Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

Land of the free, home of the brave: The American dream lives on

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I’ve just entered the US green card lottery. Wish me luck! Apparently the chances of winning are around 0.5% – not bad odds, I think. There’s always been something quite mythical about the land that is home to the American dream, a country that promises liberty and justice for all, where cheerleaders date quarterbacks and customer service actually exists.

There’s a classic Swedish book series called Utvandrarna, The Emigrants, by Vilhelm Moberg, a series of four books telling the story of Karl-Oskar and Kristina as they take their family away from the hunger and poverty of 19th century rural Sweden to the land of soft white bread and fields that actually yield crops in Minnesota, where they build a new life. The story was made into a fabulous musical by Björn and Benny of ABBA fame, performed in concert form in the US, though I’m not sure how well it translates. In fact, I just walked past a newsagent where a tabloid newspaper (Aftonbladet) had the headline: “Find your rich relatives in the USA”, citing the statistic that over four million Americans have Swedish roots. In my own family history, we have just one person who made the journey to America: my grandmother’s uncle Olle, who crossed the Atlantic in the 1920s but later died without children. More recently, in the 1980s my youngest aunt immigrated to Texas – crazy cowboy – and she’s since spawned two beautiful youths who say “y’all” and know how to line dance.

Shadows of the past: echoes of the hopeful families who arrived in New York to begin a new life in America
Shadows of the past: echoes of the hopeful families who arrived in New York to begin a new life in America
Ellis Island, New York
Ellis Island gets its name from Samuel Ellis, who owned the island privately in the 1770s-1780s

Millions of immigrants entered the port of New York via Ellis Island between 1892, when the Immigration Station officially opened, and 1924, when the island instead became a detention centre for those who would not be allowed to enter the United States. Almost half of the US population will have at least one person in their family history to have come through Ellis Island. Ellis Island opened to visitors in 1976 and I visited the museum on my first visit to the US in 1990, but during my latest visit it was closed for restoration following the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Statue of Liberty, New York
“I can see the Statue of Liberty already! Very small, of course…” (exaggerated Italian accent mandatory)

The Statue of Liberty would have been the first sight as the ships from Europe entered the harbour. Given it’s been 23 years (WHAT?! Wow I’m old) since I last made the boat journey across to the lady in question, I decided to pay her another visit. I think I was very lucky to be visiting New York in the small window between the reopening of the Statue of Liberty following Hurricane Sandy and its closure as a result of the current government shutdown. Although I had originally planned to climb all the way up to the crown (it’s not possible to access the balcony round the torch since 1916), I found that my claustrophobia made this less than tempting and anyway I had already done the climb back in 1990. I did go up to the pedestal, though, for great views across to Manhattan and New Jersey. Designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt, the pedestal actually makes up half of the total height of the Statue of Liberty, although the true icon is the lady herself, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi as a gift from the people of France.

Statue of Liberty, New York, view from below
The copper statue is 46 metres tall (that doesn’t sound very high to me?!) and represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. She holds a torch in one hand and a tablet on which is written the Declaration of Independence in the other.
My sister and I strutting our stuff in matching, errr, I’m not sure what to call those trousers, on the boat to the Statue of Liberty back in 1990
I wasn’t claustrophobic then, and we made it all the way up to the crown (here with my sister again and my stylishly permed mother)
View from the Statue of Liberty pedestal across to the Manhattan skyline, New York
Fast forward to 2013 and here I am up on the pedestal (where I belong, some might say), behind me the Manhattan skyline. The tallest building, surpassing the Empire State Building once more, is the new One World Trade Center tower.

The Empire State Building is another symbol of the Manhattan skyline. Completed in 1931 and built in art deco style, it’s been identified by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.  It’s an iconic building in popular culture from giant gorillas to romantic rendez-vous (how do you pluralise that?!). The standard lighting of the tower is white, but the colours change for various reasons such as anniversaries, campaigns and Broadway shows. Unlike the Statue of Liberty, you can take a lift the whole way up, avoiding claustrophobic and heart attack-inducing staircases to get 360-degree views over the island of Manhattan (though the lift is so fast that my ears felt the change in pressure, taking less than a minute to reach the 86th floor). More than 30 people have attempted suicide from the 102-storied building, and Wikipedia tells the tragically hilarious tale of the two that were unsuccessful (the individuals in question survived after landing just one floor down from the 86th floor from which they had jumped). The Disneyland queuing system must be a nightmare during peak times, but I came early in the morning and walked straight through. Somewhat ridiculously, to my mind, they take your photo as you pass through, against a blue screen that puts you in front of a night view of the building, and charge you 20 dollars for the honour of taking it home at the end of your visit (they print every single one, which means that those people who do buy the photo are also paying for all the other discarded ones).

View from the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building, New York
Not bad, considering the person I asked to take this picture didn’t speak English. Some things are universal…
The tower of the Empire State Building, with an American flag
The top of the Empire State Building is covered with broadcast antennas and the tower tapers off with a lightning rod at its pinnacle
The view from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, New York
The voice in the lift down from the 102nd floor congratulates you on becoming part of an “elite” that has gone to the top of the Empire State Building – “elite, he didn’t say exclusive!” as the bellman clarified, given the thousands of people who make the same trip every day
empire state building, 82nd floor
Rewind again to 1990, and my sister, my mum and I are up on the 86th floor, with the addition of my half-brother who missed the Statue of Liberty as he was ill the poor thing

The biggest change I noticed since visiting these two tourist spots 23 years ago was the increased security. You feel like you’re at an airport, and it makes for an even longer queuing time, though of course it’s understandable these days. Oh, and I’d like to think my fashion sense has improved a little…

 

The practical bit:

Visiting the Statue of Liberty

Tickets to the Statue of Liberty can be bought via Statue Cruises. There are three types of tickets:

(1) Reserve only (access to the island)
(2) Reserve with monument access (island plus lift up to the top of the pedestal)
(3) Reserve with crown access (island plus lift up to the pedestal plus stairs up to the crown)

There is a free audio tour available, but I must admit that I found it hard to concentrate and ended up just wandering round the statue without the narration.

*Note: It is currently not possible to visit Liberty Island due to the government shutdown. You can, however, still do a sightseeing tour by boat*

Visiting the Empire State Building

There are even more options to visit the Empire State Building, including express tickets to avoid the queues. To avoid both waiting and paying extra for express, the website recommends visiting during off-peak hours, 8-10am or around 3pm. Online tickets are valid for a year from the date of purchase.

(1) Main deck only (access to the 86th floor)
(2) Main deck plus top deck (access to the 86th floor and the 102nd floor)

New York, New York: If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere!

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I love New York, I always have. I love the idea of it, and whenever I go, the reality lives up to my expectations every time.

This time, I was there for the wedding of a friend who I had met in Geneva when she was working there for a little over a year. The wedding was beautiful, the bride stunning in a Vera Wang creation, and the evening festivities brought to life with a mix of traditional Indonesian dance and Gangnam Style. The following evening, we continued the celebrations in a rooftop bar (my favourite thing in New York!!), rounding off the night with a lot of sausages and sauerkraut at a German beer hall. It’s a little odd to hear a German brass band play Schlager followed by a rendition of New York, New York.

The rooftop bar at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, New York
The rooftop bar at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District
The view from the rooftop bar of the Standard Hotel, New York, including the Empire State Building on the left
The view from the Standard Hotel, including the Empire State Building on the left

Start spreading the news…

That song haunted me wherever I went. It was already unavoidably playing on repeat in my head, but if ever I forgot it for a second it was blasted back into my brain by a bicycle taxi, a restaurant entertainer, or a drunk tourist. In Little Italy, my friend and I had lunch as an Italian stallion played on the keyboard and pumped out classics like “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…” and “Get up, get up, get up and shake your napkin!” Other songs on the soundtrack of my mind as I wandered the streets of Manhattan included “Downtown, things will be great when you’re downtown” every time I took the subway and “Uptown Girl” on my way back; “Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to Herald Square, tell all the guys on 42nd street that I’ll soon be there…”; and, of course, “New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh…” It’s impossible not to sing along when you see each of the famous landmarks.

Little Italy, New York
Christmas in Little Italy! Actually it wasn’t Christmas but the 87th Annual Feast of San Gennaro, full of food and music and carnival stalls. And cannoli. YUM.
Broadway musical billboards at Times Square, New York
Broadway baby

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway…

I’ve already mentioned that I went to see Kinky Boots, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. On a business trip last year, I managed to squeeze in two shows: The Book of Mormon (genius!) and Anything Goes (such a feel-good musical and much better than I had expected), but this time there was nothing else that really called out to me. I was a little tempted, however, by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella as well as Romeo and Juliet starring Orlando Bloom. What I really would have loved to see is Waiting for Godot with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, but that’s not on until next month. Instead, I went to see Lee Daniels’ The Butler at the AMC cinema on 42nd Street.

My favourite part of visiting a city for a few days is finding my way around and feeling at least a little bit like a local. That means knowing which subway line to take and in which direction, choosing my favourite Starbucks, and being able to get back to my hotel without a map (although at one point I confidently strode out of Bloomingdale’s and marched on for 18 blocks before I realised that I had been going uptown instead of downtown. Oops). I was very lucky with the weather, and had a lovely walk through Central Park. I didn’t succumb to the ultimate tourist trap of taking the horse-drawn carriage ($50 for the first 20 minutes, another $20 for each subsequent 10 minutes). In fact, I did so much walking up and down Manhattan that my heels were rubbed raw. Top tip for visiting New York: wear VERY comfortable shoes! (How does Carrie do it?!)

Central Park, New York
The urban jungle
Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, New York
Bethesda Fountain in Central Park
The Lake in Central Park
The Lake in Central Park

For the first time ever, like Miranda and Steve in Sex and the City, I even ventured out of Manhattan and took the ferry to Brooklyn. I didn’t even have a map of this area (and no GPS as I still haven’t replaced my iPhone), so I stayed within two or three blocks of the river so that I could find my way to the ferry back to Manhattan. I walked through what my friends tell me is the ‘hipster’ area – with shops showcasing new designers, bakeries that only take cash, and cafés selling champagne and blueberry pancakes – and then through Borough Park, where Orthodox Jews filled the streets – the married women covering their hair with headscarves, the men wearing shtreimels, large fur hats, on top of their long sidecurls, or payots – and shops sold kosher food and buildings had signs and posters written in Hebrew.

Manhattan as viewed from Brooklyn, New York
Manhattan looks different from here…
Graffiti art in Brooklyn, New York
The art scene in Brooklyn
Williamsburgh Savings Bank in Brooklyn, New York
But there’s money too…
Brooklyn Bridge as viewed from Brooklyn, New York
After hours of walking, I finally found it: Brooklyn Bridge! And the ferry across to Wall Street.

So, in conclusion: I LOVE NEW YORK. However, for some balance, I will also cite SOME negative sides to the city that never sleeps:

– The hotel (Best Western Plus President at Times Square) was in a very central location but that’s where the good part of the review ends. The staff at the reception desk were rude, the breakfast was disgusting (green scrambled eggs) and expensive, the room and bed (supposedly for two people) were tiny. For the price it was very bad. But, as people tell me when I complain, “That’s New York!” Next time, though, I’d at least prefer to be in a nicer area like Greenwich Village or maybe the Meatpacking District.

Times Square, New York, at night
Tourist central…

– There may be a lot of food options but I anyway ended up with a diet much like The South American Backpacker Diet, aka HCHF (high carb, high fat). The portions are humungous, and all the recommendations I got from friends were for sweet things: the best bagel place, the best cup cakes (Magnolia, Crumbs, or Baked by Melissa, depending on who you speak to), and even the Maine lobster at Luke’s Lobster came in a brioche-type roll. The funny thing about food in the US is that they put the calories on everything, so you are warned before you eat a cupcake that it has 50% of your recommended daily calorie intake, while the meals at the cinema have 100-150% of your recommended intake.

Cupcakes at Baked by Melissa in New York
Bite-size cupcakes at Baked by Melissa. I had a pack of three: red velvet, chocolate fudge, and cookie dough. YUM.

– They don’t understand English. I have to say “Can I gedda wudder” to receive a bottle of water darling.

Imagine…

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Yesterday John Lennon’s Imagine came onto the radio. I remember when I requested this song on Capital FM in 2001 when the attacks on the World Trade Center first happened.

You may have noticed that I’ve been quiet for two weeks. I’ve been busy never sleeping in the city that is similarly caffeine-fuelled. So many impressions, so much to talk about.

I visited the 9/11 Memorial on one of my first days in New York. Although full of tourists (some bizarrely finding it appropriate to pose smiling in front of the memorial as if it were any tourist attraction), I found it a beautifully serene place. The two missing towers are represented by two large waterfalls cascading down into the space where the buildings used to stand. The names of the 3,000 victims are engraved all around the reflective pools of water. Although the museum is still being built, the visitor centre shows videos of the victims’ friends and relatives talking about their loved ones. I heard a father tell how one of his sons had chosen to become a firefighter, the other a policeman. On the day of the attack, the last words he had spoken to both of his sons were “I love you”.

A white rose at the 911 Memorial in New York
A single white rose is placed on each name on the day of that person’s birthday

As I was walking back uptown, a friendly guy on the street asked me if I had a moment for gay and lesbian rights. I did. He explained the discriminatory laws that remain in many states allowing companies to fire their employees for being homosexual, and that they were looking for donations to support their cause in the Senate… Yesterday on Facebook, there were posts about the Salvation Army’s alleged assertion that “gays need to be put to death” based on the teachings of the Bible. (Incidentally, I’ve started reading the Bible, and so far I find the Old Testament to be a pretty shocking story of a vindictive god, the killing off other people to take their land, recipes for slaughtering different animals as sacrifices for various sins, calls for stoning, and the labelling of women who have their periods as well as those suffering from leprosy as being unclean.) … And this year’s Tony Award-winning musical, Kinky Boots, tells the unlikely true story of a Northampton shoe factory turning to producing sexy women’s shoes in men’s sizes for the niche market of London’s drag queens, at times hilarious but with moments that tell the more serious tale of discrimination and abuse that these men have faced.

The Kinky Boots sign at the Al Hirschfield Theater in New York
Kinky Boots is showing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
The Price and Son set of Kinky Boots on stage at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York
The shoe factory depicted in the musical (and in the film) is based on WJ Brooks Ltd in Northampton, England – which led to some pretty dodgy English accents!!

A few nights ago, I went to see Lee Daniels’ The Butler (at the largest cinema I’ve ever been to! Endless escalators to get to the screen). The film follows one man’s journey from the cotton fields of Georgia to serving in the White House and the final moment of Barack Obama’s momentous election. We witness the changes that take place, the progress and the setbacks with regard to ‘the race issue’, as different presidents come and go. Through the focus on one individual and his family (fictional, though loosely inspired by the real Eugene Allen), the historical events of the past century become all the more poignant and shocking. (Stalin is often quoted to have said, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.”)

Recently I’ve been hearing about more teenagers who have committed suicide following bullying on Facebook and other social networks.

Oh and then there was the mall attack in Kenya.

All this to say that it makes me sad. Hate and discrimination. Why.

That’s all.

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

More posts to come on the fun side of New York, I promise.