Travel Observations: New York City

New York is a state

Friends send me news on winter storm. In New York City, there was little snow. I learn that the total area of New York State is 141,000 KM2. That of New York City is 780 KM2.

Why East Coast is Colder Than West Coast

I first landed on San Francisco and took a connected flight to Newark (Newark is not New York or New York City. Newark is a state of New Jersey). The weather on the West was around 8 degrees while that on the East was around 0 degree. While the latitudes are roughly the same, the weather is very different because, in Winter, winds blow from the West to the East. Ocean is warmer than land in Winter. The land cools the air before it arrives the East Coast.

Chimney with White Smoke

New York City uses steam to heat or cool the buildings. The electricity company reuses the heat generated in power generation. (Steam can be used to power compressor for cooling)

City Planning: Grid Layout

Avenues are vertical roads on the map. Streets are horizontal roads. (I am not sure whether there are exceptions. This is what I observed.) They are perpendicular to each others. It is good for pedestrian since navigation is easy, but poor for automobiles, since you have to stop very often.

Subway is “Different”

Coming from Hong Kong and Singapore, the subway looks very different. But it works. NYC subway is one of the longest and busiest subway in the world.

Less Safety Features in Electricity Plug

The plug easily detaches from the socket. It is annoying.

Fire Escape Stairs

Fire code law was added after an extremely bad fire in New York in 1911 (Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire).

Tip Culture
The minimum wages for tipped labor is $2.13 versus $7.25 for non-tipped labor.