Coming up ahead: The Edge — not just a bucket-list tick nor just a viewing deck. It was a literal vertical metaphor and other sights one cannot miss in New York City.
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The Climb
From sea to sky — my adrenaline fix awaited. I love heights and I love getting high!!! I skydived over Melbourne from 15000 ft in 2019, I climbed to the observation deck of the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) in Berlin, located at a height of 203 meters (approximately 666 feet) above the ground and still felt I must try something new. And I had been undecided for the next act of the day but as I walked towards 30 Hudson Yards building, I made up my mind. I took the escalator up 4 floors and signed up for City Climb at The Edge. What a high — literally. Another experience of a lifetime. I was taken through various checkpoints and doors like a celebrity, crossing other members of the public waiting patiently to an elevator, which zipped us up 100 floors in 52 seconds. There, again, I entered a room which was out of bounds for all but for those who have signed up for the crazy stuff I was going to do. I was given a sky blue overall and then strapped into a harness up like a mountaineer about to climb Mount Everest. The safety checks were thorough and detailed. Whatever one member of the team did was cross checked and signed off by two more members. I had only seen some marketing video on the internet but what awaited me was mind boggling.
Having strapped up with two safety belts connected to rails on which the belts slid, I moved outside the building on to the terrace on the 102nd floor and was further guided to steel staircases. As we turned around the corner, what I had signed up for hit me on my face. I was standing on the edge of the building with a staircase leading up ON THE OUTSIDE of the building to the 110th floor. My mouth went open and my eyeballs started playing pinball and my empty stomach was doing a fast waltz. With my guide who was also the safety instructor, I started the slow climb up the stairs.
The view all around was trying to give me a vertigo as well as a view of a lifetime. The entire New York City and kilometres beyond, the Hudson River, the Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on one side and tall 40-50 storied buildings looking match boxes standing on an end, a tiny patch of grass, gh that was the Central Park, all in one sweeping view. I huffed and puffed, grinning from ear to ear, more of the jitters and less of excitement and reached the top - and then stood unsteadily on a small ledge. Was it quiet there, other than the gushing whisper of a strong wind. A view to die for. Nothing to disturb you from your eyeline to the horizon.
And then, my instructor asked me a question which I was equal part dreading and expecting. “Would you like to lean backwards from the edge?” and proceeded to show how it was done. Scriptures started playing on my head!! The Ego (Ahamkara) forgot all that the Manas, Buddhi and Chitta were telling me and I bobbed my head like a Tanjavur doll. As I inched (should be called millimetred) backwards to the edge, I realised how we human beings have this uncanny habit of taking risks just for the thrill, the adrenaline rush, for having done something which one does not expect one to do.
And then I leaned back with my arms spread wide, with only two belts made of tensile fibre and the countless blessings I have received for a long life, holding me. And was that a feeling!!! And if that was not enough, I was asked again if I wanted to lean out — face down this time. The head of the Tanjavur doll was out of control and the instructor took it as a Yes. And then I attempted the ridiculous thrill of staring death in the face, leaning
over the ledge of the tallest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, face down. Below, New York shrunk into a toy town. I could see the yellow cabs looking like miniatures, the roads looking like a strip of black tape and the tops of those short 60 storied buildings looking like small postcards and the tiny ant-sized humans walking. I also felt the adrenaline rush and the sense of floating above the city all in one still long moment of time. The feeling - Unmatched.
I straightened up from that pose, stood quietly watching the blue sky on one side, some rolling clouds on the other and then nothing in particular. No thoughts other than that of unadulterated peace. My eyes welled, again, at the insignificance of this one being, I call Me, in the grand scheme of things. This activity grounds you. It did that to me at one moment in Grand Canyon. Now, at about 1200 feet, standing firmly on one of the tallest man-made structures in the world, I counted my blessings. A massive cargo ship on the Hudson Bay, some helicopters ferrying tourists, an aircraft on its descent to Newark airport, slowly brought me back to my senses. I stood in quiet awe for some more time and then when my heartbeats returned from disco-beats that they were in, I asked my instructor about the various buildings and places we could see. The Empire State Building was lined up at my eye level. Of course World One Trade Centre and Central Park Tower still stood taller. Only reminding me time and again of man’s quest to reach higher and higher.
Time was up and I had to get down to terra-firma. A few more clicks from the Observation Deck, where people not mad enough to climb The Edge walked around relaxedly, I then took the super fast lift back to the ground. With a small medal declaring me to be a City Climber and a heart filled with happiness and pride, I returned home.
On Terra Firma again
Later that evening, after a round of warm goodbyes and a subway ride later, I moved to my niece Nithya’s place. A charming studio apartment in the centre of Lower Manhattan. Her pet, a black cat named Buggy, silently assessed my worth and then decided to come and rub against me. We caught up on some family stuff, about the fun we had in her elder sister’s wedding and then decided to head out for the evening. We went to Turks and Frogs, a wine bar tucked into the antiques-laced
alleyways of West Village. The warm glow of candles, old clocks, books, and wine bottles all lent it a time-warped air. From there, we went to have a vegan ramen dinner which was very nourishing and comforting, after all the stomach churning that had happened. We got back to her room where she helped me settle down on a nice air bed and I was out for the count in no time.
Day 3 - The Memories
As we stepped out early on that Saturday morning, the first sight that hit me was the One World Trade Centre standing tall like a needle wanting to draw energy right from the sky. We walked, picked up a coffee and croissant and then headed towards Wall Street for one of the touristy things that I wanted to do.
Take a pic with the Raging Bull. But that was not to be. At least 50-60 tourists, each one wanting to pose near the Raging Bull, were standing in a line. We skipped the line but not the experience.Standing on a cement bench and using a long selfie stick I took all the pictures that I wanted and then left. Just around the corner sat the Double Check sculpture — a man sitting on a bench, looking eerily human amid real crowds. The bronze statue, famously located in the Financial District of Manhattan depicts a businessman sitting on a bench, engrossed in his briefcase, which actually has a calculator, some files, a newspaper, some clips, pencil stubs, a pen etc all sculpted in bronze. This sculpture became symbolic after the 9/11 attacks because it was found intact amid the rubble near the World Trade Center and was mistaken for a real person by rescue workers. I sat beside the statue mimicking a curiosity about what’s inside the briefcase - and got a pic taken, like all tourists do.
Our walk, then led us to The Oculus, a building which is designed like a bird taking flight. It serves as a transportation hub and also houses the Westfield World Trade Center Mall. A short distance away, was the 9/11 Memorial, a place that held its silence with dignity. No matter how many times one sees footage or reads about it, standing there makes it real in a way no screen ever could. It has special significance for me since 9/11 also happens to be my birthday. The thoughts of nearly 3000 other humans having lost their lives on my 39th birthday left me poignant. I quickly left that place.
We then decided to take the subway. The New York subway ride experience has been - varied. We see smart executives in tailored suits, elderly homemakers, young gen-Z and tourists all travelling seamlessly and homogeneously. However, in the corners of the subway cars, in the vestibules and sometimes even sprawled right in the middle of a carriage, we get to see the homeless and the destitute. Some of their looks are frightening to say the least. I keep wondering, where do they live, where are their possessions and how do they manage to feed themselves in the vast teeming crowds of such a large city? The question remains unanswered.
Our ride took us to DUMBO. Aha!! I am not making fun. It is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass in Brooklyn. It is known for its cobblestone streets, art galleries, tech startups, and stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and bridges. Once a gritty industrial zone, it’s now one of Brooklyn’s trendiest areas. Under the arch of one of the bridges,
we walked into a flea market and I stumbled upon old typewriters, vinyl records, and camerasfrom another century. Of course, there were trinkets and hats and paintings and food and beer too. The memories of the past lingered in the air. We had lunch at Bedouin Tent — a family-owned place serving soft falafel sandwiches and pillowy bread with hummus. The
seating under the open sky inside the restaurant with ivy-covered walls and dainty and bright flowers was a visual treat. After the culinary treat, I walked — alone — along the Brooklyn Piers. It helped me tick off another one on my bucket list: View the Manhattan Skyline across water. The skyline brooded under moody clouds today. I sat on a bench watching the buildings, imagining the thousands who were probably working and struggling to make a life and here I was,
enjoying my time just doing nothing - just watching. I deserve it, I convinced myself, yet again and then continued walking. In one of the piers. The Victory Chimes, a schooner built in 1900, bobbed in the water like an old man enjoying a day, fishing. I saw the Statue of Liberty from afar, and then, slowly, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. It was crowded
and I had to walk slowly avoiding bumping into others. But something else dragged me and every step felt like a tug. Back to where I felt my visit was incomplete. I wanted to visit the 9/11 memorial again.
The 1776 feet tall One World Trade Center also known as the Freedom Tower, stood again before me — so tall that from the base, it looked like a giant triangle, overlooking the massive 9/11 Memorial Reflecting Pools, that are located in the exact footprints where the North Tower (WTC 1) and South Tower (WTC 2) once stood. Each pool is nearly an acre in size and features the largest man-made waterfalls in North America which thundered into voids.
The names of all 2,977 victims of the 2001 and 1993 World Trade Center attacks are inscribed in bronze around the edges. This was the place where history which we all had seen with our own eyes was made. And in that history, I could notice two very contrasting creations : The absence of the Twin Towers marked by the voids of the pools tells us the story of what was lost. The presence of One WTC rising beside them tells us the story of what was rebuilt.
I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. My eyes scanned the plaza, and that’s when I remembered — the Survivor Tree. I had read about it, but nothing prepared me for meeting it in person. And in that reflective state of mind, one of the most quietly powerful symbols at the 9/11 Memorial whose story resonated deeply was the Survivor Tree. This Callery pear tree was found severely damaged in the wreckage of Ground Zero in October 2001. The tree was charred, snapped at the roots, and had only one living branch and it was not expected to survive. Yet, it did. The tree was transported to a nursery in the Bronx run by the NYC Parks Department.
It was time to catch up with my niece who had promised me one last thing in the NYC must-do-list - yes a slice of an 18" giant pizza from L’Industrie Pizzeria — because some things must end big.
Day 4 - The Train to DC
Early next morning, I took a subway to Penn Station’s majestic Moynihan Train Hall to catch the Amtrak Acela train to Washington DC. As the train rolled out, I looked back at the city that had shown me its many faces — some serene, some lonely, some noisy and some quietly grieving. As the train pelted at 150 mph, Washington DC awaited at the other end.
But for now, New York lingered — like a song you don’t quite forget.
Next up - Washington DC awaits!!!
What an exhilarating experience in the city that never sleeps!! Loved it!!😍
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