OK, so maybe I’ve held an unfair grudge against this city due to its irrefutable connection to the Yankees. I mean, even in London I saw the damn Yankee hat everywhere. I don’t care if they thought they were being trendy and reppin’ NYC, they were actually supporting Alex Rodriguez.
And to be fair, at the same time, I’ve always respected Mets fans, despite Game 6 1986, for turning down an opportunity at pure evil for more respectable mediocrity. I mean, I actually know some people who are Yankees AND Pats fans.
But irregardless of this pointless ramble, New York City has always had me at the extremes. At times, I’ve loved driving through the parkways and being reminded of the ending of 25th Hour, the Spike Lee joint. At other times, I’ve been stuck for what felt like 25 hours on the Cross Bronx Expressway, aka what happens if you stay on 95 the whole time between Boston and College Park.
Sometimes I’m amazed by the size and breadth of this city, sometimes it “teases out your latent claustrophobia” [Pitfalls for Tourists]. Sometimes I want to know my way around this place and get the references that inevitably leak out to the rest of the world, other times I get home from the day’s commute and can’t wait to be in a smaller, quieter city like Boston or DC.
But despite my numerous previous trips here, including a 1-0 Sox loss to the Yankees in July and a painful little Chinatown bus trip in September, this week was one of those that made me wonder why I don’t already live here.
Maybe it was working in Greenwich Village. Or seeing how many Reading people ended up living in Brooklyn (can you get any further from Reading without crossing an ocean? I doubt it.) Or staying in my boss’ sweet pad right by…um…everything in Manhattan (Oh, and I got to play some Nintendo Wii). Or crashing some advertising parties and (briefly) meeting “six-foot blonde glamazon Sharin” of the Raveonettes (where are you with my indie rock trivia when I need it Jeff!?!). She’s twice as intimidating in person as she is on stage, without even trying to be.
I’ll stop here. Blame Slash for telling me to put up a post at this hour of the night. But it’s been a great, if exhausting, week. I learned a lot at work and frankly, got inspired. And it’s 2AM, but tomorrow’s Friday. The agenda is coffee, work really hard, train back / nap, and out in DC for Bia Bia’s Bday. I probably won’t need breakfast, because I helped the caterers polish off the leftover shrimp.
Let the adventures never end.