A new view of NYC

I don't know what it is about city life that appeals to so many people, myself included. I'm a complete product of my suburban upbringing, but for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to live in the city, specifically New York City. On my previous three trips to the Big Apple, I was enthralled with the glitz and glamor of it all. The neon billboards, the honking cabs, the bustling people; it was the only place I could see myself living.

But this time, things were different. I still enjoyed being in the city, but I wasn't jealous of everyone already living there as I had been before. What struck me most this time were the crowds. People are everywhere! I tried to tell myself it was just holiday tourists, but I remember there were just as many people when I went up for the Yankees game this summer. And it wasn't just in the streets. We wandered inside St. Patrick's Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue and both were teeming with crowds. (Though traveling has taught me that crowds are an inescapable part of seeing anything notable, from the beaches of Waikiki to the palace of Versailles. You'll never be alone). I felt like I couldn't even look at anything because I spent all my time dodging people in front of me and trying to stay out of the way of those behind me. We tried to see the lavish window displays up close but contented ourselves with glancing from further back on the sidewalk after noticing the lines that wrapped around the storefronts.

Now I understand why New Yorkers have an attitude all their own; they've got to spend half their time battling the tourist hordes lining every major street. That no-nonsense sarcasm was the other thing that I observed more this time. Like the crowds, I've always known it was there, but this was the first time it actually sort of bothered me. I get that you crossing guards are fed up with directing us stupid tourists, but you don't have to be so rude about it. In fact, you don't even need to open your mouth at all. Just blow your whistle, wave your hand and be done with it.

Finally, three other observations. The streets of New York all seem to have this unidentifiable smell, a mix of smoke from the food stalls, and I'm guessing the exhaust fumes from all the vehicles whizzing by. Whatever it is, it isn't really terrible (though I think Neeraj would probably disagree), so much as it is noticeable. The second: It seems a lot more people in New York smoke. Every other block I walked past, there was a person or two standing outside the building smoking. Then again, it may just have been all the European tourists outside the hotels that I was noticing. The third: I don't remember ever hearing so many foreign languages on the streets of New York. Once again, I know that the city is an extraordinarily diverse place that attracts tourists from around the world, and I found it refreshing that so many different people were here (not to mention the fact that they're injecting some money into our economy). A significant portion of those tourists spoke Spanish, which I only point out because it was quite the confidence booster being able to understand what they were saying (not to mention good mental preparation for what I'm about to do in less than a week).

Despite these observations, the whole reason why we went up in the first place, to see the Rockettes in their Christmas Spectacular, did not disappoint. The Rockettes did numbers as reindeer and clowns, but my favorite was their toy soldier act, which they ended with their famous falling down like dominoes line. This being the show's 75th anniversary, it ended with the Rockettes performing their kick line in sparkling crystal-covered costumes celebrating the diamond anniversary. Quite a nice way to round out the holiday season, if you ask me.

Coming up tomorrow: NYC - The culinary experience.