The Infidel

It's raining.... A LOT...

Yes, it's raining very heavily. In fact, it's raining cats, dogs, and donkeys, for God's sake....... And as fascinating as it is to see that much water coming down, it is also quite destructive. I went out twice today, once to get breakfast and once to get dinner, and both times I came back soaking wet despite my umbrella, which was completely useless. 

In the meanwhile, Governor Eliot Spitzer ordered 3200 members of the National Guard to be deployed to parts of Long Island in case an evacuation of low lying areas is necessary. I'd say he understood the strength of this storm quite well. We'll see in the morning how things develop over here, I guess.

Manhattan'ites didn't seem to care much in the beginning but as the hours past by, it became very clear that the rain was here to stay. I still saw a lot of people out and about in the morning. Now, however, after some subway lines flooded and have caused long delays as well as after taxi cabs have vanished into obscurity, no one is outside anymore.

Wonderful NYC...

Man, what a strange place New York is. Although Istanbul will always be my #1, I can tell that New York City deserves the runner-up spot. There is soooooo much to do in this city, I’m not sure when I will be able to say that I’ve done and seen most of it. In the last two weeks, I’ve been to the American Museum of Natural History, the "Bodies" exhibition, and today I went to the Guggenheim Museum to saturate my cultured self with some long overdue Dali; brilliant in his own realm and one of my favorites. And yesterday, I watched a full half of the Saints-Eagles game on one of the big screens at Times Square with a whole bunch of strangers.

Today, I also went to a Turkish restaurant that actually sucked, which I really didn’t think was possible, but it apparently is. And in between all of these things, I meet all kinds of people from all walks of life. Each one of them has a story to tell of how they came here and why they stayed. Wonderful, really….

When you hear someone say “there’s no place like New York City,” believe them. I’ve been to many cities across the US, Western Europe, as well as the Middle East, and I can honestly say New York is truly unique. I can see why people flock here year after year and will keep doing so for many more. It’s the possibilities that it allows you to dream about and pursue. In no other place have dreams a better chance to take flight than in New York. You want to make it in the movie business? No problem. You can start from the bottom and reach the top. You want to work for a non-profit? At Wall Street? At the UN? Or all three in due time? All of it is possible in New York.

Despite my claustrophobia amongst all the concrete here, I think I can learn to love this city.... Plus, the ladies are freekin' hot and downright irresistible, but that's a story for another time..........

p.s. Make suggestions where I should go next week...