If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!

Ah, NYC, an enigma. A hodgepodge of cultural, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. A city full of gargantuan sky scrapers and homey little brownstones. Marble terraces and warm, worn hardwoods. Street graffiti and some of the best known pieces of artwork in the world. I feel like my thoughts trill at the stretching point here - my soul sending off an electric hum, vibrating from the waves of emotional energy generated by so many busy, intelligent, artistic, fashionable people.

My flight from Charlotte was delayed because of wind and when we we descending to LGA I wondered whether, for the first time in all the flying I have done in the past decade, I was going to lose my lunch. After about 20 minutes tossing back and forth the plane landed. Thankfully, the terminal dumped me about 200 steps from the bus stop. I took the Q33 to the E which I took to Court Square where I caught the G and exited at Greenpoint. This is successfully navigated with my bookbag and bright blue carry-on (with wheels! PTL.) I arrived at Natalie's safely and quickly settled in. I hadn't seen her in about 6 years (since we had both moved from Columbia, SC.) I had a very comfortable and enjoyable Thursday evening just chatting with her. (We stayed up til 3 talking about life, and God and NYC. It was the perfect NY welcome.)
Friday I, errrr, slept kinda late. Then I went into Manhattan to meet Natalie for lunch. With my sister navigating NYC via the internet and a cell phone, she directed me around the city a bit and finally I ended up at MoMA for a few hours during Target's Free Friday nights. AMAZING.

I met my friend, Elizabeth, for dinner at a cuban restaurant off Time Square. Certainly there are many really expensive things here, but there are alot of really reasonable things too, you just have to look and be creative. I had a very very enjoyable time chatting with her about NYC life, and her job and where God has us and how wonderful it is to just accept where God puts you and to look for every opportunity to grab life and squeeze every drop from it. Drink it to the dreggs!

After dinner we walked into Time Square and went to the M&M store to see what color we were! (There is a little scanner gizmo on the 2nd floor that tells you your personality color!) We laughed at all of the M&M's (offered at 11.99/lb and up!) Ok, seriously, I think you can go to Eckerd and buy a 1 lb. bag for 2.99 -- I am pretty sure after christmas 07 I got bags for .64 each! And so, we laughed at how people will by the same old thing that they already know and like, but pay a ridiculous amount more just for the packaging. Pretty much like so many relationships. People already have a pretty good thing, or the opportunity at a pretty good thing, but they will toss it away just for a package upgrade. Now, I agree that the aesthetics of certain colors of M&M's are appealing, but seriously, are you buying them to look at them or to eat them? And if the latter, then do you want to pay $8 more just so that you can look at them for the 3 seconds it takes to get them from your hand to your mouth? Really? I often speculate that people are NOT the smartest creatures God created -- maybe the most intelligent but definitely not the smartest!

Some pics of M&M World, NYC:








Though I mocked it, it is fun to walk through the store (and free!) and you can take pictures of all the different colors which will last more than 3 seconds and can be viewed while munching on your 99cent bag from the 7-11. The best of all worlds.

The website for M&M World is Here.

I was trying to upload a video, but I am wiped after this morning/day so I need to go rest for a little while before dinner.