... that barely one year later, on 11th September 2001, the landscape of New York was to forever change. Indeed the sad tragedy has transformed America, and the whole world, from the secure one that we once knew and took for granted. Perhaps it will be a long long time before things return to normalcy, if it ever will. But it will be a pity if travelers are to turn away from visiting this great country. And thus I began compiling the two trips I made in 1995 and 2000, into this 2-part tribute, in dedication to the Americans and in the hope that the conflict we see today will soon end.

The Big Apple is big, even bewildering, to a city-bred person like me. And it certainly lives up to its self-dubbed tag as "Capital of the World". Not just a concrete jungle of skyscrapers, the city buzzes with a high adrenaline level, combining the colourful chaotic energy of Hong Kong with the cultural dignified staidness of London. The unique character is complemented by the surprisingly friendly New Yorkers who voluntarily offer their assistance to blur-looking backpackers like my companion and I, as we sauntered lost in the maze that is called Manhattan.

While the travel literature says the place is easy to navigate with its grid-like avenues, a few blocks looking deceptively near on the map can be dauntingly far when one is

Starting with the mother of all icons in the city and indeed, the United States - the Statue of Liberty. The carnival mood was in the air as we arrived at Battery Park and queued for tickets for the boat trip to Liberty a

As it was already late afternoon, there wasn't enough time to climb the 354-step up to the Crown. In any case, getting to the top of the Pedestal alone was a long-drawn process as we had to queue for hours, climb up the equivalent of ten storeys, inch our way through the sardine-packed bodies in the narrow balcony to do one round of views back to the entry doorway, only to be told we could only go down from the opposite end. While the Pedestal offers nice views of Manhattan and New York Harbour, the close-up view of the Statue from its feet up was nothing to shout about.

I love museums and it was unfortunate that we only had time for one, the renowned Metropolitan Museum

New York at night, and particularly Times Square, is quite a dazzling sight. I was momentarily stunned by the myriad of massive TV screens, neon billboards and bright lights, a wondrous feeling reminiscent of the time I flew into glittery Hong Kong at night, past surrealistically-lit buildings, en route to the old Hong Kong airport. This being Broadway, we had to catch a musical and the gritty "Rent" at Nederlander Theatre marked the end of our exhilarating rendezvous to the Big Apple.

Arriving at Chicago on a train five hours late, at midnight, to the rude shock of brutal cold winds and snow (the temperature having plunged only on that very day), and checking into a dubious decrepit-looking, and even worse-run, hostel (which I shall not name but it certainly ranks as the worst in my memory), it was a discomforting orientation, to say the least, into this famed city of jazz and blues. We sincerely believed we were jinxed, as a payback, after the unusual spate of good fortune the night before at our previous destination, where our musical tickets were picked in a lucky draw and we were grandly ushered, under envying eyes, from the balcony top to the very first row. Only the bad luck continued to the next day. There was a city blackout and the subway became off-limits - right after we bought our passes at the Loop (downtown Chicago). Sigh, we were still paying the price for the jackpot draw...

When the bad karma eventually wore out (thankfully), and even though I was still pretty under-dressed in the freezing winds, we were finally able to enjoy some of the attractive charms of this city. I am not a fan of skyscrapers but the Chicago buildings are

Chicago's vibrant art and culture is also apparent from the preponderance of excellent museums, such as the premier Art Institute of Chicago with its iconic bronze lions flanking the steps, the Chicago Cultural Center with the fun Museum of Broadcast Communications that has its memorabilia shop amusingly named

It is difficult not to like a place brimming with such originality and inventiveness, prevalent even in its shops, which we had to exercise the greatest restraint from embarking on a mad buying spree, or at least we tried. Visions of mobsters and gangsters - images from movies - evaporated as we encountered the upbeat good-natured humour of the Chicagoans. Whatever it is, Chicago is certainly not a boring place.

My favourite Chicago destination is, however, outside downtown in the affluent suburb, Oak Park. It is preserved as a National Historic District, for being Ernest Hemingway's birthplace, and because a certain young architect named Frank Lloyd Wright came here in 1889 to experiment his building styles, leaving a remarkable body of his signature work in the neighbourhood. It helped that the temperature had considerably warmed up on the day of our visit, in contrast to the wintry first days, and the golden fall colours were in resplendent glory in the sun, framing the pretty houses.

Wright's Home and Studio is an amazing study of creativity and sense of natural light and space, with clever interplay between the intricately-designed motif glass windows and skylights and the geometric organic forms of his Prairie-styled houses. These

After the fascinating guided indoor tour where no photography was permitted, we were "released" into the neighbourhood on an audio tour of the Wright buildings in the

Well, it wouldn't hurt to dream. Now let me start saving after this trip...

I have always wanted to visit New Orleans, which holds an unexplainable romantic appeal to me, because of an old song I like called "House of the Rising Sun" set there. And the refrains of the melancholic tune echoed in my mind as the train rolled into the city known for its tumultuous history, the cultural hodge-podge of Indian, Creole, Cajun and African influences, one famous output of which is the revolutionary birth of the Jazz, not to mention the more unorthodox draws, like the notorious excesses of its Mardi Gras masquerading party and the macabre voodoo legacy.

The highlight of New Orleans is undoubtedly the French Quarter (or Vieux Carré in original French), the heart of the old city and the focal point of tourists today. Actually, the name is a misnomer as the architecture is distinctly Spanish - overhanging intricate ironwork balconies and signs, graceful arches, fan-shaped designs, lovely corridors and cobbled courtyards decorate the colonial houses gracing the grid-like streets.

While the early European settlers hail mainly from France, becoming known as the Creoles, the Louisiana territory was gifted to the Spanish King in a secret treaty in 1762, to counter English presence in the region. Thus, the Spanish extended their cultural influences. They rebuilt the city when the 1788 and 1794 fires virtually destroyed all the district's original French-designed buildings, save for the notable exception of the 1745-dated Ursuline Convent still standing today.

The French connection re-emerged briefly in 1803 when Napoleon retook control of the territory from Spain. The Creoles' celebration was short-lived. Barely 20 days later, Napoleon, preferring the land to be in American rather than British hands, sold the entire Louisiana to US president Thomas Jefferson.

As we entered the delightful streets of the Quarter, the carnival atmosphere immediately lifted our spirits and dissipated the earlier trepidation, caused by the ominous-sounding warnings in the pamphlets handed us at the hostel which reinforced the infamy of New Orleans as a high

Jackson Square, with its charming assortment of street musicians, artists, crystal-ball readers, horse carriages, cafés, and of course, hordes of tourists, is the best point to start. And that was where our knowledgeable guide from the National Park Service began the free "History of New Orleans" tour. The historically significant square, which

It was a fascinating walk next through the Quarter, where pretty affluent boulevards like the Royal Street stood in contrast with the more seedy ones, especially the nightlife spot, Bourbon Street - just as the city is a quaint yet easy mix of cultural richness with funky bizarreness. Speaking of which, those with an inclination towards the spooky and creepy, will be able to explore the world of spirits, rituals and potions at the Historic Voodoo Museum and sign up for various voodoo tours to haunted houses, cemeteries and the like.

At the behest of my enthusiastic companion, I was unfortunately "dragged" into one of such tacky tours and spent a (yawn) dull afternoon listening to the drone of the guide who went into too much detail at almost every tomb at the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. That said, this is one area that should only be visited on a group tour. When we arrived, there were several police-cars at the entrance. Apparently somebody had just been robbed. This graveyard, known for its unusual above-the-ground tombs, is dangerous not so much from spirits but from criminals of the human kind lurking behind the tombstones.

The tablets are made mostly of white Italian marble, some of which carrying fine sculpture. However, the gravesite that draws the most attention and responsible for all the hype is that of Marie Laveau, the powerful voodoo queen practitioner who lived here. According to the guide, however, the "X-files" of her miraculous hocus-pocus then, are now all solved and "explainable" feats. So much for black magic.

Back to the Quarter, we only had time for a brief shopping stint. There are a number of nice shops although some others carried too much mask memorabilia and voodoo stuff. My only regret was not having the time to sit down and have a cuppa at the cafés and enjoy the beautiful jazz music. "The City That Care

Our stop at Washington DC was short - three hours to be precise. After a long overnight train trip from New Orleans, we stumbled dazed out of the Amtrak Union Station into the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, and promptly got our orientation wrong. The sun was blinding

A cute cop finally set us in the right direction of the Capitol, so we ambled along the broad pleasant avenues lined with autumn-coloured trees. There can be no mistake that this is the capital - no ugly concrete skyscraper in sight, but stately and important-looking whitewash Classical-styled buildings abound.

The Capitol is indeed a spectacular gem, befitting of its status as the seat of the US government, especially the iconic 180-foot dome that is simply exquisite in its sculptural details. I rued not having the chance to visit the rotunda's interior which is said to be decorated with immense oil paintings and Constantino Brumidi's fresco masterpiece, "The Apotheosis of Washington". We strolled past the long snaking

The beautiful Capitol and the Potomac basin view made up for the fact that we didn't have time to see the White House, the ultimate power symbol of them all. The sneak preview we had of the refined architecture here is alluring enough for a repeat visit.