Visiting the Big Apple – New York City

STAMFORD, Connecticut— It’s great to be back in New York City a.k.a. the Big Apple after a 12-year absence. Actually the last time I visited the United States was in 2006 when my supposedly indefinite US Visa expired. Cebuanos were pampered then because we did have a US Consulate to get our visa requirements. Alas those days are gone now.

Since the collapse of the unlamented Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in the ’90s and Yugoslavia splintered into many independent countries,  the US embassy shut down its consulate in Cebu, opting to have my good friend John Domingo become an honorary consul for US interests in Cebu. So even to drop box your US Visa was removed. So I didn’t care to get my US visa until a couple of months ago. Though I’m only staying in the US till the end of the month, the Immigration officer in JFK gave us till the end of the year to stay in the US. But our work awaits us back home.

Arriving in John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport was a breeze although it was a long Par 5 walk from the plane to immigration. Looking at all the people lining up in US immigration, it gives you a bird’s eye view of the melting pot that has become of the Big Apple…where the white Caucasian has become the minority. People lining up where Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, people from Middle Eastern nations and from Africa.

Our hosts, John and Inda Gage picked us up in JFK and drove an hour to their home in Stamford, Connecticut. Cousin Inda is a first cousin of my wife Jessica and was one of the original batches of Bayanihan Dancers who married an American. They live in Stamford because it’s an hour away by train (the New Haven Line) to New York City where one can enjoy watching Broadway plays and all the culture that the Big Apple has to offer, but returning back to Stamford where there is total peace, quiet and tranquility of a provincial home.

Over the weekend, John drove us to Queens Museum, at the site of the 1940 and 1964 World Fair, which is celebrating its 50th year at this time. When I was staying in Queens way back in 1972, that area was quite dilapidated so I never cared to visit it. But today it has since been resurrected as the Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of the US Tennis Open and the old Shea Stadium has now become Citi Fields Stadium where US baseball games are played.

The Queens Museum is a huge diorama of entire City of New York where every single building is depicted in miniature. You will be amazed how the Americans did this 50 years ago, which even had miniature commercial planes landing and taking off in La Guardia Airport. Actually the plane was attached to a fine fishing line, which is nearly invisible and goes round and round…but it sure looked great. I did see a similar diorama when we visited Shanghai City a couple of years ago. But the Queens Museum was better.

I also met my brother (he arrived a week earlier) Rene at the Citi Stadium with his son Dr. Jose “Jojo” Avila and we took the subway train all the way to Manhattan Island. I haven’t been with my brother in New York City since September 1972…42 years ago when I stayed with him in NY for five months! That’s due to the fact that in running our family business, one of us has to stay home.

When in New York City going to Times Square and eating Nathan’s hotdog is like a religion. It reminded me of Pres. Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III who also did exactly the same thing when he visited New York. Yes, we passed by the still magnificent Waldorf Astoria Hotel, but times have indeed change as they no longer had a bellman standing in the sidewalk to greet its hotel guests like they used to do.

My brother and I went straight to the US Carrier Intrepid only to find out that it closes at 4 p.m… so we had to contend ourselves taking photos outside the carrier, which had the Space Shuttle on the flight deck near the stern. But a white canvass tent covered it. So instead we went straight to the Rockefeller Center and dropped by St. Patrick’s scaffolding… err Cathedral. Apparently the Cathedral is wrapped in scaffolding because it’s undergoing renovation.

The next day, we met with my high school classmate Eddie “Ago” Santiago who married my cousin Marisal Dizon Santiago in Grand Central Station and we drove off to a part of New York City that we’ve never seen before. We went across the East River to see the United Nations Building, which most photographers use for postcards…. Then we went under the Manhattan Bridge and the famous Brooklyn Bridge, a very picturesque sight. Then as Eddie promised me, he treated us to dinner in Rainhas, Brazilian Churrascaria and dropped us to the August Wilson Theater to see the Broadway play, “Jersey Boys” the story of the Four Seasons singing group.

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