From KL to Abu Dhabi to New York
My husband and I made our way to New York from KLIA on Saturday, 11 May 2013. We stopped over in Abu Dhabi, spending a night at a beautiful desert resort but were not able to see much of anything as we arrived very late at night and had to depart very early the following day.
13 hours in the plane could have been nerve wrecking if not for in-flight movies and trashy novels I brought along with me. I also got the opportunity to snooze quite a bit and I realized later, how fortunate that I managed to get that much needed rest before the ordeal I had to go through once we disembarked at JFK.
Exhausting Three Hours at the Airport
We arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Sunday, 12 May. Queuing up for over three hours in the immigration line was no joke. By the time I got to the end of the line, I was ready to scream blue murder!
But everyone who is not an American Citizen or who does not possess a Diplomatic Visa has to go through the same process. When I saw elderly people and couples with babies and toddlers going through the same challenging situation, it was kind of hard to keep on griping and complaining.
The airport officers were meticulous, but pleasant nevertheless. It was my first trip to the US after donning the Hijab, so I had some concerns earlier. But after the immigration checkpoint, everything was a breeze and we came across some very hospitable and friendly Americans from then on.
On the way to our hotel the taxi driver, a Haitian migrant gave us an entertaining commentary of New York, in his quaint accent. The city he says never sleep. There are some stores that are opened for grocery shopping throughout the night, 24-7. We were surprised to hear that. We thought only Asian Cities had workaholics and insomniacs. Being a shopaholic I wonder if that would come handy in the days to come.
New York - I love this City
The day after we arrived, we took a bus from the hotel in Jersey to the City and spent the whole day visiting iconic New York tourist sites, like the Empire State Building, Midtown Manhattan and of course, Time Square. We also posed for photos outside the Broadway theatre, along the streets of the famous Seventh Avenue and familiar backdrops we only see on Television or movies. According to a magazine I read, Time Square is the world’s most visited tourist venue, with 39 million people visiting this major attraction annually.
Middle Eastern and Indian food were easily available. There were street vendors displaying HALAL logos at almost every conceivable corner.
The following day, we joined a city tour. We learned more about the other four boroughs of the City apart from Manhattan. – Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. We did not manage to visit all the boroughs though, but had a glimpse of the overall city from the bus. We also explored Lower Manhattan, from Battery Park and South Street Seaport to the Financial District. We also strolled through Central Park – the man-made park, appreciating the magnificent landscape and observing people from all walks of life enjoy the park in their own special way. Contrary to what we sometimes see from TV shows about crimes and murders happening in Central Park, our guide reiterated that nothing of that sort ever occur in this park. It is one of the safest parks with regular and stringent security patrols to ensure a crime-free space.
Stunning Rockefeller Centre – A Must -Visit Venue
The architecture and design of the Rockefeller Centre is simply spectacular . The center, conceived by John Rockefeller Jr in 1929 was built during the Great Depression, with the aim of churning jobs to revive the economy for New York during that period.
Today, the complex is a thriving commercial center housing global businesses, offices, shops and eateries. We had lunch at one of the cafes and I must say the Salmon Sandwich was awesome – I can still remember biting into the juicy, perfectly-grilled, fish fillet, covered with yummy tomatoes and lettuce, which had just the right amount of tangy sauce, mustard and some other stuff I cannot really identify. Anyway, it was one of best sandwiches in the world, a close second to my daughter’s “Simply Sandwiches”.
We stopped just for a short while at the site of the former World Trade Centre. The mood was pensive for all of us. Later we also got a view of the Statue of Liberty and the guide provided a brief history of the location. It was kind of surreal for us – seeing all the places we only used to watch on TV or movies
Enriching Event in New Jersey
I was also privileged to attend a special three-day seminar conducted by a US-based Learning Consultancy dedicated to help people create a better workplace through products and services in the areas of training and development, employee engagement, communication and culture change.
The seminar was led by HumaNext President and CEO, Francois Basili who has provided consultancy services for small businesses as well as leading organizations like AT & T, Boeing, Chase, Dell, FedEx, IBM, Intel, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Pfizer, NASA, the US Army, World Bank, the United Nations and several others.
The best part of the event was meeting participants from all over US, a few from Canada, Nicaragua and one from South Africa. They were a playful and entertaining bunch who were game for everything when it comes to learning through fun. I learned so much from them as much from the facilitators.
Florida – Like Home for my Hubby
The day after completing the seminar, we flew to Florida. When we drove to Gainesville, it was like coming home for my hubby, Eldy because he spent part of his formative years there when his father was doing his Masters and PHD in the '60s at the University of Florida. He visited his favorite haunts - from the lake they used to go swimming on the dad’s day -offs to the grocery store his mum did her shopping to the small creek, he and his brother used to catch tadpoles. It was fun to watch him so very excited, looking around reminiscing and pointing out and sharing with us places he thought he would have long forgotten.
Our son Shazmeer who joined us in New York earlier had a whale of a time at the Factory Outlets in Orlando. He got his hands on designer labels and trendy outfits according to him at incredible prices, unheard of, in Kuala Lumpur
We enjoyed the Sheraton Village hospitality, sumptuous offerings at selected eateries and of course, Disney World as well. And before we knew it, it was time to fly back home.
It was a long journey to and from US, but I am not complaining. I would pack up and go again if I had the opportunity – it was such a wonderful, unforgettable trip!
