Travelling to New York in the summer of 2010 and landing on The John F. Kennedy International Airport in daytime gave me a good glimpse of the landmarks which were pointed out by a copassenger as the continental airlines Boeing jet circled waiting for clearance to land,I could see the empire state building and the statue of Liberty standing tall after a 16 hour nonstop flight from Delhi it was a wonderful sight.
It is here I understood the exact meaning of the phrase “ the plane taxied’ , the plane actually runs on its wheels and goes to the runway and waits almost 15- 20 minutes in line with about 10 small planes to takeoff, just taxies at traffic junctions.
New York city is breathtaking ,the river Hudson ,the huge bridges crisscrossing it. If your are in downtown NY all the time you can see the colorful bellies of the various aeroplanes with their wheels sticking out just ready to land and your ears are full of drone of their engines.La’Gaurdia airport is just next to the sea all the time you can see the airplanes landing like beetles playing hopscotch . The Brooklyn Bridge ranks as one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century and remains one of New York's most popular and well known landmarks.The impressive bridge spans the East river between Brooklyn and Manhattan The most noticeable feature of the Brooklyn Bridge are the The towers with large Gothic arches to which the many cables are attached. We drove across this bridge several times and admired the NY skyline from the bridge.
We visited New York zoo which has a huge collection of animals , saw the polar with going to the artic circle . The Indian Rhino a gift from India.
A train which took us around the zoo, saw the butterfly park .
It was Saturday morning when we woke up, unlike Houston New York was cold rather breezy in july . Mother suggested they should go for sightseeing. We took the subway to manhattan then walked down Trinity church building at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street.Outside, the church's spire soars to a height of 281 feet (86m) and for many years, it was the highest point in the city. The sandstone face of the Church is adorned with Gothic spires and pointed arches and the exteriors linear design gives one the impression that everything is pointing upward towards heaven.
Wall Street. Is the Financial District's most famous symbols is the 'Charging Bull' Statue (The bull represents a bull market, a constantly rising market). in front of the New York Stock Exchange we walked through the Wall street past the bronze bull. Many school children were hanging from its horns ,posing for photographs, offered a prayer at the twin tower site ,then walked hand in hand to Battery Park is a 25-acre (10 ha) public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for the artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years to protect the settlement behind them Together with Hudson River Park, a system of greenspaces, bikeways and promenades now extend up the Hudson shoreline. A bikeway might be built through the park that will connect the Hudson River and East River parts of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
As we stood in the line for the security check we could see Ellis island and the beautiful lady with a torch, tickets cost twelve dollars each which included the ferry ride to the monument they joined the line of tourists for the security check.a hour and half was spent waiting in the line before they boarded the ferry , we felt like pilgrims to the promised land , it was an unforgettable trip to the majestic statute of lady liberty . The statue was designed by a young French sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who was striving to build a statue like the great Colossus that once stood at the Greek island Rhodes. The statue's face was modeled after his mother,the crown of Lady Liberty,has seven spikes, symbolizing the Seven Seas across which liberty should be spread. In her left hand she holds a tablet with the Declaration of Independence and in her right hand a torch, symbolizing Enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meters (151ft) tall and together with the pedestal it reaches a height of 93 meters (305ft).
How long will it be before a casual visitor can spend a day in this city without a thought of what happened that September morning ? Here and now , it’s impossible not to be aware .Had I been here that 9/11 morning instead of this day I might have looked over at the New York skyline and Hudson river, then heard some unusual sounds ,turned my head to catch my own vision of apocalypse .The thought is inescapable : had I been here that morning ,I may not have lived . Freedom symbolized by the Lady to my left: terrorism falling out of the sky above me.Taliban and Al-Kayda became a reality when the two Boeing crashed into the twin towers of American trade center brought the world to a stand still with horror which could only be plotted by a sick human mind
So many innocent people lost their lives their hopes and ambitions trampled [unfortunately I share my birthday 11march with Osama Bin Laden ] New York or New Amsterdam as history tells us still has a imposing skyline A cruise around the Manhattan in the car to appreciate the sunbathed glory , subway ride to Coney Island New York is a cosmopolitan to the true sense.
The Brooklyn Bridge ranks as one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century and remains one of New York's most popular and well known landmarks.
The impressive bridge spans the East river between Brooklyn and Manhattan I was visiting NY along with my Mother Mrs Mercy Lal during May –June 2010. We was staying in the queens with a family friend from Delhi , when walking past , had read the notice about the Sunday services ,so decided to worship in All Saints Church a catholic church on 13 june ’10 Sunday. Well on that bright Sunday[10:30 am] service we were welcomed with open arms I was invited to go to the alter with the communion wine . When the lady invited me for this honour , she said in my ear , ‘ Will you take the wine’ I almost fainted with shock ,I thought it had something todo with liquor. She smiled and repeated ,’The communion wine goblet , just follow me’. As I walked to the alter and place in on the table . I realized that I had an instant bonding with the congregation of All Saints Church
As the river Ganga comes out of the Himalayas flows down into the Indian ocean similarly the river Hudson rises in the Adirondack Mountains and flows south, emptying into a bay of the Atlantic Ocean at New York City. And all the waters of the oceans of the earth mingle to become one.So was I joined in body and spirit with NY as I took the communion at the alter
Thankyou Jesus for the wonderful experience and the joy of fellowship when we sat down for coffee and lunch .We felt blessed as we took our flight back to Delhi India ,then we took overnight coach to Kanpur city my home which is situated on the banks of river Ganga . I emailed to pastor Murray and his return email I have included
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Greetings Jyotsna
Thank you for your glowing testimonial about your visit to All Saints. We are truly delighted that you were able to have fellowship with us while you were here. Our brief conversation was quite enlightening and enjoyable. As you have witnessed, we are a very diverse parish and we endeavour to welcome and accommodate all who come through our doors for the purpose of praising our Lord. Do visit us again whenever you are in New York and feel free to tell your frients who might be visiting, that they will also be welcome.
Please convey our warmest regards to your mother. It was a pleasure to have her visit with us also.We wish you continued success in your teaching profession and hope you have many more enjoyable trips of your choice in the future.
God's Peace be with you and your mother, Mercy
Pastor Murray ,97-25, Lefferts Boulevard, South Richmond Hill ,New York 11419 1236 allsaints@allsaintsrh.org,
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A DAY IN HELSINKI, FINLAND
Our return flight to Delhi had been delayed and we were changing flights in Helsinki capital of Finland , home of Santa Claus who goes around on his sleigh with reindeers . Santa Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland.Arctic Circle: The Arctic Circle cuts right through Santa Claus Village. A white line denoting the Arctic Circle is painted across the park. Visitors officially enter the Arctic area when they cross the line. Our president Mr Pranab Mukherjee was recently visiting Santa Claus Village The line is a very popular photo spot for visitors
Nokia, Finland is a town and a municipality on the banks of the Nokianvirta River in the region of Pirkanmaa, west of Tampere.Finnish Rubber Works Ltd founded set up a factory in Nokia These two companies and Finnish Cable Works Ltd amalgamated in forming Nokia Corporation,maufacturer of Nokia mobiles
Helsinki Vantaa airport is 15 km from Raddisson Blue Royal hotel opposite the tram station, we passed the Olympic stadium and the Mannerheim statute courtsey of the airport shuttle , so we were put up there and enjoyed a day in Helsinki
Helsinki airport is not very large unlike the other international airports . The dutyfree shops are few . The only thing I remember were souvenirs’ items of Maija, a live reindeer that serves as the traffic safety mascot for police in Finland, who died in an accident over the weekend. Coffee cups , pen holders and soft toys were on display .The reindeer was struck and killed in Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus in the Lapland region of Finland. Finnish police say this has been one of the worst years for reindeer accidents in a region that sees up to 4,000 reindeer-related crashes each year.Maija usually accompanied police officers at public events, promoting road safety. Her calf, born last spring, will do its mother proud as a road safety mascot in 2015