New York New York!

Hello vikings! How are you all doing during this sweltering New York Heat? I have often said that Nueva York is one of the grandest cities I have ever known but she is a harsh woman who packs a lot of heat. You really don’t want to mess with her especially in the summertime.

Nonetheless tourists flock to her like droves, why? Because the more you get to know her you realize that New York is a one of a kind city that has something for everyone. It is the type of city that makes staycations fun and interesting.

World Travels have nothing on this city since it is a hodge podge of various nationalities that have settled here over time. Due to corona I have been rethinking traipsing all over the planet. I need to have statistics on every country possible before taking a transatlantic flight.

The more I delve into my research, the more I feel a bit ambivalent. We are just a year off of the pandemic so I think it is best to have a “wait and see” approach. Anyhoo, despite wanderlust, I decided to take a mini vacation in the Big Apple.

I wanted to test the theory that New York is back up and running. All throughout the pandemic the spirit of New York was doused and its people’s personalities were not evident. My first day in New York was filled with awe and wonder as I navigated the green, lean , mean streets trying to play “dry land tourist”.

In recent years, New York has developed a reputation as being a crime ridden and violent city. I have even received threats of people trying to harm me. My white Jamaican yardie ways will not allow me to stand down though.

I just function with an attitude that if someone “clauts” with me I have no problem sekkling dem pudding. During my jaunt there were riled up black folks with hammers and broken bottles trying to intimidate me. The thing is I know who I am. I always travel in peace but I also am programmed to stand my ground. If someone starts shite I have no qualms of dunning him/her.

As I persisted to venture out I was greeted by the boys of Mulberry making my way straight as I perused the city. Although apprehensive, my confidence was boosted by their presence.

One thing that struck me as muy intersante is the fact that the children are so fashionable. In the few moments I milled about, I came to the startling reality that adults could seriously take fashion tips from them.

Not to mention the booming way they get around town. I have never seen so many ingenuous contraptions being debuted in a city besides Europe. These kids have got swag. They are also not putting up and shutting up.

Almost every block there were kids protesting about the heat while their overzealous parents urged them to be enthusiastic. One little girl looked at her mother as if she was the demon from hell as her mum urged her to put some pep in her step for a play date.

The other children on field trips gave their teachers the evil eye as she pointed out the attractions in the city. A little boy who was not more than 3 years old looked at her as if to say, “Lady, have you not read the news that it is almost triple digits out here?”

I was clicking away with my digital camera at sights I had not seen in all the years I lived in New York. First off all there are so many skyscrapers that went up in the short while I lived in Florida. The vibe in the city is more like one of those energetic but chill cities such as Seattle.

My first stop was to an art gallery. It is bewildering how many talented artists live in this state yet only a few get recognized. While there, I noticed a middle aged Asian couple and their daughter as I was exiting. They resonated with me because they were as traditional as you can get while their daughter was the epitome of on trend fashion.

She was dressed in a black short shorts outfit with go-go boots. The parents were shyly hanging behind her because you could tell they were old school Japanese. I could only imagine the conversation.

The father: “Suki did you not tell our daughter that she cannot go traipsing through the city dressed in non-traditional garb?”

The mother: “Matsui I told her it no look good for her to go out like that. I even said that your father will not be glad about this. You know how she is….She will do what she want anyway.”

The parents were then in hot pursuit of a boutique as the daughter was completely enthralled in her look and trying to show them the spectacular sights of the city. They tried everything to get her engaged into the outfits the stores had to offer, but she was not having it.

The mother exclaimed “Why yu know like long flowing skirts like the other girls in town? Look at dat wan over dere she dress in nice long flowing dress. You no like?” The daughter was completely tuned out to their griping.

The parents decided they would just hang back in the shadows hoping no one recognized them as they were in unison about not explaining their daughter’s “get up”. It was kind of fun to watch as the parents maneuvered with skill making the daughter believe they were with her a million percent. The whole time they were plotting to get her fixated on the reserved styles the Madison Avenue boutiques had to offer.

It was around noon when I decided to look for a quaint cafe to nosh at. I realized most of the charming, old world, reserved cafes had become extinct and were now replaced with bright colored, trendy places. Some of the names I barely recognized as they sounded more like firms instead of eateries.

Places such as Noodles & Company, The Bowery Meat Company, New York Burger Company, Carbone and The Capital Grille. I wondered what happened to all the vegan restaurants. Anyhow, while my confusion grew regarding where to choose, a quintessential New Yorker could be heard, saying “Dem haffi kill me dead, I am taking the subway with my earbuds and I don’t care who bothers me. I love the subway and that is what I am taking.”

Who knew Shabba Ranks had such a following in the city that never sleeps? It was true though, New Yorkers prefer to get around in a zip and a flash. Despite the bad publicity they would rather take their chances than add a minute more to their commute.

As I continued to my restaurant of choice I noticed a pretty New York model toting her portfolio. Obviously on her way to a go see that required lots of trekking. You got the impression she was not a happy camper.

I finally settled on Cafe Fiorello a place I had dined at in my earlier years in New York. I loved it because they used to have Al fresco dining. You could dine alone comfortably and be entertained as folks sashayed by. It was fancier than I remembered, and now they were just one enclosed place where you could look out the glass window as people passed by.

The choices of restaurants in New York is vast. It could take you hours to decide on a certain cuisine or atmosphere. I guess this is why New York is known as the foodie capital of the world.

I then decided that the heat was just too much to bear. I figured taking in a movie would be best. I settled on seeing the New Barbie movie. I really did not know what to expect since there was so much hype about it. I assumed it would be in cartoon form. Surprisingly it was real, live actors portraying Barbie & Ken. It was enjoyable.

The day was coming to a close and I chose to drive back to Long Island by way of Brooklyn because I wanted to bring back some Jamaican delicacies for La Famiglia. Traffic was flowing nicely until I got to Eastern Parkway.

There was pandemonium, chaos and fire engines. I thought for sure the library was under attack. Then I remembered there was a rap exhibit. It then became an OMG moment as celebs had traveled there for the exhibit.

The scene was mayhem. There were luxury coaches lined up along the way dispersing famous persons. Suddenly I became aware that the roaring of the fire engines and other EMT vehicles was not about drama happening in the city.

It was a cultural emergency and the fire department and EMT were making sure they did not miss out on the exhibit. It was a New York moment that was priceless. There is so much going on in the city during the summer that you could seriously suffer from FOMO. (fear of missing out)

All things considered, New Yorkers were making the best of the post corona era and the city was exhibiting signs of adjusting to the “new normal”.