Looking south from Top of the Rock, New York City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I don’t know how, but I forgot how much I love New York. Sure, I love Ljubljana too, but I’m not in love with it. No offense to my fellow Ljubljančan – I’m also working on a post about leaving LJ, keep an eye out. But back to loving New York, how do I know? you might ask. Well, within minutes of being back here, I remembered immediately why I was drawn to this place. Sometimes, you just know.
On that note, I’m going to start a series of blog posts on reasons why I love this town. To quote a wise man (Raymond Stantz, specifically):
sure, it’s dirty, it’s crowded, it’s polluted, it’s noisy and there’s people all around who’d just as soon step on your face as look at you. But come on! There’s got to be a few sparks of sweet humanity left in this burned-out burg and we just have to figure out a way to mobilize it.And with that, I’ll start with today’s post: Talking to Strangers.
Some people like their peace and their quiet. Some people would rather keep to themselves. Some people were told not to talk to strangers by their parents as they were growing up. Not New Yorkers. We thrive on talking to strangers. If you see someone wearing your team colors on the day of the big game, you’re gonna talk to them about it. If you see tourists with a subway map open and a clueless expression on their faces, you’re gonna help them find their way. There’s no way that your deli guy is going to only ask what you want on your breakfast sandwich. If it’s super hot out (or super cold), you’re gonna hear it from everyone you see (as if they have no idea that you’re also experiencing the weather). If you’re riding in an elevator with some woman you’ve never seen before on your way up to work, you can bet that she’s going to talk to you (or that you’re going to talk to her) – not only do we hate those awkward silences where nobody says anything whilst Packd Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box, but you better believe we’re gonna do something about it! We’re never at a shortage of things to say.
That’s all for now. New York I love you, I’m stoked to be back, and I’ll speak to you on the streets.
