New York City by Dee

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” Tom Wolfe

This pretty much sums up my feelings about this iconic American city. The first time I landed in NYC I was engaged to the man of my dreams, and tagged along with him while he was there introducing the world to his iconic product Serato ScratchLive™ at a Remix Hotel held at the SAE (School of Audio Engineering) in Herald Square.

I have been married to that man for over a decade now, and we have brought all of our children here as infants, as the idea of herding young people through the streets there is not on any level appealing.

The first morning I arrived in the city, I walked out to towering skyscrapers and deafening noise like I had never heard before. And I was home.

New York moves at a frenetic pace that even an ADHD riddled brain like mine cannot fully grasp. There is an inescapable energy that buzzes arrogantly through every inch of this surreal city. You can smell it. Undeniably unpleasant, yet strangely exhilarating; the stench that wafts through the streets, subways and up through the manhole covers as you traipse through the endless experiences the c ity has to offer.

There is never enough time in New York. Perhaps why it has been christened the city that never sleeps. A day, or a week, or a month will still leave you painfully aware of all the sights, sounds, smells and moments that you missed. Even though you sacrifice sleep and tolerate aching feet to stay for just a few hours more zigzagging your way through Manhattan.

I Love this city. The way you might Love a disinterested or sadistic lover. The pollution is palpable, subsistence is expensive, and the city cares not whether I live or die. Nor does it mind what I do while I am wrapped up in the chaos of its rhythms.

So I carve out my own familiar path. There is a weeping willow tree by the turtle pond in Central Park that we return to for a nap and some calm. I always strike up several conversations on the subway. And Google always finds me a restaurant with food that makes me want to weep it is so delicious.

This last trip we flew a friend out to join us for a day in the city. She’s going through some major life changes, and was able to fly out to join us for a day of sight-seeing and unplanned chaos.

I won’t bang on about it, rather, I’ll share some pictures of Hobbit happenings while we were there.