Over the last few years, particularly since 2021 when I left the university, my desire to spend more time in New York City has grown. Being in NYC is to return home for me. I lived most of the first ten years of my life in the Bronx. For the next ten years, I spent summers in the Bronx or in northeast New Jersey at my grandparents’ home.

This year we decided to stay in NYC, Manhattan to be precise, for a longer run, December 26-January 4. We wanted to have a holiday experience, including a New Year’s Eve on the Hudson River watching fireworks explode with the Statue of Liberty only 100 yards away.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the city never grow old. During the holidays, the colors are particularly sharp, lighting up old structures and new buildings alike. The lights on the Empire State Building change, offering a shift in appearance that represents what appears to be a totally different building. In addition, the views from the water, either from the Hudson River or the East Estuary (River) offer a totally different perspective from that found when observing from in-town.

The views of Battery Park and points, both north and south from water level and at night are stunning. The World Trade Center complex dominates the view, but other structures and their colors offer a variety of views. The collection of taller buildings on the New Jersey side of the Hudson has grown markedly in the last decades, offering another panorama of interest. Picture-taking never grows old in and around NYC.