New Yorkin'

The past Presidents of the Korean-American Club of New York were on the march today on Broadway. Not so far away, the Statue of Liberty stood guard over a giant toy store. I bet you didn't hear that she's moved uptown to Times Square. I bet you also didn't know that the Danish, not the French, are responsible for this iteration of the ultimate American icon.



We ate at Times Square and met our friend there, at the most crowded place on the continent (outside of Mexico City). Luckily, my small companion has something I lack, which is an unerring sense of direction, if only I would listen to her. This being my first trip here in a few years without my chief navigator (who was also my girlfriend), the potential has existed all through this trip that I would take us in the wrong direction

Yesterday, for example, we walked from our hotel, where I've stayed before; to my meeting at The Nation, where I've been many, many times over many, many years. Yet my confidence index, as measured by the Korean presidential council of leading indicators, was low.

Amazingly, five minutes before the meeting was to start, we turned out to be just five minutes away! I'm sure my former chief navigator would be proud of me for doing this without her, but really, it's better to be lucky than good.

So, after a comical back and forth where we walked one direction, and our friend the other; then our friend walked in a new direction, us in another -- all the while exchanging cellphone messages on our approximate geo-positional coordinates. Despite the utter incompetence of one walker [ :-( ] we met our friend right where the Silver Man was performing on Seventh Avenue near Broadway.

This reminds me that yesterday I led my small companion back and forth several times before we located the uptown subway stop we needed. The same person responsible for today's confusion failed to recognize that this stop was only a block or two away from the point from which he first started searching.

If none of this floats your boat, try this on. How does a Michigan boy feel when he's New York City when his boyhood heroes -- the Tigers -- eliminate the hated Yankees in the baseball playoffs? There should be no elephant tears for the richest team in baseball.

Meanwhile, my alma mater, Michigan, is sweeping to another win in football today. Apologies to non-sports fans, but these are the kinds of small pleasures that make a man's day.

I'm thinking serious thoughts, too, but will save those for a later post.

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