MyLondon reporter Ayokunle Oluwalana, who had always dismissed America as unappealing due to guns, police, politics, and perceived arrogance, found his opinion transformed after a week-long trip to New York City in September. The visit, prompted by a friend's wedding, led him to encounter friendly locals, walkable streets, and a profound experience at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
First Impressions and Surprises
Oluwalana landed in New York on September 2 with preconceptions of encountering snobby, entitled Americans and worrying about guns, despite later learning that New York is not an open carry state. His initial impression was that the city felt similar to London, a feeling reinforced when he saw two men doing flips along subway rails to entertain passengers, a sight he had only seen online before.
Staying in Hoboken, New Jersey, provided easy access to Downtown, Midtown, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. He found the train systems easy to navigate, attributing this to his experience with TfL, though he noted a minor annoyance with stations named after streets, a feature that also exists in London.
Tourist Highlights and the 9/11 Memorial
During his stay, Oluwalana engaged in typical tourist activities, including walking the Brooklyn Bridge, taking a ferry around Manhattan and Brooklyn, seeing the Statue of Liberty, visiting Madison Square Garden, Times Square, Central Park, watching a college football game at Rutgers University, and dining at Sylvia's, an iconic soul food establishment in Harlem.
The highlight of the trip was the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Centre. Visiting Ground Zero and seeing the names of those who lost their lives 25 years ago stirred powerful feelings. He purchased tickets to the memorial museum and walked through, learning details about the hijackings, reading quotes from loved ones of victims, and viewing images and objects. Artefacts such as 'The Last Column', dismantled fire trucks, and the 'slurry wall' had a massive impact on him. He recalled being a kid on the day of the attacks and waking up to the news, and seeing these pieces helped bring home the impact of the day. He described it as one of the most powerful experiences and recommended it to visitors, noting that the $35 ticket was worth the money.
Challenging Stereotypes
Contrary to his expectations, Oluwalana did not encounter a single rude New Yorker during his week-long stay. Instead, he found helpfulness and confidence, with no arrogance or bravado. He found the New York accent amusing, making him feel as if he were in the movies and TV shows he had watched.
He was surprised by how walkable the city is, logging at least 20,000 steps each day, which left him and his companions complaining about heavy legs in their Airbnb each evening. He also enjoyed the local food, particularly New York bagels, and gave a shoutout to JP Bagels in Hoboken for its efficient service and delicious bagels. He noted that '$' pizzas were common, costing about $4-$5 a slice.
Overall, the trip was amazing, with perfect weather except for one day of rain. The rudest person he encountered was a tourist in a cafe on 5th Avenue who picked up somebody else's order. Oluwalana concluded that one should not judge based on social media or Americans met abroad, as New York became one of his favourite holidays and changed his opinion on America in general, though he admitted the guns still scare him.
