The Joy of New York
A Travel Book
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I have lived under the shadow of the city of New York for several years. I could not say that those days implied have been the happiest of my life, but yes they have been the most combative and the most of a vivid alert, of course the ones that have given to me the most exciting challenge in life. If we put the long stays here and the short ones together, surely I have lived here a good thirty years, which entitles me to say that New York is my city, second just to Barcelona. In spite of the fact that in New York one feels always a stranger, I can say because of the variegated cosmopolitism that pullulates in its streets, which is distant from your person and ignores you, because of the mute majesty shown by their buildings of apartments in which the residents are strangers to the ones of the next door in the same floor, by the Anglo-Saxon discipline that reigns in the business buildings, as well as in the work places, in the factories, in the offices, in the commercial stores and in the offices of the public administration. Even the native ones feel strangers here, since they conceive themselves as little ants which do not count, lost in the sublime pandemonium.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Amid its impressive skyscrapers and massive avenues, New York is a complex city that can be intimidating, even to its longtime residents. With that said, it is a city that begs to be explored.
Pere Ortis relies on experiences gathered from his thirty years living in New York to share a travel guide that includes entertaining personal stories and historical facts. Ortis leads visitors down a fascinating path where they learn about local landmarks like the Conference House on Staten Island that served as the stage for negotiations between the British and Americans after the Declaration of Independence in 1776; Saint Patrick’s Cathedral where more than two thousand parishioners can worship within walls that hold incredible history; and the Yorkville District where many still come to live in peace and prosper, just as the German immigrants once did. Included in his tour of the Big Apple is writings about the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown and Little Italy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square, and many other local attractions.
The Joy of New York is a colorful collection of travel stories that offers tourists an in-depth glimpse into the history and places that make the Big Apple one of the most interesting places to visit in the world.
About the Author
Pere Ortís was born in Bellpuig, Catalonia, and completed his studies at NYU. He has lived the majority of his life in New York City, but has also resided in Honduras. Ortis is the author of nineteen novels, plus three books of short stories, five of essays, mainly about Catalan nationalistic themes, three travel books, four books about the Catalan language, and several translations from Catalan into English, and from English into Catalan. He has also published essays in a couple of local magazines.