Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Big Apple

The Big Apple.

Traffic. Horns blaring. Lights and action. Streets that never quiet. A million hearts beating as one.

We arrived in as dusk was falling after an uneventful flight -- always the best kind. 

It's hot and muggy here. Poured last night but promises of sun keep my spirits up. It's different travelling with such a large crew. Five of us. Fun. And different. Liseanne and I are so accustomed to being part of a 'team', it's cool to watch her connect with C.C.'s son and daughter -- the girls have their shopping trip planned today before we go off to see Wicked on Broadway this afternoon. After that, we're meeting up with friends  and going for dinner and a night of music somewhere in Manhattan.

After an incredible dinner at our friends last night, C.C.'s daughter hauled out her guitar and began to play. She is not as accomplished as her brother, but what an amazing voice! Her brother also joined in and we were regaled with music and laughter late into the night.

This is the city that never sleeps. There's always something going on. Something happening. As we drove in from the airport Liseanne looked around and commented, "It's so dirty."

Coming from the wide open spaces of the prairies, and a city that has just passed the one million mark, she's right -- by comparison this is a dirty city. It never ceases to amaze me however that this city 'works'. We're staying in Brooklyn, a borough of 4 million people. Every day 9 million people make their way into Manhattan from boroughs and far flung areas for work and school and play. 9 million. Imagine a transit system capable of handling that! Imagine doing it twice a day. Imagine what it takes to get the street lights synced. The subway in motion. The garbage moved. The traffic unsnarled. It truly is amazing!

Yup. It's a big city with big city issues -- but it is still beyond the imagination that it can work.

Yet it does.

That's the wonder of life.

Somethings just don't seem possible. And they are.

Somethings seem impossible, and yet, human ingenuity sparks the creative spirit, rises to the occasion and makes it possible, makes it happen.

What incredible beings we humans are!

And we work.

Cool.

Off to have an adventure. My favourite bakery is around the corner. Their croissant rival Paris! Want to surprise the crew with a gourmet breakfast treat.

Ciao!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for bringing memories of New York to me as I sit on my deck in Virginia. As a former New Yorker I always tell people that it's the vibe of the people and the interaction between different people that make it so special. Even in the midst of the rush, people are looking at each other, gesturing, interacting in the way that enables a big city to be a truly habitable place.

Anonymous said...

NYC is one of my favorite places - so much energy, so much art, so much business, so much theatre, so many museums, sites and warm pretzels on the street corner .. carriage rides in Central Park and late night noshing at the Stage deli

writers there too . .lots of them, publishers too . .

there is not place like it on earth - thank goodness - a place for rich folks to live and ordinary folks to visit

Cheers,

Mark

p.s. write something for me !!