Monday, November 12, 2007

Anyway, I'm back from New York

As you might have guessed by the sudden activity around this place.

It was a very quick trip, maybe the shortest I've ever had. I only arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I was on my way back on Friday afternoon. One small error I made in planning only hurt me somewhat. Thanks to all the balmy weather we'd been enjoying here up to last weekend I forgot that an overcoat might be of some use in New York in November. Oops.

I've lived away for so long now that there are aspects to life in New York that are long past 'new' and, therefore, make me look like a tourist (which I guess I am).

Metrocards, for example. They're easy enough to figure out, but I don't know the associated local lingo. My blasé "4 please" - I was using the old token speak - led to my getting grilled by the seriously unbusy token booth clerk. Uggh. At least the public announcements are still unintelligible (maybe NY will have London-style signs with train arrival & delay information next time I'm in town).

Strangely, every cab I was in was driven by an English speaking, chatty, friendly, clean-looking driver who seemed to know where he was going. Whatever happened to the angry, filthy, ignorant drivers I remember?