Mary was excited to visit New York City.
She was Midwestern-born and had rarely ventured over 30 miles from her birth place in her 75 years of living.
Continue reading → The Hand of a Guardian Angel: Ten Sentence Story #139
I love learning the lessons of New York City the hard way through direct experience:
Nothing looked familiar. Whenever we slowed down, those behind us pushed us forward with yelling and insults about being tourists. We were met with ugly stares on the street and we were mocked from storefronts pocking gutted brownstones. People would stop, open-mouthed, to look at us — we both with bright, garish, white skin and matching white short-shorts and tank tops and goofy, glowing red “Nebraska Cornhusker” trucker hats — as we strolled by trying to figure out how to get back to our new home.
Night was falling fast as we continued to walk and Janna began to shiver a little. The lights became more garish and throbbing in the night. The sounds of traffic and street hustlers grew so intense it hurt your ears to try to make sense of the multiple conversations happening in concert. We kept walking. We kept our head down. We tried not to make eye contact. Each tiresome New York block became longer and longer as we yearned for a familiar landmark. We stopped talking to each other as we concentrated on trying to find our way back home. We finally came to the end of the road.
One of the toughest lessons we try to teach to those who visit us in New York City is that if you plan to buy something, YOU MUST BUY IT NOW WHILE THE ITEM IS IN YOUR HAND!
Continue reading → How to Shop in New York City: Buy it Now!
Last summer, I was walking with Elizabeth from one subway line to another — I believe that we were going from the F line to the R line, which connects at a few stations including Times Square 42nd Street. At one juncture there was a group of individuals all with signs that proclaimed the same thing — that Judgement Day was coming on May 21, 2011, and that we should all beware. We were not too bothered as we live in New York and see kooky signs like this on a regular basis.
Continue reading → Judgement Day: The World Ends on May 21, 2011
Elaine’s, a venerable restaurant on New York City’s upper East Side, is closing in nine days after being open for 48 years. Elaine’s, in its heyday, was a hotspot place to be seen. Woody Allen played his clarinet there. Authors celebrated their books there. Celebrities went there to be seen. Elaine Kaufman — the “Elaine” in Elaine’s — died six months ago and now her namesake restaurant is following her to the grave.
You must be logged in to post a comment.