Hospitality of the NYC

Many have commented that New York City is something of a fire-tempering furnace for humans - live there and it will make you hardened; live there long enough and you can live through anything. While I could see the evidence of such wear and tear on the faces of passers-by that littered the streets, my experience in the city was nowhere near as bitter as what I had imagined it might be.

This time we rolled into the city around 7:00 and arrived at Michael's place in Garden City (by way of Long Island) around 8AM. Mike was a riot to have on the trip with us but at this point the riot was over. He needed to turn around and get to work, and Greg and I were no less desperate for sleep. Garden City was immaculate and it was evident that the houses weren't exactly cheap. In any case this house provided a bit of well-deserved respite from the road for Greg and a waystation for me to change and freshen up a bit.

After a two hour power nap it was back to the crowded city streets again to meet Orlando and Saveena, aka Gyrick-XX and Rosette_Chrno from my Ragnarok guild. I've never met a guild in an online game that seemed as dedicated to one another in game as they do in real life, and this was simply more evidence of such devotion. We all have fun in game, but IRL we listen to each other, share with each other, laugh, and cry. Problems as serious as deaths in the family and struggles with governments are borne by one another; joys ranging from obtaining a drivers license (that is, if Muffin ever DID get her license...) to hearing children laughing in the background to watching anime and drinking Pepsi are shared as well. We met at Yummie's at 12th St and 3rd Ave....great peeps, great conversation, great food, and great times. Rose and G, thank you for meeting me there and sharing wth me, offering your lives in and out of game, and for the meal! I look forward to seeing you again sometime.

Another long ride back to the other side of town lands me here at JFK. I was concerned about getting through security so I repacked all my stuff. Ironically, this was the *fastest* security check-in I've ever had (five minutes front to back, done deal). It's been a beautiful day with low humidity and clear skies and the flight is scheduled to leave on time.

As we travelled through the city from destination to destination, it was great just to see the architecture and lifestyle of the people. I saw Shea Stadium, both major airports, the US Open place (freakin huge for a tennis court...are you kidding me?), the World's Fair Expo (many of you would know this by sight, recognizing it as where the two UFOs were at the end of Men in Black). Various bridges, street-side shops, subway stations, and the like. The city is not without it's problems. Rent is ridiculous, driving is a life-and-death proposal, homelessness is an issue...things like that. But, even with it's problems, NYC is a beautiful place. The people, while hardened, still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even at 2AM people were outside taking jogs and walking their dogs with no fear in their eyes. There are more parks than anywhere I've ever seen, and there is plenty of activity in those parks. The people are resiliant, bouncing back from tragedies as severe as 9/11 to as minor as a car stalled in the middle of the road, but regardless of the size of the challenge the city simply knows how to regroup, adapt, and overcome on the fly. Nothing less than an NBC attack on the ENTIRE city could take it down, and even then I wonder if the city comes out on top.

I'm ready to come home. I've had fun and seen great friends, but there are some folks that I dearly miss and want to get back to. Before I do, though, one last shout out to Greg who's either on his way to Philly, very much on autopilot, to watch the Mets game, or on his way back to Jersey to pass out for 72 hours. Either way - Greg, thank you so much! You were the one that made this trip possible on every account, from planning and logistics to navigation to execution and entertainment. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar - everything Kiki aspires to be ;-)