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| Letter from New York ... |
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I’m writing this from New York where I am for a few days on business and to meet some friends, so I thought I’d share some interesting observations with you... Most people probably think of 9/11 and Ground Zero when arriving in the City and how things have changed in that time. Certainly that was on my mind when I arrived the other day and seeing it close up was a real experience. Apparently, one of the least known changes is that pedestrians have slowed down! used to walk the fastest, covering 60 feet in 10 seconds. However, over 5 years on, they are now ranked 8th fastest on their feet, even slower than Dubliners apparently! |
The cause of this slow-down is supposedly that people have changed their priorities and life in the Big Apple is not so hectic any more. This would make sense after what New Yorkers have been through and who could blame them for their shift in attitude? The truth is that we have all changed. All those who believed that the World was not as bad as it seemed from their vantage point, have been proved wrong. Is this really a war against terrorism? Terror is a means not the enemy. So, is it a war against fundamentalism? Against Islam? A war against our naiveté, our innocence? A war in order to make us feel better, to take a stand against a common threat? Or, is it just another political manifestation, a conflict that will divide the world even further? But did we punish the right people (i.e. Iraq)? Are we fighting a just war? In our World — where thieves, rapists and drug dealers all too often get locked up only for a short time, where women have acid thrown into their faces, are stoned to death and where widows are burned alive — in this World, ideological and political mass murderers will never be brought to justice. On a happier note, everyone I met was really nice to me and I could feel the warmth and generosity of people everywhere I went.
The atmosphere is fantastic and you can get anything you want, 24/7. Everything is geared towards the customer and nothing is too much trouble. The courtesy from hotel staff to shop assistants I found exemplary. Whether you want fresh mango and watermelon at 2am or eggs Benedict with Cumberland sausage for breakfast, you can have it and it will appear in front of you in a matter of minutes – or your money back! The best thing for me was the attitude of people. For example, buying some Jordan trainers at Macy’s, I accidentally kicked a passer by in the shins as I sat trying them on and my hand slipped. As I looked up at the 6’4” Rapper, he looked down at me menacingly, slowly removing his dark shades and after what seemed like minutes but in reality was only a couple of seconds, said in a high pitched and apologetic voice “I’m sorry friend..”. Phew! Yesterday I was invited by friends to dine at Nobu Japanese Restaurant in the Tribeca district. This top-class eatery, with Robert de Niro as part owner is typical of the fabulous choices available in the city. Stories of real life situations were being recounted around the table so I thought I’d share a couple with you.. In a local bar, a punch-up ensued between a group of drunken men. As the pints hit the table, an obviously antagonised waitress glared at the group of men in the corner. 'It's a bachelor party and they're obnoxious,' she explained. Everyone tried to ignore the ruckus, but things were obviously escalating and got really interesting when a life-sized blow-up doll presented itself. The waitress had had enough. The doors to the kitchen swung open and she flew at the doll, butcher knife in hand--recollections of the 'Psycho' soundtrack were appropriate. She stabbed the doll again and again until the plastic corpse lay wilted on the table. There was total silence for a few seconds as everyone contemplated what had just happened and then just exploded into laughter as the waitress marched back into the kitchen, with the knife behind her back and her head low. Another story goes that two older women walk in to a bistro in downtown Manhattan. After appetisers the Manager stops by to see if they need anything and notices that one of the women has her boots and socks off and she is drying the socks on the chair next to her. She informs him that she stepped in a giant puddle and her feet got soaked, and asks if he can put them on a radiator or vent for her. He politely informs her that all of the vents for heat in the restaurant are in the ceiling. She then asks if he would put her socks in the oven. He think she is kidding, so responds that it's probably a little busy for that and walks away. An hour later one of the waiters is walking towards the kitchen with her socks on a tray.
The Manager ask him what he is doing and he informs him that the woman decided that the night had slowed a bit and she was sure the chef must now have room in the oven for her socks! The Manager personally walked the socks back to the table and inform her that the kitchen is too busy, but more importantly, he would never put her socks in the oven with other people's food. Bizarrely, she is totally offended that he insinuated that her feet are smelly, asks for the bill and storms out of the restaurant. Strange but true. John Steinbeck, the famous American writer once said: “New York is an ugly city, a dirty city. Its climate is a scandal...its traffic is madness...its corruption is murderous. But there is one thing about it: Once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.” Having experienced it for myself, I don’t agree with the first part, but I would certainly tell you that it is one of the best places to be in the World. |
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