New York...among other things.

I am sad to say that I have completely neglected blogging over the past two months. Time to play catch up again.

New York. I miss it even now. I still have little bits of it inside me. The first day was terrifying. But we spent those first two days in the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art so you feel safe in those huge buildings. My legs have never hurt so bad in my entire life. Everything is crazy, always. The subways are crazy and smelly. Everyone pushes their way in and their way out. You don't say "Excuse me", you just go. You sit down next to someone who you have no idea who they are and two minutes later you are in Times Square where it never is night. All there are is lights, everywhere. It is wonderful. Macy's was insane. I have never been in a store like that. There is an entire monstrous section for ties. I wanted to buy one for every man I knew. I would have if I would have had the money. Everyone wears black except for tourists. They are always wearing white shoes. They are a dead give-away. We made a point of not looking like tourists because they get treated badly. Everywhere you go you have to be loud and you have to demand what you want. Little Italy is wonderful. There are hosts on the streets that yell as you pass by "Table for four, step right in this way...Okay maybe next time!" And in Chinatown if you look at something like you might possibly like it they are right there saying, "You like? You like? For you five dollar, I have in purple, just five dollar." It is wonderful.

Everywhere in New York you go fast. The Subways go fast, the taxis go fast, the people go fast. They run up escalators. There is no such thing as a fat New Yorker. I don't think they exist. In the west we are slugs. We drive slow. We mosey down the street. We ride the escalator. People in the western towns can be complete slobs. New Yorkers are well dressed. You get better service if you are. I wore slacks everyday. It was worth it. Tourists came up to us to ask for directions.

We saw four shows. The Rockettes Christmas Show, The 39 Steps, A Little Night Music, and Avenue Q. All of the shows were wonderful in their own ways.

I want to go back to New York City. I want to go to graduate school near there someday. I would have to toughen up some, New Yorkers are tough and Jersey people are horribly rude but I think that after a week there I was able to handle it. You just dish it right back out. You have to. There is no other way. Maybe Rutgers is the place for me to go. All I know is that someday I will go back.

I <3 NYC

Happy Wandering,

CCosner