Through the looking glass....: December 2009

Despite a 15 year stint in California (with an extended pit stop in Honolulu), New York is my home.

Within months of moving back I had reconnected with people I went to junior high and high school with. Many of them had never stopped hanging out - something I find both heartwarming, and if I am honest, kinda creepy.

The net/net is that in a city of 8 million (and change), us natives are few and far between, so we hang tight. We even have informal monthly get together, hosted by natives, for locals only.

One of the few downsides about growing up in NYC is that you take a lot for granted. The culture here is not contained to museums, it lives and breathes en masse, and is easily found in all boroughs (just go for a walk) and present the trains, buses and ferries that link them.

To "be a part of it" all you need to do is show up and participate -- and as expensive as this city is, it is amazing what is free for the taking if you know where to look.

Wednesday was the annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. I had a friend in town from Vegas who hasn't been here in a long time, so we cruised by the tree and hung around while the camera crews set up and the police barricaded the streets for the thousands waiting to check out Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Alicia Keyes, the Rockettes, and others (including Barry Manilow, though by the looks of the crowd he was not the main draw.)

Having come off a major "glass is half empty" jag (see my Mean People Suck post -- since then I could effortlessly expand that list to include liars, thieves, sociopaths, and narcissists), I have to admit I've let other peoples various forms and flavors of lame-ness get to me.

So, having a legitimate "glass is actually half full" moment is not one to waste. These pictures may not do much to you but the giant fake Christmas lights and the walk from Rockefeller Center to Port Authority were enough to help me turn my attitude around.

At least for now...