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August 28, 2004
New York City
It was a hot one today. Humid too. I hate humidity. I have a preponderance for sweat even in the best of conditions. In humid conditions I seem to melt. I had no idea I had that much water in me. I found my way to China Town in Boston and after a false start I was on the bus to China town in New York. Shortly after getting on the bus I started thinking about the problem of obesity in this country. This is a topic I'd given some thought to before, but never so much as when I was sitting on this bus. Its all well and good to talk about the obesity epidemic and how much it costs us in tax payer dollars. The problem comes into clearer focus when you are sitting next to someone who has claimed at least $7.50, of the $15 you paid to get from Boston to New York, in sheer girth. I pondered this social issue as I craned my body towards the seat in front of me and towards the window of the bus to allow the man next to me to sit comfortably. Luckily, I was able to move to another seat later on.
It is easy to assume the world is just like the place you grew up in. Growing up in Phoenix I always assumed the young people were liberal and the old people were conservative, just as Churchill had said. Increasingly, this is proven not to be the case. Today was a good example. I ended up sitting next to a gramuncular, (ok i made that word up, but avuncular IS a real word, there is just no word for someone who is like a grandma) woman who was probably in her late 60s at the youngest. We began talking and she explained she lived in Maine and was going to New York to participate in the RNC protests. I am sure she was conservative in some ways, but she cared deeply about many of the issues I care about, such as social issues, environmental issues and anti-consumer sentiments. I've given this more weight given my experience with the dairy farmer in Vermont and the people in Waldport, OR we stayed with who were also older and socially minded. I was thinking all this as we went over the Williamsburg Bridge "screamen' hey man, well this is babylon."
Once in China town I walked around and got some dinner at a small noodle bowl place. I then walked through Little Italy which was crowded with people. A band was playing 'satchmo' sounding music as I looked up to see the Empire State Building all lit up. Just then it began to rain and the road shimmered, reflecting the lights of the city. People ran for cover, but they didn't seem to mind that it was raining. Nor did I.
Tomorrow my uncle and I will take the Long Island Railroad to the island where I'll see where both my parents grew up and where I lived until I was 4. I'm looking forward to it.
Posted by wonko at August 28, 2004 10:06 PM
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