I heart New York, kind of

I haven't written much about New York. The city is fascinating, it really is. Perhaps even more fascinating, in fact, than Rexburg. I would like to list my ten favorite things about New York, so please indulge me.

I am not sure why I feel compelled to list these now, but maybe it is an attempt to convince myself that the Tony-NY romance is still alive. The honeymoon is definitely over, but maybe the flame of romance can yet be re-kindled.

1. 5pointz graffiti in Long Island City, Queens - Every day that I ride the 7 train, which is every day that I don't ride my bike to work, I ride past this place. It is a city block which is comprised of several warehouses, entirely covered in graffiti. It is right next to the MOMA PS1 contemporary art center and a fascinating urban art hub. I should go take a closer look, but graffiti and barbed wire scare me.
2. Softball in Central Park - I probably like this because it represents the warm summer evenings and because I enjoy kicking picnickers off the Great Lawn. Also, it is the kind of thing that you tourists just can't do. They can't come to New York for a weekend and be on a softball team.
3. Old Jewish guys - They are just delightful.
   
4. Williamsburg on Shabbat - It is like stepping into a different world. As you walk down the street, it is all a flash of payot and kolpik. (I don't really know those words, I just Wikipedia'd them.) Women and men walk on different sides of the streets, and I wonder if I am proud or ashamed to be a Gentile.
5. Street Meat - The best deal in town. With the recent Swine Flu "outbreak," perhaps I should steer clear of these vendors, but I can't help myself. The meat is undercooked, the utensils are flavored with the grease of chicken past, and the cooking surface is peppered with the same airborne particulate that makes the air unfit to breathe, but it is wonderful. Give me a falafel over penne ala Vodka (is that a fancy dish? I hope so ...) any day.
6. Girls that wear short skirts and stilettos on Friday nights regardless of the weather - They make the rest of us feel warm in the winter.
7. Bike messengers - I am biased because I love bicycles, but I'm not sure if the city would be the same with out bike messangers. They are dangerous and embody the "I live dangerous" attitude that everyone has to have to a certain degree to live in New York. Their disregard for crossing traffic and common sense is amusing.
8. Knicks fans - Just because the only thing they hate more than losing is winning, because they know that it won't last. The same can be said for Jets and Mets fans. It's such a bitter way to live life.
9. The guys who work on Wall Street - Proof that you can make a living out of being a frat boy.
10. Halloween - Adults dressing up like children. It's charming, really.
11. The F word - I found it highly offensive at first, and took it personally any time I heard it, but I now find it quite endearing and remarkably diverse. It is a word appropriate for work and play, for love and hate. I would totally start using it if I could do it without giggling and blushing.
12. Garbage, garbage everywhere - You have no idea how many times I have had to stop and get plastic bags untangled from the gears in my bike. The willingness to cope with the ubiquity of garbage is part of what it takes to live in New York. You don't care, you don't complain, you just step over it and keep on walking.
13. BET - Did you know that they actually have advertisements for shows on BET on the uptown and Bronx-bound trains? I always wonder if I am lost when I start to see more and more BET ads. Of course, I have never watched an episode of Harlem Heights, so maybe I should try it before passing judgment.
14. Exposed brick - New York loves its exposed brick. Not sure why, but we love it. Having an apartment with exposed brick is the holy grail of deliberately unfinished walls. You stare it for hours and call your mom to tell her about how bricky and exposed it is. Again, not sure why.

So 14, not 10. I guess you make me smile, New York. But I still hate you for charging me $900 in rent and for having so many potholes.