I Love New York

The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. Empire City. Gotham City. New York City.

Frank Sinatra sings about it in New York, New York, Billy Joel talks about a New York State of Mind and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys describe an Empire State of Mind. Movies want to Escape from New York, express their infatuation in New York, I Love You, detail the grittiness of the city in Gangs of New York and show romance in Autumn in New York. I've always had a love affair with New York City since my first trip when I was 4 or 5. Here are some highlights:

• Going up the World Trade Center and looking out the glass bottom floor when I was 4 or 5 with my parents, aunt and uncle thinking the cars looked like match boxes.
• See my first play "Nunsense" when I was in junior high.
• Having Helen Keller threaten to "open a can of whoop ass" on Nick on a street corner in Greenwich Village.
• Hanging out with artists who lived in a garage with no running water.
• Being mortified when my parents started singing Happy Birthday at Planet Hollywood on my 21st birthday.
• Hard core shopping at the now defunct Warner Brothers store.
• Skating in Central Park with the Alpine Club (aka, Molly, Amanda and Me).
• Swips and cankles with Mary Jo on our Central Park rickshaw tour.
• Losing an EF student on a Central Park bike tour.
• Trying to go to the Met during the Puerto Rican Day parade. It is not possible, don't even try it!
• Stumbling across the Gay Pride Parade as we toured the city while I was on crutches.
• Drinking my $18 drink atop the Marriott Millennium.
• Having a stomach ache at the Fancy Food Show after trying way too many samples, but pushing my way to the front of the line to meet Paula Dean.
• Hanging with Al Sharpton in the LGA World Club.
• Flying to DTW with the bitchy, unfriendly Renee Zellweger.
• Hanging with Randy at Tao - need I say more?
• Mary Jo's meltdown at Jay-Z's 40/40 club.
• Feeling like a superstar at Spice Kitchen and Curtains with the Pedro.
• Chasing Ethan Hawke down the street.
• Cursing Woody Allen who was filming in Time Square while we were running late for a show.
• Stopping at a light and running into The Bachelorette Trista and her husband Ryan.
• The majestic feeling of Yankee Stadium.
• Being pissed that the summer I lived in the Bronx was the same year as the MLB strike.
• Almost dying in the Bronx when my father did a u-turn in 6 lanes of traffic!
• Derek Jeter, enough said!

I could go on and on but New York Rocks! As Frank says, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere, It's up to you, New York, New York!"