Secondhand High

I started writing this post on Sunday, when we had visited a new church, caught up with an old friend who lives here now, and got a little relaxing in. But then we went for a "run". We made it east to 5th ave, which borders Central Park on the East Side of Manhattan. 5th ave, however, was an impenetrable mass of Puerto Ricans. We really need to be better about knowing what's going on in the city. Apparently it was Puerto Rican Heritage Day, and they were celebrating with a huge parade and festival. Kudos to them for celebrating, and the food smelled amazing! But as we struggled through the twenty blocks of crowd and fenced off avenue to get to the park, we started smelling something else. Something not legal. Zack and I now have to tell our future kids that we never intentionally experimented with drugs.

We made it in to the Park finally, enjoyed a quiet afternoon in our favorite Sheep Meadow, imbibed a little sun, read a few words here and there, Zack might have even studied.

We both love the random people you see in the Park. Creepers we are, admittedly, but the people watching is unbeatable. Sometimes it's just plain cool, like yoga enthusiasts balancing each other over their heads. Other times it's watching kids buy beer, or parents on their iPhones while their kids run wild. "Siri, make my child behave". Not likely, but it's worth a shot.

We both have settled into nice weekly routines. My commute is officially a half an hour, but only 12 minutes is on the subway, the rest is a pleasant walk through the Upper East Side. Zack's is a bit shorter, his bar prep class is actually right by the Empire State Building. Typically his class meets on the 18th floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania, and he gets to look out at the tiny, befuddled tourists. I get to see the progress of the new One World Trade Center building, so we call it even.

Speaking of tourists, our favorite favorite New Yorker pastime is to laugh at them for is trying to hail cabs that already have a fare. They stand on the sidewalk, trying way too hard to look nonchalant, cursing and then finally becoming animated after three or four cabs pass by them, never putting it together that the cab light was out on each taxi.

Zack has utterly and completely fallen in love with the city. I love the city too, but today it turned my umbrella inside out.