N: New York City

      Okay, so I know for those in my audience who live either near or in NYC, this post might be a bore but I just have to give the letter N to New York City.  The comparable place in my world is San Francisco.  San Francisco is quirky and charming with a plethora of cultural opportunities and fantastic natural beauty and views.  But New York CIty?  Oh my!  NYC has  energy unlike any other place.  It is powerful and electric.  It has neighborhoods packed with their own charm and stories.  There is so much history and cultural background in New York.   I wanted to go there for decades but I didn't want to go blind.  I wanted to go with a seasoned New Yorker or, at least, a seasoned New York visitor.  Three years ago, my brother Brian, an experienced New York traveler, and I did a New York adventure together.    His son Tim and Tim's fiance Sierra live in Queens and Brian has traveled there often enough to know the ins and outs of the city.

      That adventure was one of a kind.  I was a kid in a candy store!  Really!  I was delighted to see and do anything.  Brian, Tim, and Sierra went out of their way to make my stay there memorable.  Brian and I spent very little time at our hotel room and tons of time on foot and on the subway getting around.

New York City gave me everything I thought it would.  I loved the people and had not one single negative interaction.  Sure, there were the street beggars and the homeless but I know them from SF and, they are not bad people.  Just different from me.  I loved tasting the flavor of NYC and walking in the places (like Central Park and Wall Street and Brooklyn where the tree grows) that I have always read about.  Unforgettable. 

      And here's the exciting news:  I get to go there again.  THIS WEEK! Thursday, as a matter of fact.  Remember Tim and Sierra from above?  They are getting married on Saturday and I was honored (and, honestly, floored) to be asked by them to be the officiant at their wedding.  Stay tuned for more NYC photos soon.  For now, here is a handful of images that show my wide eyed embrace of the Big Apple.

Yup, that says it all.....