New York, NY February 2006

New York City - The city, the people, the food, the sites - everything about it is amazing! The cab drivers are crazy - but they never seem to get into accidents. It's a 'walking city' but the blocks are small, so it isnt hard to get from point A to point B. While there, My boss and I met with a manager of a hedge fund (i.e. the business portion of the trip) and will know in the next couple of weeks if we secured their business for our investment company based in Las Vegas. It is definitely winter in NYC - an average of 30 degrees everyday I was there. No matter how many layers I put on, it seemed like the cold air went right through them! But the wonderful little cafe's and bistros where we ate lunch were warm and friendly.

Empire State Building - The view from the Empire State Building was breathtaking! The cabs below looked like toy cars! The buildings around the observation deck looked small in comparison to where I stood. I was able to take a few pictures of the Statue of Liberty, but I missed the ferry to go to see her in person. I also got to see her from the Ritz-Carlton near the harbor. We took photos (thanks to a manager who snuck us out onto the deck through a backdoor) from a patio on the 46th floor - the view from the deck was amazing!

Central Park - It was not as scary as I thought it would be - but it was clean and absolutely HUGE! I walked for hours and only managed to see a portion of the park. There is a reservoir, ice skating rink and plenty of walking paths and bridges to entertain the wandering eye. The squirrels were very vocal - telling me something that I just could not understand. Anyhow - I cant wait to see it in the spring!!!

Times Square - We stayed about 2 blocks from Times Square. The Hard Rock, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Planet Hollywood and many other venues line the streets and there are plenty of lights and buildings to see and enjoy.

The Architecture - It is odd for a westerner to see an eastern city...I noticed plenty of older gothic style buildings standing right next to glass and steel Goliath sized structures - truly amazing the contrast between now and the yesteryears of NYC. No wonder the people in NYC truly love their city. There is actual history standing next to the future.

Overall - the place was amazing and I cant wait to go back!