A New York New Years

A hectic airplane terminal lies in wait as I step off the plane in Newark, NJ. People from every corner of the world speaking dozens of languages busstle by, some coming into this metropolis of New York City, some leaving, others simply there to make connections. A shuttle awaits me at the terminal and I am granted my very first tour of Manhattan. The brights lights and piercing cold swirl together, and a Jay-Z song about NYC tells me that these streets will make you feel brand new, and these lights will inspire you. So let´s hear it for NY.

After a tour up and down wall street, the shuttle drops me off a Grand Central Station. An old regal building seeping stories of colonial America, the beginnings of NYC, and the millions of immigrants that have accessed this country through the NYC portal, the ceilings are high, brass, and certainly grand. My time in the city, for now, ends with my entry onto a train heading for Woodstock, where I am to spend New Years with Haley, her family, and Julia. New Years is excellent... the combination of wonderful food, a warm country house, a bon fire spurred on by Haley´s dad and his gasoline can, and good friends is something priceless and wonderful.

Later on Julia departs and Haley and I venture into the city to stay with her family friends that are living in Manhattan. My favorite part is Central Park, where in the winter the trees are frosted over, the ponds and streams are frozen, and runners and roller bladers (and their dogs) are bundled up in a million layers of clothes. This city is romantic, and yes, let´s hear it for New York.