Posts from — April 2004

How much older the buildings are It’s not like I’ve never seen 19th century bricks or anything–we’re all very respectful of our older buildings and our architectural heritage and so on here in Chicago; we’re very rah-rah about our old shit. But the very old buildings in New York are grimly, compellingly old in a way that doesn’t make you think too much about history. Instead you sense that the people who built these places are just VERY DEAD NOW. Dead from very old diseases, like catarrh and marasmus and quinsy, and dead from being trod on by horses, too.

How many more goddamn people there are everywhere at every moment Is there a street festival somewhere? A parade? What? What are you all doing outside right now? It’s just Chinatown. Is it Buy A Knockoff Handbag Day? What?

Straws Wrapped soda straws were offered every single time I bought a can or bottle of Diet Coke in New York. Either the vendor/clerk/waiter would hand me a straw, which I would accept uneasily, as it is not part of my regular soda transaction, or else he or she would direct my attention to the straw dispenser, either by nudging it towards me or pointing at it as if to say “Straw? Take straw.” Is it so very Midwestern of me to not require this distance between my beverage and my mouth? Is it a bad thing in New York to take unmediated sips from bottles and cans? Explain the straws, please.

I’d never been to New York City and then suddenly I saw it all at once. I saw it from the plane coming in. The landing pattern turned over the city, and the view from my window skimmed the buildings for a moment. Only the moment grew longer and longer, and the view turned into something I almost recognized (I’d been studying the map); and then I saw the Empire State and the Chrysler buildings from above. We were flying straight up Manhattan and over Central Park. I didn’t even think to take a picture because it didn’t feel like I was there yet.

I liked Brooklyn. No, I loved Brooklyn. I realize I was in almost all the boroughs on this trip–I went through Queens to get to and from the airport; I went through The Bronx on the drive from Connecticut. People keep telling me I don’t ever need to go to Staten Island.

But as for Brooklyn: I saw the cutesy parts and some of the crazy parts, and also the Welcome Back, Kotter high school and the neighborhood where the opening scenes for Saturday Night Fever were shot. And Coney Island, though it was closed at the time. The time was 4 am. Brooklyn!

Manhattan was good, too. Manhattan itself smacked the hell out of the bottoms of my feet. But I expected that to happen.