courts in Mumbai and I decided to see some matches on the semifinals day. Saw Thomas Berdych vs Stefan Koubek followed by Dimitry Tursanov vs Tommy Robredo. Both the matches were really interesting and I loved every moment of it. But the evening's blockbuster was the doubles match between Mahesh Bhupathi / Mario Ancic and Leander Paes / Aisam Ul Haq Quereshi. Everytime I see these players on TV, my mind goes back to that evening at the CCI tennis courts.

25) Going hiking with friends. The natural beauty of Pine Creek State Park, the pristine waterfalls of Glen Ricketts State Park, the fall foliage of Appalachian Trails are just too beautiful. Also biking the Schuylkill River Trail from Norristown to Philadelphia. Its a total of 20 miles of fun biking. I have done it three times now and each time was more enjoyable than the previous one. The trail along the river is just beautiful and made me appreciate the beauty of nature.

26) The train journeys from Boisar to Goregaon on Sunday evenings with Kinjal. I believe my patience and listening ability improved a lot due to these travels. Kinjal, dont kill me on reading this. But I am sure you will agree to this.

NY in NY

I know this should have been up long time back, but due to hectic pace of life currently going on with so many happenings, it feels that its better late than never. On the 26th new year eve of my life (of course I have no recollections of a quite a lot of the earlier ones), I found myself thanks to the convincing and planning skills of my friends, in the big apple to celebrate the new year eve at Times Square, New York.

The plan was simple, just go to NYC and soak in the atmosphere, move around in Manhattan and then hopefully, crowds permitting see the famous ball drop at Times Square. Then just hang around till day break before doing some sight seeing in Manhattan. But then, things that look simple at first never turn out to be that simple.

I will never forget the image that I got of New York when I got off the megabus just off Penn station. Being from Mumbai, I sort of like the feeling of seeing crowded streets in New York as it brings a familiar feeling. But this was something else. I am sure the population of the borough of Manhattan must have increased by a significant percentage that day. Contacted my friends and found out that they were at an Indian restaurant on 39th Street. As I was walking towards 39th Street, I could see the rush that had developed for the ball drop. And it was only 7pm, another five hours to go for the event. I could only imagine the crowds that would be there at midnight.

After meeting up with friends, some of whom I was meeting after years, we decided to head down south to Brooklyn Bridge. Standing halfway on the Brooklyn Bridge brings to your notice two things about New York. First is the color of the night sky. Its not black, but orange due to the high amount of lights that are on through the night. The second thing is the hectic pace of life on the roads that spread out connecting Manhattan with Queens and Brooklyn. And then of course, as you look towards mid Manhattan, the Empire State Building, in all its glory rises above the skyline. Seeing the Empire State Building stand out in the skyline, I can only think about how spectacular the twin towers would have looked and how Freedom tower will look once its completed. After absorbing the sights for an hour, we head back to central Manhattan.

So we are trying our best to get into Times Square and it says a lot about the crowds for this event that despite our best attempts, we can only get till as close as 38th street. And people tell us that for entering at that late hour, we are pretty lucky to have reached this close. And as the countdown begins, the frenzy just goes up. As the clock strikes midnight, people start celebrating. Strangers who dont know each other at all and might never meet again are wishing each other Happy New Year.

Once the excitement goes down and crowds leave, we head and finally few hours after midnight, we have reached Mount Times Square. Thanks to the snowstorm the previous week, there are literally hills of dirty snow around for it to be officially called Mount Times Square. The next few hours are spent chatting over coffee and sandwich at the very famous McDonalds located in center of Times Square.

In the morning, we head up the Empire State Building and get a fantastic cool winter morning view of New York City. As the sun shines over the East river, the thing that stands out the most for me are the various bridges in New York. Up close, the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges are shining gloriously while at a distance, the Verrazano's Narrows bridge and George Washington Bridge are doing their daily work of transporting vehicles in and out of New York. After an hour atop the Empire State Building, I start my return journey back to Philadelphia and end what was a memorable NYE in NYC...

Wishing everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!