I’m not sure where the fascination came from, but I’ve always wanted to “be a part of it”. My mom would occasionally cringe when I would declare, as a teenager, that I was going to be a bag lady in Central Park when I grew up. In fact, until my purse was stolen in college, I carried a newspaper article that Erma Bombeck had written about a bag lady. Now that I think about it, I wonder if my mom stole that purse??!! Sorry, I digress.
My fabulous husband took me there for the first time in 1995 and yes, it was love at first glance! My adrenaline was pumping faster than taxi cab horns were honking that October day. We were seeing sites we had seen on television shows, in movies, on the news, and had read about in history books. From Wall St. to 67th and Columbus (Regis and Kathie Lee days) we roamed that town and with every step I fell more in love. More in love with my man and more in love with this town.
Often folks here in the deep South will refer to those Yankees as being rude and obnoxious. Now let me tell you something, I’m as Southern as biscuits & gravy, sweet tea and cornbread, and catching fireflies in a jar for a nightlight, but I can’t say that about the Yankees in NYC. Even though my man walked around with his fist ready to take on a mugger at every corner, I never felt threatened there. Trust me, I know things happen, I’ve watched Law & Order/SVU and CSI/NY, but lets face it, my Southern friends, bad things happen in Atlanta, Little Rock, and Dallas, too. That’s just the darkness of this world and it is everywhere, not just the Big Apple!
So WHY DO I LOVE IT?
I’ve been thinking about that. Is it the buildings that stretch on and on and up and up?
Is it the old wooden escalators one finds in Macy’s at Herald Square? Or Central Park with its changing landscapes and colors? Perhaps its being above Top of the Rock and watching the city turn from day to night right before your eyes?
Maybe its the grandeur of Grand Central Station? Or the lights and hustle and bustle of Times Square?
How about standing outside the Today Show and watching all the details it takes to make a morning show run?
Maybe even the horse and carriages that roam Manhattan capture this Southern heart? Now that I think about it, I know exactly what it is! It’s the people!
*It’s the taxi driver that picks us up at the airport and though he’s not from the US, he came here looking for a better life.
*It’s the hotel personnel that goes out of their way to keep those staying with them as comfortable and as taken care of as possible.
*It’s the doormen everywhere you seem to go that’s there to open the door with a smile and a “Have a nice day!”.
*Its NYC’s bravest and fines t ta king time to pose for a picture with a little boy who sees real heroes.
*It’s the guy at the corner selling pretzels and the only three Dr Peppers to be found in the city. (okay, there’s one downside)
*It’s those who practice every week to bless our hearts on Sundays as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings.
*It’s the clerk at Bloomingdale’s telling you the best place to watch the Macy’s Parade is from your hotel room on your TV.
*It’s those dressed as everything from SpongeBob to Elmo to, well let’s just say, some need more clothes!
*It’s the 82-year-old tour bus guide who has NYC running through his veins.
*It’s in the eyes of those looking to make it here, because history proves if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! Right?
*It’s the faces of those first time visitors walking around with their eyes looking up and their mouths falling open.
*It’s a young boy on his dad shoulders heading to Mickey Mantle’s for lunch while wearing a New York Giants jersey.
*It’s the “real” Santa Claus at the Plaza that captivates a young girl’s heart.
*It’s the couple seeing inside the Statue of Liberty for the first time and thanking God for the freedom He gave us here in the USA.
*It’s the horse carriage driver who sees how your little girl loves horses and allows her to feed the horse a carrot and pretend to be the driver.
*It’s the tour guide at the 9/11 Memorial that tells us about his experiences on that fateful day.
*It’s in his guests that hang on his every word and seeing the patriotism swell in their hearts and shine in their eyes.
Yes. It’s most definitely the people! And with Siri telling me that the population of Manhattan is 1,645,000 within about 33.6 square miles, that’s just a whole lot of people and a whole lot of love!
If you’ve been there, you know its fabulous! If you haven’t, I can help you get there and experience it all yourself! Just send me a message and I’ll get to work!
What do YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT NYC?
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