methinks

NYC - Day 1

For years I've been meaning to visit New York. I've finally made it happen, converted intent into action, and am now writing this post from Hell's Kitchen, where some old roomates of mine live and where I'll be staying this fortnight.

One day down and thirteen to go, I feel the traveller in my bones start to re-awaken. NYC is trully the greatest city on earth. Greatest in the sense that the advantages people attibute to cities - entertainment, diversity, public transportation, etc - have all been distilled to the point that Manhattan is more like micro-world than a city.

Yesterday, the offical day one, I charmed the staff of a Thai restraunt with my spicy eating skills. I even went so far to respond to their concerns about the food being to spicy, by saying "I don't think its spicy at all," which coupled with my dexterous chopstick usage and dashing good looks prompted a secretive conversation between the husband/wife owners about how I might be the perfect husband for their daughter.

After that I headed uptown to the Museum of Natual History. Truthfully, I overshot by about 40 blocks because the train I took - one of three that run right by the Museum - didn't actually stop at the museum. I got off in Harlem and headed back Downtown on the right train.

The Musuem of Natual History has significance for me beyond its contents, significance that I might not be able to communicate, because it was there that a young Joseph Campbell - a teacher, scholar and author on the common threads of world mythology - was inspired to begin his life's work. I won't say that the Museum similarly inspired me, but I did spend quite a bit of time examining the development of written languages. Overall I found the museum depressing; it was case after case of dieing cultures, animals and habitats.

After the Museum I came back to my friends' apartment and started to catch up on old times. They're doing well, so well in fact that they're trying to move their current show (they have a theater company) to a larger, more well known venue in hopes of snaring a NY Times reivew. The catch is they need twenty thousand dollars to make it happen; twelve thousand in a week. Any one want to donate?

www.waterwell.org

Well, I'm off for another day of adventure.