1/14/2009
There was always that one place that I swore I'd never go, and that was NYC--my constitution favoring quiet, relaxed and simplistic modes of living. Well, things do change, and recently I've been inexplicably curious enough about that city to entertain the idea of a visit, during which I might take in the many landmarks and sample as much of the storied culture as I can.
I've done some initial research on such a trip, and I can say that at this point it seems a bit like how I would imagine a vacation to the moon might be. I'm learning fast how incredibly different everyday things are there, and how the culture is shaped by these differences that I once considered more superficial. Most people already know that you don't drive in Manhattan, but are forced to navigate the network of trains and sidewalks, and that eating is a Big Deal, which likely comes with Big Queues and even Bigger Checks, but still it's interesting to discover just how much life there revolves around the concepts of "neighborhoods", "eating" and social movements:
There was always that one place that I swore I'd never go, and that was NYC--my constitution favoring quiet, relaxed and simplistic modes of living. Well, things do change, and recently I've been inexplicably curious enough about that city to entertain the idea of a visit, during which I might take in the many landmarks and sample as much of the storied culture as I can.
I've done some initial research on such a trip, and I can say that at this point it seems a bit like how I would imagine a vacation to the moon might be. I'm learning fast how incredibly different everyday things are there, and how the culture is shaped by these differences that I once considered more superficial. Most people already know that you don't drive in Manhattan, but are forced to navigate the network of trains and sidewalks, and that eating is a Big Deal, which likely comes with Big Queues and even Bigger Checks, but still it's interesting to discover just how much life there revolves around the concepts of "neighborhoods", "eating" and social movements:
My initial image of how it would go was full of sepia-toned streetscapes, quiet old ladies buying fresh-baked breads from kindly coppola'd proprietors, and maybe bumping into a couple guys who call each other "Max" in friendly arguments. It won't be that, but it will be just as fun discovering the real thing...
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