NYC is grungy: steam geysers erupt from manholes, and before sunrise, endless neon signs and traffic lights reflect playfully off the empty, rain-soaked streets. – By Ryan Scott

Name: Ryan Scott
Age: 42
Profession: RW Gear Editor

Foodies flock to the Big Apple. Not for the refined culture typical of restaurants in cities like Paris, but for the cutting-edge and the over-the-top – after all, the Cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry) was invented here.

Broadway, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park and the Statue of Liberty are all crowd-pleasers.

High voltage

JFK airport was manic, and filled with a cosmopolitan crowd. I had to stand in at least three long queues before I could even think about how to get to Manhattan – which primed me for all the waiting I’d be doing at some of NYC’s popular culinary treasures.

While I was standing in the last queue, a police sniffer dog had a whiff of my ankles, as its owner stared me down in the same way she would an escaped criminal. Calling an Uber while I waited was a welcome distraction.

Once free of the terminal and in the car, at my first glimpse of the iconic Manhattan skyline I was hit by a tremendous feeling of anticipation and excitement – the kind that grabs hold of you with both hands, white-knuckle-clenching, and doesn’t let go until the very last moment.

Is NYC really charged with high-voltage energy, or is it just something all visitors expect? Either way, the streets appeared to be buzzing.

My Uber driver (who was from Pakistan) was more interested in lambasting me with questions of his own than in answering mine. He was over the moon to have a South African in his car, because he wanted to know about the merits of our national cricket team. He even gave me some choice pointers on how to topple the Indian team the next time we face them.

Fitting it in

I dropped my case off at a hotel in midtown. The Life Hotel was originally the headquarters of Life magazine, and has since been renovated.

Norman Rockwell (20th-century American author, painter and illustrator, whose work featured on the covers of many popular magazines) was once a resident here, and what is now a below-the-ground cocktail bar is the very spot where the stories behind those magnificent editorials were discussed.

Which was exactly what drew me to NYC: the sense of being part of it all, even if it isn’t something you can physically see.

From past visits, I knew that the daunting task of doing all you want to do in the Big Apple can get away from you, unless you follow a framework. There are just so many opportunities.

I thought the High Line (a long, linear public garden and walkway, which used to be an elevated railway line) would be a good place to start, because I’d never been there in spring. But distractions along the route loomed large.

By bike

My first distraction was a welcome one. A long, proud row of CitiBikes seemed like the ideal way to travel during summer. I opted in, using a credit-card system. Moments later, I was zipping down to the High Line, following a map on the CitiBike app.

But then came my second distraction: the Disneyland of camera stores, B&H Photo Video, lured me.
A couple of hours later – after I’d resisted the temptation to acquire a new appendage for my Canon – I got back to enjoying the High Line.

Next stop: brunch at a funky street store that also sold cycling gear. Not even an hour later, lunch at the Chelsea Market. Eating, I discovered, was big in NYC. Burgers, pizza slices, Cronuts, ice cream – you name it.

Which is why I decided to balance it out with a spot of running. Fuelling my passion for exploring new places, I ran through the High Line later that evening. Providing respite from the grimy city below, the 2.3km route was lined with lush, green vegetation. I ran past buskers and art exhibitions.
I resolved to wake up early the next morning, and run through the city streets too.

But even running twice a day – with a couple of stair climbs thrown in for good measure – probably wouldn’t be enough to burn off the treats I’d indulged in.

On foot

Is NYC really ‘The City That Never Sleeps’, as it’s popularly known? I decided to put that to the test.

My 4:30am runs usually involve wearing reflective gear, and because it’s still dark, a fair amount of watching my step. But New York is the exception: it’s very much alive all day and night. Though there are fewer people on the pavements at that time of the morning, the streets are well-lit.

I chose to explore the city grid. Times Square was extraordinarily bright, and I was lucky to be able to take it all in then, without being caught up in (and moved on by) the bustle of tourists that would fill the space later that day.

NYC is grungy: steam geysers erupt from manholes, and before sunrise, endless neon signs and traffic lights reflect playfully off the empty, rain-soaked streets.

I crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, and ran along the East River Walk. From Brooklyn, I took in the Manhattan skyline – just as the tallest, most iconic buildings reflected the full force of the sun’s rays. It was one of many surreal moments NYC has to offer.

Local knowledge

• How to get there: SAA and others fly direct to JFK daily from Johannesburg (flysaa.com).
• Meal times: Eat often, and everywhere! Lucali (lucali.com) is the best spot for pizza, the Spotted Pig is best for burgers (thespottedpig.com), and Chipotle serves healthy fast food (chipotle.com).
• Sleep: Manhattan is very expensive. Your best bet is to AirBnB in Brooklyn (airbnb.com).
• Must-do activities: Bryant Park is festive and spacious over lunchtimes; visit the Rockefeller lookout deck instead of the Empire State Bulding (topoftherocknyc.com); take a Grand Central Terminal Tour; see the city from a schooner sailboat (sail-nyc.com).

Ryan Scott is an adventurer, trail-running enthusiast and journalist. His proudest running achievement is his half-marathon PB: 1:19.06.

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