New York New York

CEBU, Philippines - A lot of people say you have not been to the United States of America if you didn't visit New York City.  After traveling from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Memphis and Nashville before finally settling in New York, I'm bound to believe this observation.  True to Frank Sinatra's iconic hit "New York, New York,” it's a city that never sleeps. The best way to see New York, especially Manhattan,  is on foot or take the subway train as it's quite hard to find a parking place, and if you're lucky to find one, parking rates runs for $25.00. We started our sightseeing tour with Times Square and Broadway in Manhattan.  Giant LED advertising signs will really amaze you while one gets into a dilemma on which play to watch on Broadway.  I opted to see “Phantom of the Opera,” the  longest-running show in Broadway history.  It's a crime  not to visit the Empire State Building. On the outside deck at the 86th floor (total stories is 102), one could see close up views of the surrounding buildings. In 1933, the thriller "King Kong" was released and the  Empire State Building became a movie star for the first time.  Another icon not to be missed is the The Statue of Liberty.  We took the ferry from Battery Park and marveled at the more-than-a-century-old statue that weights 225 tons and measures 151 feet from the top of the base to the torch. The Federal shutdown prevented us to climb to the crown and the torch.  The statue was unveiled on Oct 28, 1886.

Wall Street

 The symbol of wealth is a narrow 18th century lane turning  from Broadway to South Street.  The New York Stock Exchange stands at the corner of Broad Street and Wall Street. A famous landmark near Wall St. is a bronze bull. If you've seen the movie "Sorcerer's Apprentice", this bull came to life.

Brooklyn Bridge

The  Brooklyn Bridge  has been a famous landmark in movies. Remember "Saturday Night Fever"?  John Travolta's  drunken friends frolicked in the bridge resulting to one falling off the railing. The bridge was also featured in "Godzilla". Today, you could walk or jog across the one-mile (1.6km) span of the bridge which was  built in 1867 and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Central Park

Central Park is 843 acres (340 hectares)of green space  with woods, gardens, playing fields and a zoo. It's also a haven for sports buffs, what with 95 kilometers of paths. It's also the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Some of the famous sites inside the park are The Sheep Meadow with 15 hectares(6 hectares) of lush, green grass where one can have a picnic, fly kites or sunbathe. Strawberry Fields was named after John Lennon's song  and was created in 1981, a year after he was shot at the entrance of his apartment, the Dakota, which is across the park. Also embeded at Strawberry Fields is a black and white mosaic  named  "Imagine", recalling another of Lennon's popular songs. Yoko Ono provides the funds to maintain the markers.

Madame Tussaud's

Probably one of the best museums in the USA is Madame Tussaud's, also on Broadway. Real-life replicas of movie stars, political and religious figures abound in the museum.  Some of the more popular are Daniel Craig, Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, James Dean, Elvis Presely, Marilyn Monroe, Celine Dion, James Brown, Katty Perry, Beyonce, Elton John ,The Beatles, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Princess Di, John Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Gandhi, Pope Paul II, Yao Ming, and Muhammad Ali, among others.

Elvisaya at Queens

The highlight of my American odyssey was an Elvisaya mini-concert at Manny's Resto Bar in Queens, New York  City. Manny's is a Filipino restaurant that serves dinuguan, kare kare, crispy pata, pancit canton and other Filipino dishes. Some celebrities who visited the resto include Martin Nievera and Ai Ai De las Alas. Two Filipino bands play weekly.  My new moniker in New York is Elvisaya (for Elvis Bisaya).  The mini-concert was a huge success prompting management to invite yours truly for a return engagement next year. The Filipino band  who backed Elvisaya is called Inner Circle and is composed of Cebuano bandleader and lead guitarist Joe Custudio; Alex Espiritu, bass; Dave Dineros on keyboard; Bob Vargas, drums; and vocalists Tuesday Coronel  and Weng Menoria.