It's New York, New York, My China

It’s New York, New York, My China

Marlan Padayachee, on a recent family holiday to the USA, captures the highlights of his return to New York.

DURING THE Fall I revisited the United States after my first foray into the “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave” ten years ago as a guest of the Clinton Administration.

This trip, however, was a far cry from the hectic schedule of 1996, which took me into the White House and briefings with other political and social agencies as well as journalism schools from Michigan to Seattle.

On the final leg of that visit, I touched down in New York and scurried for political pilgrimage to the flag-decked United Nations building, filled with a sense of patriotism and pride that once an outlawed country had finally earned its place in the General Assembly, almost 50 years after Indian Ambassador Sarojini Naidoo declared Apartheid a crime against humanity to this world forum.

I marveled at the architectural genius and the sights and sounds of the World Trade Center, little realizing that even this mighty skyscraper could fall one day.

New York was the cherry on the top of an exhaustive visit in which ordinary Americans volunteered their time to ensure that the United States Information Services’ international visitors enjoyed a glimpse of the diversity of a multicultural society.

This time New York was the first port of call, where immigration and custom authorities at JFK International Airport waved the chequered flag for our journey to small-town America amidst the cornfields and tractors via Minneapolis and on to Lake Tetonka.

In the humdrum of a 24-hour society, I went back to basics, following the route marker up the escalator with a signage that says: Walk Left, Stand Right.

Even driving poses a cultural shock, but it was not too long before I steered on the right side of the road, getting used to the law that the left is for oncoming traffic.

Heading back to JFK, with a welcoming glow of hospitality from the Statue of Liberty, New York a decade later posed a new challenge, certainly tons of water had passed since the changing of the guard at the White House and City Hall.

Comforted by the zero-tolerance stance on crime, we ventured out into the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple where the world communities crisscross between Wall Street and Time Square, happily clicking digitized images of the centre of the world.

On the Manhattan skyline, there she stood, stoically, as a stark reminder of the blood, sweat and tears of millions of immigrants who had transformed the Wild West into one of the nerve centers of the global village. The Statue of Liberty is a landmark of note, inspiring hundreds of thousands to chase the American Dream.

Ferried across the Brooklyn Bridge, New York and Manhattan during the day epitomize the prosperity and peace of these twinned centers of economic rhythm and cultural diversity.

Ten years later, Ground Zero tells a poignant story of one of the worst post-modern human tragedies, in which market capitalism clashed violently with religious fundamentalism, spiraling a world drama of untold grief and sadness over the loss of lives.

With the place of weeping securely cordoned off, construction work continues as New York rebuilds its pinnacle.

At night, New York is a different story. Time Square, in all its glitter of the electronic giant billboard advertising drives home the icon that this is indeed a mega-city that never sleeps.

Expensive as it may be, New York is still a good deal for the world’s tourists, with Chinatown taking the bun. A cacophony of cultural diffusion, these side-walks of inner-city trading symbolizes the heart and soul of Reality Street.

Dollar signs are etched on the faces of the Chinese, Indian and African-American traders, vendors and hustlers, working cheek-by-jowl and all jockeying for the magic currency in their eagerness to trade off Made-in-China Gucci or Louis Vuitton handbag, or Dolce & Gabbana T-shirt or Polo perfume for some hard cash.

New York is New York: streetwise survival is the key to the daily grind that consumes natives and tourists alike, as millions of dollars change hands as locals put McDonald’s and chop-suey on the table each night.

The air-train that drops us on the doorstep of the hotel is a plus for tourism, but take note of the anti-crime poster that says: “See Something, Do Something.” I suppose it’s the right thing to do rather than being left out from making a difference to the world’s most vibrant city.

With the skyline fading in the background, I am reminded about the story of David Patrick Columbia who arrived in New York as a super-optimist, dreaming of a top-notch position, but did a low-level assistant job. On a grey, damp Manhattan morning, he could have stayed in bed and moaned, but took to the streets on his “walk of thanks,” admiring a mother walking her baby, recognizing that the toddler’s smile made him happier, and watching a jet in the sky and marveling at the science of flying. Then he navigated the hustle and bustle from the “sizzling smells of the bistros to the eye-catching store-window displays”.

Hours later, he was feeling thankful that he had relocated to the Big Apple. Today, he’s a successful media entrepreneur and still takes his gratitude strolls to stay focused on the bright side of NYC.

Yep, it’s time to walk left, stand right.

+ Marlan Padayachee is a former political correspondent at Independent Newspapers and an independent international freelance journalist, who runs a media-communications consultancy: greengold@telkomsa.net or ixopokwazulu@gmail.com