New York... New York

"I don't like to see things on purpose. I like them to soak in. A friend ... asked me to go to the top of the Empire State Building once, and I told him that he shouldn't treat New York as a sight.   It's a feeling, an emotional experience." - Robert Frost


My first trip to New York...and what can I say?  I had this idea of New York- and everything that idea was, was wrong.  I had heard about the hustle and bustle...the dirt and grime...the huge divide between the rich and the poor...the obsession with fame, accomplishment and money.  That is not what New York is about at all.  Those are some of the things that have been brought into the mix, but New York is about passion... and movement...and living in and for the moment.

I stayed with my friend Paige who lives in the West Village.  She was an amazing tour guide- I would not have wanted anyone else to show me the city.  I didn't see just the pretty and the fancy...I saw the old, the worn down...the history intermixed with the future.  And I loved it.

Whether we were in the West Village...

 or in Times Square...

or in Chinatown...

or in Little Italy...

 or in Soho...

or in Tribeca...

there was a vibrancy to the buildings, a rhythm to the streets, a constant balance of contradictions that made every moment interesting.  The people, cabs, bikes, buses all sped along the streets in a coordinated dance that baffled me.  An oasis of nature would be thriving in a intersection of madness, completely unaware that it shouldn't be there.   Everything about the city begged for appreciation of what it had been and what it was constantly evolving into.  It is because she surprised me so much that I dedicate this week to New York City. 


Thanks Paige for opening my eyes : )