NY Diary #6 - Walking Downtown

There's no better way of enjoying Manhattan than walking. You will be amazed how far you can walk without realizing it, caught up in the constantly changing surroundings and the excitement of people watching.

Your choice of direction is important: it's all about what mood you are in at the time and the vibe you want to experience.

I live in the heart of West Village and, when I leave my apartment, if I feel in a fancy mood, I just have to go south and cross Houston Street to find myself in SOHO (South Of Houston). Suddenly the cozy old bars of the Village give way to luxury boutiques and exclusive art galleries. The windows, which a block before were covered in posters for happy hour with jazz/rock music, now house Andy Warhol serigraphs and Keith Haring paintings. Even the people are different, as if a street defines the invisible boundary between two different cultures. The skaters of Bleeker Streetare replaced by girls with high heels, engaged in frenetic shopping, while constantly risking tripping over the lease of their malti-poo.

Usually, when I reach Broome street I am already tired of all this grandeur but, up ahead, New York is already ready for a change of scene with the first Chinese signs in Canal Street.

A few more steps and Chinatown swallows me in its crazy, unceasing swarms. I make my way through the throngs gathered around the sellers of fake watches and I find myself surrounded by stalls with every type of dried fish which, even though they've got no eyes, seem to be observing me in surprise with their open mouths.

Then, when I am swallowed in a dense cloud of vapor coming from one of the manholes I feel lost and dazed like Harrison Ford in Blade Runner, so I decide to get out of the chaos fast and head for the Lower East Side.

I start to feel better at the crossroads with Bowery Street. The gritty environment of the Lower East Side, continuously interrupted by bright graffiti, is one of the most characteristic and authentic parts of Downtown New York.

I carry on northwards, admiring the latest styles of the hipsters I come across on the street, until the East Village fades in with a smooth transition.

The East Village is known for its animated night life and for being one of the most vivacious artistic communities in the city, the origin of a number of historic movements, including punk rock. So I'm not surprised if, on Avenue A, I run into a series of individuals with dark circles under their eyes and thin, Patti Smith-like legs.

It's only when I stop at the Pick Me Up for a coffee that I realize I'm pretty tired. But would you resist the excitement and curiosity of discovering what New York has to offer on the next block? The temptation is too strong to end just yet...

Nick Landucci