NY & NJ

From 1994 I visited New York, "The Big Apple", several times for my work. New York and defintely Manhattan were not like they are today: a major tourist destination and "polished". 6th Avenue for example was very different from today, a lot filthier and rougher. And of course the Twin Towers were still there...

Because I planned in a weekend I could enjoy Central Park, the Natural History Museum and the Statue of Liberty. All of them very well-known, not in the least because of Hollywood. I am not really a city person but New York I could appreciate because of its cosmopolitan atmosphere and no-nonsense approach. I do not know how it is nowadays...

New Jersey is south of New York - "The Garden State". Philadelphia is the capital - THE city in the US with the richest history. Very interesting although it doesn‘t go back that much in time, not as we are used to in Europe - but it is nonsense to say that the US do not have any history. And let‘s be honest, the Americans are very very proud of the little bit of history they have. They have made it from a big mix of immigrants to a working society. Something we can learn from in Europe - in the light of the latest developments.

Other than that I did not find Philadelphia very attractive. New York is a lot more special - what about the air-taxi by helicopter I took from Manhattan to JFK Airport? 2 Hours faster and only 30 dollars more expensive than the taxi. But that was 1992....!