How Can Anyone NOT Love New York?!

I love New York! Despite my occasional rants to Richard about the number of people on the sidewalks or the variety of unpleasant smells encountered between here and the subway entrance, I love it! I especially love the city as I sit on a bench, soaking up the sun and watching all the activity. I love walking everywhere, and often choose to walk instead of waiting for a bus. The bus has to wade through all the traffic and often takes longer than walking, anyway. I don't even mind riding the subway for longer trips. Yes, you sometimes encounter an "original" individual, but most of the time subway rides are uneventful. I welcome the chance to just sit and be "in my head." I love all the things to see and do for free, in addition to all the touristy places. I have enjoyed touring St. Patrick's Cathedral (free), riding the Staten Island Ferry (free), walking through Central Park (free) and discovering new places. For example, on a recent walk to retrieve some library books I had reserved, I took a new route and ended up in the garment district, where there were many wholesale stores open to the public. I bought 2 really cute blouses for $10 each! I love that kind of stuff! I am not a social butterfly, but I do enjoy being out and about. Sitting still for very long is difficult for me. Months of deep snow in Montana that kept most people cooped up at home would send me on an hour and a half drive to town just to walk around the mall. One time I accidentally drove on the interstate when it was open to emergency traffic only! I had no idea. I had a Toyota Land Cruiser, so snow was never an issue. Yes, I loved Montana and plan to retire there someday, but right now I love being in the city!

Last week our 21-year old daughter visited. You learn the meaning of close when you have a guest in your 400 square foot living space! She had never been to New York, so I had all kinds of things in mind for us to do together. Cheap things, since I haven't started working yet, but lots of fun opportunities to enjoy this beautiful city. Alli often asked how long it was going to take to get to the place I suggested. My response would be something like, "It's a short walk." That statement elicited a glare from Alli, because that's the same thing I said about getting to Central Park. Yes, we rode a bus to get from our apartment to 5th Ave., but then we walked the remaining 22 blocks, which only took about 15 minutes, to be fair. We went to Macy's because I wanted to show my little country girl the vast retail space, with its old wooden escalators and every brand she's ever heard of. She couldn't wait to get out of there! We did do a few touristy things, like visit Madame Tussauds and ride The Beast (the speed boat that takes you to the Statue of Liberty and back). Most of the time, however, we spent in the tiny apartment, watching TV shows or movies. Granted, this was Alli's short break between 2nd summer semester and Fall semester of college, but I had my girl here and I wanted a buddy to go on adventures with me. To be fair, I can see the sights any time I want, and I have to respect the fact that New York isn't for everyone. I don't think she'll ever move to New York, but I look forward to her next visit. Hopefully I can get her to a Broadway show next time.