Things about which I am unreasonably excited

For work, I went to New York City yesterday morning. I'm a total dork about the Big Apple. For most of my life, I lived within easy bus, train and car distance of the City. There's a peculiar energy I feel when standing on a Manhattan corner, a vibration like nowhere else in the world.

When I step out of Penn Station, I play Gershwin on my iPod. It just so happens that the walk from the top of the steps to the revolving door at my client's takes the same 16:20 that it took Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops to perform Rhapsody in Blue. And I walk by the Flatiron building on the way!

Later, in the afternoon, I walked back from the office to Penn. Strolling through the concourse, I saw a couple of cops walking my way. The officer on the left was dressed in New York Cop standard: Jacket, puffed out by the vest and various other layers underneath. But his buddy was wearing a pea coat, wooly, extending down below his hips. And on the front? Two rows of big, brass buttons. No kidding. I wanted him to swing his nightstick around while whistling a tune. At any moment, he might tell me "Get off the 'king corner, will ya, Johnny?" The brass on the coat made his silver badge pop out all the more. I came this close to asking him if he spoke with a brogue. No joke. I was that excited.

It would have totally been worth the ass-kicking I was sure to receive in response.