Global Wandering

Mr. Softee

I took a quick trip to New York City earlier this week. My meeting only lasted two hours so I had some time to walk around before my return flight.

The many Mister Softee soft serve ice cream trucks in the city brought back memories. I snapped this photo with my iPhone on the corner of Bleeker and Broadway. Mister Softee was the first ice cream truck I remember as a child growing up in Cincinnati. I loved the simple clang of the bell that heralded its arrival.

I came upon a fascinating line of people gathered along Lafayette Street. I spend a great deal of time people watching when I travel so I’m usually able to figure out the makeup of particular groups. In fact, it makes for an interesting game for those of us who are easily amused; trying to figure out what convention is being held at a hotel just by studying the guests. One of the easiest is when Mary Kay Cosmetics holds their annual convention in Dallas. I’ve flown through that city several times during convention week. Lots of red and pink suits scattered about the airport.

On Lafayette Street the crowd didn’t fit any particular demographic. Old and young, bohemian and preppy. The only thing that stood out was the number of people using laptops. They also appeared more studious than your average crowd. I considered they might be waiting in line to sign up for community college classes, but with the advent of the Internet I’m not sure students have to wait in line anymore. I finally asked a guy what was going on. Turns out the line was for free tickets to that night’s Shakespeare in the Park performance.

The East Village is a great place for cheap food. I ate some Greek pita thingy I can’t pronounce at one of the small eateries. Delicious. There is a restaurant serving Afghanistanian food I’d like to try in the same area when Camden and I return to the city for a long weekend at the end of this month.

One day unlimited ride Metro Cards expire at midnight so don’t buy one at 7 PM like I did.

I don’t know why W Hotels thinks dark hallways and elevators are cool. They’re just dark and depressing. My room itself was brighter. It was a corner room overlooking Times Square.

In all my trips to Midtown, this was the first time I ventured through the Diamond District on 47th Street. I find it fascinating how similar shops cluster in NYC. Here is an interesting article on how that section of the city ties into the global diamond trade.

The impact of the taxi strike was minimal. The only thing I noticed was the driver got to charge a higher flat-rate fare instead of using the meter. I didn't mind because now that the driver didn't make more by getting stuck in traffic, he was highly motivated to get to the airport quickly. He took a shortcut through the sidestreets of Queens. It was the fastest cab ride to LaGuardia during rush hour I've ever taken.