One Boy's New York

 (Over the years on business trips, I sometimes took one or more of my kids with me. This was one of those occasions.)

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:

1. "I know where we are, because I recognize that newsstand. It's the one with all of that inappropriate content."

2. "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.')
   

3. "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."
   

4. "This is a great town for pigeons." (Translation: This is a great town.)
   

5. "This is a good place for Sidewalk Images , because there are lots of people and they throw stuff away, like at home ( San Francisco)."
   

6. "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."
   

7. "Wow, look at all of those people. You're not going to see that many people anywhere but in New York."
   

8. "Everybody wonders why I always wear this hat. Well, you lose 70% of your body heat through your head, so that's one good reason. But I also wear it in summer, when it's hot."

9. "I guess I'm one of those people who likes to be hot because I definitely don't like to be cold."

10. “I like all of your friends here because they are brilliant.”

Photo by Dylan 

(This excerpt is from an essay I wrote in 2007.)

NEWSLINKS:

• Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister (CNN)

• McCarthy: No 'blank check' for Ukraine if GOP wins majority (Yahoo)

• Pence pushes back: US must provide Ukraine with ‘resources to defend themselves’ (The Hill)

• A senior Ukrainian official accused Russia of organizing a "propaganda show" in occupied Kherson after Russian-installed officials said they were preparing to defend the city from imminent Ukrainian attack and urged civilians to flee. (Reuters)

• Iran says ready to talk to Ukraine on claims of arming Russia (Al Jazeera)

• Russian strikes have caused massive blackouts in Ukraine. 30% of the country’s power stations have been destroyed since Oct. 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday, part of a new Russian strategy. (WP)

• Russian Barrage Targets Power, Water and Heat for Ukraine’s Civilians (NYT)

• Trump spoke about his relationships with world leaders in taped interviews with journalist Bob Woodward, telling the veteran reporter he preferred world leaders “the tougher and meaner they are.” “I like Putin. Our relationship should be a very good one," Trump said in January 2020. [HuffPost]

• Primary source for Trump-Russia dossier acquitted, handing special counsel Durham another trial loss (CNN)

• An ex-member of the extremist Oath Keepers group said he was prepared to take up arms to keep former President Donald Trump in office on Jan. 6. Jason Dolan agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testified in the ongoing seditious conspiracy trial of five members of the Oath Keepers. [HuffPost]

• Biden to announce U.S. oil reserve release to prevent price spikes (Reuters)

• You can keep more money from the IRS next year, thanks to inflation (WP)

• UK inflation accelerates to 40-year high as food prices rise (AP)

• VIDEO: Biden Vows to Codify Abortion Rights if Democrats Win Midterms(NYT)

• Republican Midterm Prospects Brighten in Closing Weeks of Election (WSJ)

• A slate of races now lean Republican in our latest forecast update (Politico)

• Dems only have a 62% chance of winning the Senate now. It was over 70%. Republicans have a much larger (75%) chance of winning the House. (538)

• Police body camera footage obtained by a Florida newspaper shows how the arrests of several residents for alleged voter fraud two months ago baffled both police and those who were rounded up. "I’ve never seen these charges before in my entire life," said one of the officers on the scene. “Why would you all let me vote if I wasn’t able to vote?” asked one perplexed suspect. In August, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the arrests of 20 people, grossly overstating the impact of election fraud in the U.S. [HuffPost]

• Iranian climber who competed without hijab welcomed by crowds in Tehran (WP)

• South Korean and American troops practiced building floating bridges to ferry tanks and other armored vehicles across rivers, part of a larger joint military exercise that has angered North Korea. (Reuters)

• As Covid Hit, Washington Officials Traded Stocks With Exquisite Timing (WSJ)

• XBB, BQ.1.1, BA.2.75.2 — a variant swarm could fuel a winter surge (WP)

• A rare but dangerous flesh-eating bacteria is infecting Florida residents (NPR)

• Ancient DNA gives rare snapshot of Neanderthal family ties (AP)

• The Black Death is still affecting the human immune system (CNN)

• Meghan Markle Lets Her Guard Down: On Grieving Queen Elizabeth, Producing With Harry and Returning to Hollywood (Variety)

• Food Banks Begin Accepting Donations From Homosexuals (The Onion)