The Burrow

Driving into The City (it's always going to be The City to me) on a $12.50 comfy shuttle bus to Grand Central and then a free van to the Hilton on 6th Avenue (which will never be Avenue of the Americas to me) fed my inner Scrooge as it afforded views like this which I never see in Tucson.  I didn't mind the signs and the narrow lanes and the grit. It felt like home. I closed my eyes and Daddooooo was driving and G'ma was grumbling and we kids were trying to see just how much mayhem we could accomplish before someone noticed. It was bumpy and noisy and grimy and I loved it. ***** http://tinyurl.com/8g4q3e2  I took myself to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) after the conference ended on Saturday. It was only half way down 53rd Street, after all, and I have a membership.  My walking stick and I cruised right past the lovely ticket taker who smiled at my pretty membership card and clicked me through the turnstyle. There are certain places I like to be,...

We stayed on Wall Street for the weekend. TBG spent hours pointing out where this used to be and where that once was, while I became fascinated with the details. This was the view outside our window.  Our hotel,  Andaz Wall Street , is the height of NY minimalist design. There was nothing extraneous.  There were no frou-frous. It was glorious.  The City, though, is filled with geegaws. There are random faces and swirling columns going no place, and if the bus hadn't stopped right in front of the doorway I'd have been able to show you the extensions of the window treatments you see in the center curved lower window.  It was outstanding. Sam's Felafel had the longest line of any of the food trucks on the park.  Sitting on a bench, surrounded by tourists and a serious police presence,  I wondered if the architect imagined shorts and sandals striding in front of his decor.  The buildings seemed to call for bustles and para...

Chapter 5 - Well, Not Really Reunion Related I'm still feeling the glow, but it's fading from the front of my brain to a spot someplace on the 3rd or 4th step. There..... but not setting my mood each morning. What I'm thinking about now is the wonderfulness that was The City. Yes, THE CITY. People in Marin or on the North Shore or The Main Line might talk about going into The City, but I'm sorry...... neither San Francisco nor Chicago nor Philly hold a candle to the Big Apple. Don't get me wrong - I think Chicago is the best city in America today. For livability, culture, outdoor recreation, free events, civic pride..... it's hard to argue the point. San Francisco has a vibe unlike anyplace else and its residents love it and cannot imagine living elsewhere (as the Big Cuter says, "It's insane.... but it's mine") But they're still not New York. No place but Manhattan has that melting pot vibrancy, that bond forged by the shared adversity o...