Do you know how many taxis you might pass during a trip from W. 78th & Central Park, say, to E. 28th & Madison Avenue? I didn't either, but my informant informs me that the answer is 214.
From the Upper East Side, and the Met, acrosss the park to the Museum of Natural History to Murray Hill, and back up to Times Square, and the Lego-sculptures at 44th & Broadway, in and out of delis, cabs, the subway, coffee shops, up and down elevators in our classic old hotel, we enjoyed a warming trend in the City today.
I got to see the City through the eyes of my ten-year-old partner:
* "I know where we are, because I recognize that newsstand. It's the one with all of that inappropriate content."
* "The only thing that scares me about New York is the cockroaches."
(me: 'Have you seen any cockroaches?' him: 'Well, no, but they still scare me.')
* "The thing about this place is they even charge you for a glass of water here. Also, the prices seem to be rising. Yesterday I bought a donut and it cost one dollar. Today, I bought another donut in the same deli and it cost $1.60."
* "This is a great town for pigeons." (Translation: This is a great town.)
* "This is a good place for Sidewalk Images , because there are lots of people and they throw stuff away, like at home."
* "But Silicon Valley isn't a good place at all for Sidewalk Images. It doesn't seem like anybody lives there, it's just filled by people working on computers and they never throw away any trash."
* "Wow, look at all of those people. You're not going to see that many people anywhere but in New York."
* "Everybody wonders why I always wear this hat. Well, you lose 70% of your bodyheat through your head, so that's one good reason. But I also wear it in summer, when it's hot."
* "I guess I'm one of those people who likes to be hot becausse I definitely don't like to be cold."
* "I always like your friends, because they are brilliant, that's one reason. I like Nan, she's really nice; and Michelle and Jeff. I like Katrina, (the editor of The Nation), and I like Norman (Birnbaum)."
* "Norman has the coolest tie, it is a replica of an old religious text from medieval times. I really like that."
(Note: I believe Norman has about 72 years on Dylan, but they share certain appealing traits -- directness, a strong sense of humor, appreciation of the oddball in all of us, and a love of history. One difference is Norman is an eminant historian with vast knowldege, and Dylan is a little boy just beginning to explore history. He has read a lot about Germany between and during the two world wars and about Hitler. So, he was suitably impressed when Norman told him he had friends who were part of the anti-Hitler German resistance during the war."
I haven't yet been able to sort through all the ideas we discussed at The Nation yesterday, but we did attain a type of consensus that there has recently been a turning point that may now favor those who recognize climate change and globalization as the driving forces that may begin spawning a newly global politics soon.
The would-be Superpower is starting to lose its swagger. There will be no victory in Iraq, of course; the only question, just as in Vietnam a generation ago, is what kind of defeat we will suffer, and when.
The politics of the moment suggest Al Gore may get another chance to win election as President -- he is the logical choice -- though who knows whether he would be allowed to take office this time, or once again be pushed aside by fiat.
Dylan's explorations of the military past consumed most of our museum time this trip, but next time we'll have to visit MOMA.
There, he can view some of the work of his favorite painter, Jasper Johns. When I asked him why he loves museums so much, his answer was simple and to the point.
"They give you just enough information so your imagination can do the rest."
-30-
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