NY, NY!

I flew into New York this past weekend to wander around a bit with Rich, and it was (somewhat surprisingly) great to be in a big city again. Being a big fan of diversity, NY is one the best places to find it, even if it means just listening to all the different languages being spoken around you as you walk the streets.

Since this was a stopover on my way to Uganda (which you might say is a stopover on my way to South Africa) I arrived with 2 huge heavy bags and my backpack. Getting from the airport to Rich's friends house (via skytrain, subway, and walking) was a challenging adventure--just not one I'd like to repeat! I have a very ambitious goal of minimizing the weight of my luggage before leaving for Uganda, which I feel is going to take some kind of miracle! But we made it there (and later down to DC via subway, walking, bus, more subways, and more walking).

Speaking of subways, I've decided they are a very interesting insight into a culture. Before NY, all my previous subway experience had been in Asia--where subways are generally immaculate and new and generally easy to figure out. The moment I stepped into the NY subway I knew I was in a very different world! By contrast I would define it as dirty (and a little smelly sometimes), old, and somewhat harder to interpret. In addition the spaces underground were much smaller. People's behavior on the subway--also dramatically different. In Seoul it's generally quiet and they pack a whole lot more people into those cars when it's busy! In NY it always felt like something was happening around you--be it dancing or singing or other generally less pleasant adjectives. The subway in DC is also unique. While it's much newer and cleaner and more spacious than NY, it's not as busy or efficient (in terms of car design, routes, and maintenance) as other subways, and it's definitely quieter than NY.

Anyway, I had a great time in NY--saw Times Square and took a ferry to Staten Island (passing the Statue of Liberty), ate some sushi, perused a farmers market and a book store, and just generally wandered and explored. The 9/11 memorial on Staten Island was beautiful--I've never even heard anything about it, but it was very well done and I definitely recommend it (especially at night).

I'm still busy doing some last minute things to get ready for my move, but slowly I'm seeing different sites in DC and exploring, hopefully more this weekend and early next week before taking off on Wednesday!