Back from New York a few weeks and my head is still in a whirl. I hadn’t been there since April 2002, and since I had only moved away in January of that year, the April trip doesn’t count. I don’t think I realised in April 2002 that it would be three years before I’d be there again. Ah well, just goes to show ya...
In any case, a lot has happened since I left–the war and the re-election dominate my list—and I wasn’t really sure how I’d feel being back in the land of the free and the home of the brave. But then again, it was NY, a blue city in a blue state. And aside from the realisation that you can watch over 500 television channels (Ramona get rid of that Direct TV, it’s evil), there wasn’t a lot to annoy me. In fact, quite the opposite.
Don’t get me wrong, the cost of living is still obscene, and it’s common for people to take more than one job to support themselves, while others there have a lot more money than sense and flaunt it shamelessly. The subway is still loud and often dirty, and there’s an awful lot of attitude floating about the city in general.
But you know what? It’s also a very friendly city. People talk to people they don’t know, and no I’m not talking about guys trying to pick up women, though there is quite a bit of that going on. I’m talking about people who speak to you when you’re walking down the street and who are really patient when you ask for directions or information.
But let’s get to the important stuff, shall we? There’s nowhere in Berlin that serves up the likes of this:
And no, I’m not going to mention how many times I had it during my short stay. God Bless Mike’s Coffeeshop in Brooklyn, is all I have to say.
I was also able to be a part of an historical event. Though fabulously derided by Jon Stewart and the gang at Comedy Central as the Pile of Sheet(s), I found The Gates to be marvellous.
Perhaps it was just seeing so many happy faces, or the fact that my luggage had finally arrived, or that I had just had the breakfast pictured above, but whatever it was I thoroughly enjoyed the installation and I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to experience firsthand. I even scored a piece of the fabric, as they were giving away little squares the day I was there.
I got the chance to hang out with friends I hadn't seen in ages and I had some decent bagels. I searched the city for underground hip hop for my boys in Berlin and saw a couple great flicks (Sideways, The sea Inside, and Hero). And as for the purpose of my trip, the conference at NYU, that was great and my paper went over very well. All in all a fabulous trip.
And to Ramona, Ejim, Tweedie, Sebastian, Kay, Wolfgang, Peter, Lesley, Sumita, Paolo, and Wendelin, it was great seeing you!
Coming soon: Photographic evidence of how I spent the depressing week between Christmas and New Year’s.
