My late parents Ting and Mila Dayrit believed that traveling is the best teacher. They would say, “When you read about such-and-such particular destination, it will be easier to comprehend because you have been there.”
Today, as I continue to learn about the world through my journeys, I always remember who first encouraged me to satisfy my wanderlust. Dad took his master’s degree in economics at New York University but when we requested him to take us there, he seemed to ignore us. Finally, we took a trip to the Big Apple when our folks visited my brother Mark and I in nearby Boston where we were in graduate school. Dad became our personal tour guide. Only then did he admit that he feared that if we liked the city too much, we may decide to make it our permanent home. The Empire State is, after all, a fortress of commerce and enterprise and, to many, it is the center of the universe.
This repository of dreams, the city that never sleeps, offers the sophisticated traveler a smorgasbord of sensations: from its impressive museums, theaters of Broadway, the opulence of Fifth Avenue, fine restaurants, bars and hotels. The city beats with a dizzying cultural cacophony, the rich rhythms of Harlem, the enterprising residents of Chinatown, the staccato accents of Little Italy and the lush Yiddish of the Lower East Side. Truly, New York is a sociological cauldron of races, nationalities, religions, interests and classes.
The Big Apple pulsates with gushes of hyperbole and showers of invectives, in equal measure. Either you love it or hate it. New York is cloudland and rat hole, paradise and pandemonium, imperious Empire State and idiotic Gotham, the best and worst of cities securely rooted in solid rock — scraped clean 20,000 years ago by Ice Age glaciers.
As a struggling student in New York University, my dad said he detested it. But as a visitor many years later, admiring the vast expanse of the Central Park of his youth from his Trump Tower Unit, he loved it.
As a student, my classmates and I would frequent the city as we conducted our shoots for our films in Central Park.
My most thorough orientation about the Big Apple was studying the Charlie Chaplin film entitled The Immigrant. It was my very first silent comedy class in school and we were assigned to visit the place where the film evolved. The Immigrant, Chaplin would later say, “touched me more than any film I’ve made.” It was a superb comedy, but is probably remembered most for this shot of the Tramp and his fellow immigrants as they get their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Raising her torch aloft, the colossal statue stands elegantly planted on a concrete pedestal at the entrance to New York City’s harbor. Presented as a gift from France to celebrate the centenary of America’s independence and unveiled in 1886, the 151-foot-tall copper statue was designed by the Alsatian sculptor Frederic Bartholdi and its wrought iron framework was designed by Gustav Eiffel, who later built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Many summers later, I returned to this City of Dreams, with a fresh perspective but with the same passion for exploration.
New York may be the world’s heaviest city as well as one of the largest. Certainly no other area of comparable size supports such a concentrated weight of concrete and steel as does the skyscraper-jammed island of Manhattan which can carry its manmade burden because nature provided a foundation of three-billion-year-old rock. This is very evident in Central Park where black Manhattan schist surfaces for air and slivers of mica make it glint in the sun.
very nook and cranny has something creative to offer. A significant discovery allows one to relive and relish the rich history of over a century. The posh Empire Hotel, updated for the 21st-century traveler, is a historical abode of love and comfort. In a bespoke class of its own, the Empire Hotel lies in the heart of the Big Apple where one can watch the world go by.
Located on West 63rd Street amidst the verdant foliage of Dante Alighieri Park, The Empire Hotel occupies its own secluded corner straddled between two New York City legendary landmarks — Lincoln Center and Central Park. Walking into its opulent lobby of rich leather, modern light fixtures and geometric carpets, I am reminded of the posh safari villas in South Africa and Kenya. The warm tones of beige, browns and crimson arrest your senses in a very affable, gracious way. Instantly, you feel welcomed and it seems very hard to leave your newfound home. I spotted the baby grand piano and imagined if only Mom were around, she would definitely fill the place with beautiful renditions of the classic masterpieces she so fondly played.
With a total of 420 rooms and suites, The Empire Hotel has been a historical part of the city for over 100 years. It has undergone a fabulous renovation whereby restoring the historic address to its former glory, complete with rooftop pool, acclaimed restaurant and chic rooftop bar overlooking the city’s legendary landmarks and unobstructed views of the Broadway and Columbus Avenue gateway to the upper west side of New York City.
Spread over 8,000 square feet on the 12th floor of the hotel, The Rooftop serves some of the hottest cocktails in town and savory bites such as Lobster Rolls. No wonder there is a long queue as many converge at the rooftop bar and admire the dramatic views of the city after dark.
The Empire Hotel offers unique indoor and outdoor venues for business and private events with unparalleled views of the Hudson River, Lincoln Center, Central Park and the city. It is also a few minutes drive or walk from the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), where, incidentally, the Indio Bravo film festival was showcasing some of the newest and brightest collection of Filipino films ever. My dear friend Loida Nicolas Lewis attended the premier night and even hosted a lovely dinner in her gorgeous apartment in Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River.
I love this chic and ultra-functional kind of hotel. The hip and spunky ambiance retains its elegance and luxury. It is worthy to note that the Empire Hotel belongs to Worldhotels, an exclusive collection of the world’s most unique independent hotels. Under their banner “Unique Hotels for Unique People,” it now has almost 500 affiliate properties in more than 300 destinations and 70 countries worldwide. For nearly 40 years, the company’s mission has been to offer business and leisure travelers easy access to a wide range of accommodation options with a strong emphasis on hotels of character and distinction. Experiencing this uniqueness for the first time encourages me to check out their other properties the world over.
A trip to New York City is never complete without an epicurean evening at a favorite destination restaurant, Le Bernardin, known for its excellent seafood prepared lovingly by Chef Eric Rupert. Try its yellow fin tuna on a mint, watercress and peanut salad, a deceptively simple-sounding smoked salmon gravlax and lightly spiced cerviche of scallops. Truly an unforgettable burst of smooth, tangy and refreshing sensations. Another divine restaurant is Daniel’s where Chef Daniel Boulud transforms familiar flavors into the most stunning of summations. You must try the lobster bisque en crouse as a starter, followed by black sea bass with syrah sauce, and finally warm guanaja chocolate coulant for dessert. Indeed, a slice of heaven fetched to earth.
For the young once and young ones, a visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar is a wonderful treat. Dylan is the daughter of the famed Clothing czar Ralph Lauren whose penchant for her candy emporium is infectious. Dylan was so awed by the candy land of Willy Wonka’s fictional factory that it inspired her dream to one day open the world’s largest candy store at 15,000 square feet. It houses a café, offering classic soda fountain favorites, over 100 ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors, 18 types of Belgian hot chocolate and a bakery full of sweet treats.
This is New York, the city where our childhood dreams and memories come alive. I miss my parents when I visit the Big Apple because the very first time I explored it was through their eyes. But each time I am here, I feel connected to the pulse of the universe and as I retreat in the luxurious confines of my room in the Empire Hotel overlooking the verdant landscape of Central Park, I still am able to find a silent, blissful place in a spinning world.
The Empire Hotel is located at 44 West 63rd Street, New York. For reservation, call 212-2657400, fax, 212-2657401 or visit www.empirehotelnyc.com.
Thai Airways flies from Bangkok to Los Angeles daily. (From there you can take United Airlines to New York’s JFK Airport.) For more information, please call reservation at 812-4744.
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E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.