New York City has always been one of my favorite cities as it resembles my hometown Kolkata (India) in many different ways. I came to NYC with my husband quite a while ago. It was a completely new life for me—first time out of my hometown and away from my immediate family. At the beginning, I felt pretty lonely. Then one day my husband took me to the NYC riverfront. It was one of those cool July evenings. We got off the train at World Trade Center Path station. I was simply awestruck by the debris of Ground Zero and thought of that tragic calamity that shook the world on that morning back in September 2001.
From there we walked to Battery Park overlooking the Hudson Bay. At the entrance of Battery Park, we saw many artists who could sketch one’s potriat or cartoon on request. Of course there were also vendors who sold honey roasted nuts and gyros. (Aren’t they delicious?) They instantly reminded me of “badambhaja” and “Chicken roll,” the famous street foods of Kolkata. Then we entered the park and sat by the river, witnessing the sunset and enjoying the cool breeze from the river. It was then I began to feel at home again. The breeze from Hudson felt the just like the breeze from Ganga.
Ever since that day, strolling by the riverside, enjoying the cool breeze, and catching a quick meal by the roadside has been one of my favorite things to do in NYC during the summer.
