Inflight magazine CROATIA ljeto2014

And then the city administrators and some new capital turned the story around and transformed the square into a splendid place where New York pulsates with excitement. A place with good new hotels, restaurants, multiplex cinemas, screaming advertisements − the socalled jumbotrons − a respectable competition to Las Vegas, discrete police officers, a pedestrian zone where a river of tourists and New Yorkers from other parts of the city can be seen flowing at weekends as they descend upon Manhattan in pursuit of entertainment. This is the headquarters of some very important and prestigious media and publishing companies: MTV, ABC, the publishers of Vogue and The New Yorker, and the Thomson Reuters Corporation. They take us back in spirit to the beginning of last century when the editorial offices of the once famous New York Times were anchored here together with the first theatres and music halls. The former symbol of decadence and decay is the current powerful symbol of success, entertainment, a new old Broadway, more commercial than ever, with theatre productions costing five times more than in London.

The forty theatres, over thirty off-Broadway theatre houses and a string of small theatres off-off Broadway offer the most exquisite experiences, while on Saturday evenings Times Square itself becomes a theatre in its own right, with a river of those who are running to catch the beginning of their show, or trying to buy lower-priced tickets at the last moment, or simply be amused by watching the huge stands erected in the middle of the square, the imbibing chaos of buildings, commercials, people and police on horseback. The centre of debauchery and sin has become a splendid family promenade.

Thus, life is moving to the western side, and what was the most elite part of Manhattan on the East River, close to the United Nations complex of buildings and immediately adjacent to the well-to-do Sutton Place where we used to live, on 51st Street between First and Second avenues, is now rather neglected, with a lot of tired facades and closed shops. Despite that, visitors coming to New York will be hard pressed to spot the consequences of the recession or the protest against Wall Street. However, the give-away signs can be seen only some thirty kilometres further away in Montclair in New Jersey, the super rich oasis of the Wolfs of Wall Street where most of the sumptuous villas immersed in manicured lawns and cascades of greenery and flowers have for sale signs in front of them.

The always elegant Madison and Fifth avenues are even more elegant and more packed with prestigious department stores, and there is absolutely nothing one cannot find in this city of all cities and in its stores of all stores, from spaceship suits from the time of the Soviet Union, to Greek amphoras dating back to the 6th century B.C. and human skulls, to illusionists’ equipment, an electronic crossword puzzle dictionary, personal scales and an escalator for your aging pet. If you are not sure what you need, and you are hard-pressed for time to find it, you can seek assistance from an agency specializing in so called smart shopping.

Everywhere you look, New York is experiencing new surges and it never gives up, as can be seen in the place of the former Twin Towers, the present-day Memorial Centre where a deciduous tree occupies a special place. They call it the Survivor Tree. It was found at the site of the fire at the World Trade Center long after recovery workers expected to find anything alive under the heap of crushed iron and rubble. It was a sorry sight, but after a lot of tender loving care, it had new growth. In 2010, the tree was uprooted during a storm.

It was replanted at its original place and survived once again when hurricane Irene hit New York a year later. This was enough to become a miraculous symbol of pride and perseverance for New Yorkers.

For more information: NYC & Company: http://nycgo.com ■