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I had already visited New York twice before. I have done the touristy thing as well as the museum circuit but never once did I have to endure long lines. However, this time I experienced frustrating long queues at the more popular destinations i.e. Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. The lines at Statue of Liberty were longer but thankfully were out in the open where we were entertained by performing artistes and people-watching. If you have stood in the SoL lines, have you come across the annoying musician who plays the Indian national anthem every time he sees someone remotely Indian (trust me, there are a lot)? He almost ‘emotionally blackmails’ you into paying up and puts you in a dilemma whether you should stay up when it is playing and the line moves. This time, he switched to ‘God Save the Queen’ when he heard a Brit accent; halfway through Jana Gana Mana. I didn’t pay him a dime.
The line at Empire State Building is far more frustrating. First of all, it snakes inside the first floor lobby, like an amusement park queue and secondly, the security staff is a frustrated lot and totally inexperienced at handling large crowds. I almost gave a piece of my mind to a bumbling guard. Lack of professionalism irks me no end, especially if you are charging freaking $14 for a view. Somehow, I had lost the charm for these attractions because it was my third time but I was amazed how popular these destinations had become again. I had visited NYC during summers too the previous times but never stood in a line (at least not for a long time). Gosh! I hate lines.
Have you checked my New York cityscapes on Flickr yet?
by Patrix | on Wednesday, June 1st, 2005 at 3:00 pm | 
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June 1st, 2005 at 5:40 pm reply
I guess you stood for an hour, isn’t it? We had to stand for 4 hours…a situation not helped by a male standing behind me who had the highest frequency voice I had ever heard. Sometimes, it’s far better when I am alone actually; I can at least read a book (Telephone bill lines and railway ticket lines in Pune have hardened me)
June 1st, 2005 at 6:04 pm reply
Ashutosh - We have an added advantage of being Indians; standing in lines is second nature to us. I guess, living in the US spoils us a little until we visit NYC.
June 2nd, 2005 at 5:06 pm reply
New York Lines
Isn’t there a word for this:…