Coming Home to New York

After spending four days in Manhattan, it was abundantly clear to my wife and me that New York City is as happening as ever. I lived in New York my first 33 years. It always feels good to come home.
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After spending four days in Manhattan, it was abundantly clear to my wife and me that New York City is as happening as ever. I lived in New York my first 33 years. It always feels good to come home. We went to help our daughter get set up in her new apartment as well as to visit our son and my Mom in the city. What did we see? A whole lot! I have enclosed a few photos below to illustrate what we saw.

Maybe the most impressive thing was the block and half line for the CRONUT on Spring Street. For those who don't know, Cronut is a croissant-doughnut pastry invented by Chef Dominique Ansel and trademarked by his bakery. People carefully follow the rules in order to get into the store to buy cronuts. WOW!

Staying on the food subject, we saw tons of open air bars/restaurants full of people on Sunday afternoon supposedly watching football. But the real reason is they were all tracking fantasy football. And then there was a line to get into Trader Joe's as everyone shops for the coming week.

We came in from the Bay Area and flew this time to Newark Airport because both kids live downtown. MUCH easier to get into NYC from there than Kennedy Airport and the flight was 60 percent of what it cost to fly to JFK. Plus, as a bonus, you get an up close view of the Statue of Liberty; especially cool at night.

The Holland Tunnel: where the only thing racing is your pulse.

The cashier at Starbucks remembers your name from your last visit. The people working there move ridiculously quickly. I guess that is what they call the New York minute.

Uber is the thing now. And why not? Get your car when and where you want it. Faster and cleaner and no huge dent in the seat where you sit like you have to put up with in yellow taxis.

One World Trade Center is a great New York attraction now. See images below.

Really amazing to me is that most buildings (we stayed at the Trump Soho) don't have a 13th floor. Where else in life does superstition carry more weight than the 14th floor is really the 13th floor and the 15th floor is really the 14th and so on?

Loved the four bagel statue on Sixth Avenue as well as the Bed Bath and Beyond on 19th street, which holds enough merchandise to house some third world countries. Truth be told, The Container Store across the street had better furniture.

More small open spaces and parks than ever (thank you Michael Bloomberg) and more pizza places per square mile than Italy.

Drivers LOVE to lay on their horns. Tons of gorgeous girls dressed to the nines. People wearing New York Knicks gear even though they stink.

New York City is crazy -- crazy fun and super cool! So glad our kids are their to experience it!

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