Friday, May 21, 2004

Ok, I'll start spreadin' the news

Ok, so my first day and a half in NYC. First impressions? More grimey(sp?) than I imagined. I probably have to blame my conditioning from too much TV for my expectations. Although the vibe I get from walking down the streets is pretty cool, it just seems dirtier than I thought it would be. Good. Now that I've escaped yet another facet of fantasy created by the artificial eyeglass of TV, I can move on with my life.

N and I were serenaded on our first ride on the subway. Yep, two dudes walking from car to car with paper bag held out in hand, crooned away on the noisy, cranky silver cars. Pretty good singing tho'.

Next was a walk up to Times Square as the sun was setting behind the immediate skyline. The Square struck me as a cooler, hipper, grittier Las Vegas-like specticle. With shitloads more people. Crammed onto smaller sidewalks.

I saw a giant ferris wheel inside a mall-sized Toys-R-Us, and a larger-than-should-be-allowed Hershey chocolate store. Good thing I wasn't hungry.

Then, what did I see, but someone I work with. Of all the people in this city, of all the places I could have been, I run into the CTO of my company. It was just fucking trippy. I think I'll go buy a lottery ticket.

Saw St. Patrick's cathedral. Pretty wickedly cool, a for Catholic church.

Next, another subway ride down to Little Italy. On this train, there was another panhandler (baghandler really) who had incense burning from his head. Yes, I shit you not, he had an incense stick stuck in his hair. He told everyone he would gladly accept a $100 check, or a $50 bill as long as it wasn't wrinkled.

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