New York City

I did not know I liked large, fast, cosmopolitan American cities until I visited New York City last weekend. Went to meet up with a few hostelmates from my undergrad years and enjoyed almost every moment of the two days I spent in and around the city. The trip was planned in the thirteenth hour and, on the appointed day, I duly overslept, paining the cabman who had simply driven away by the time I came out 15 minutes late. A roommate thankfully took us(me and a friend, Krishnan) to the airport; but in Detroit I missed the connecting flight, ambling along peacefully and expecting Krishnan to hold the plane up for me. And, after spoiling the afternoon plans my friends had by landing a few hours late, I made sure there was more tearing of hairs as I got off the Metro on 33rd Street, Queens, instead of 33rd, Manhattan, where we were supposed to meet. Funny how there never can be enough logic and organization for some people who just don't get it. But it was quite some fun for me as I got to see the 'real' New York, moving around in buses and the subway, watching schoolchildren and grandmothers and people of all kinds of description and dress and nationality and what-not going their daily way, helping each other where they could. Nice to see the self-organizing behaviour that seemed somehow to create order in spite of all the chaos that promised to take over any moment. There was always some commotion, restlessness, lots of life and a fire truck to be seen every five minutes and much of this I had missed as an Indian living in a quiet, neat, backwoods town in the Midwest the last couple of years.

Anyways, the little time we had that evening, we spent in Times Square, lugging about our luggage, entering sundry shops and clicking away to glory on a camera borrowed from a friend, all typical 'Desi' activities. Dinner was at Dosa Hut, a nice place in Little India, New Jersey and off to Edison, NJ, for the night. The next day was spent in visits to Mme Tussaud's, the Rockefeller Center, Central Park and lunch at Saravana Bhavan. Also managed to squeeze in some time to lose some money in Atlantic City casinos, and eat dinner standing at a Domino's pizzadeliveria. One more day to go and that was used up in seeing Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, a botched visit to the Statue of Liberty(yes I went to NYC and didnt see the Lady with the Torch) and some random rambling. Met some friends of a friend for dinner and by the time we had walked a few blocks, it was time to get back as we all had flights to catch early Monday morning. The return back was peaceful except for the curious propeller-driven excuse of a plane that took us from Detroit to South Bend. It was a thing to behold from the ages, complete with an airhostess who refused to let people exchange seats because 'everything was computer-generated and it was critical that we sit in our appointed places'. Wish there were more like her.

It was nice to get away for a while and the loud and anonymous sights and sounds from a million people busily engaged in ignoring one another were very comforting. There was private space aplenty and enough solitude without loneliness and the possibility of drifting in and out of time every now and then. Mechanical life at its glorious freaking best, coupled with the expanse and calm reassurance of Central Park and the Hudson shoreline; bright brilliant signboards contrasting every third block with a quiet roomy museum or gallery or just a simple alley where few people walked. A city I would love to live in for a few months at least but not now - now back to work.