FAVORITE
NYC THINGS
The Good Side
Of The Coin
By Neli Lalanne

There is a plethora of things about NYC that rub me the wrong way, like how unreasonably hot it gets in the subway during the summer and of course that one creepy guy in the same subway that stares at you without blinking until you reach your destination. There is also the fact that my old college ID is powerless to get me a discount at the movies. It makes me wonder why I even bothered going to college…Yes that is an irrational statement. However after being used to paying discounted prices for so long and then having that privilege rendered obsolete in the city that never sleeps while being charged $6 for a small popcorn, one will on occasion utter a couple of idiocies.  Interestingly enough though, for every one thing about the city I hate there are at least two things I love.

For instance, how on my way to work the train I transfer to pulls up literally within 2 minutes of my stepping out of the first one. The cacophony of the two subway lines arriving at the same time resonates like perfectly synchronized music to my ear. The novelty still hasn’t worn off and I may be the only simpleton who grins with moronic beatitude each time this allegedly scheduled phenomenon occurs. Then of course there is the all too present possibility of exchanging furtive looks with an attractive anonymous stranger when arriving at my destination. Those unpredictable moments when your gaze meet that of someone whom you will probably never see again but whose eyes transmitted energy you will feel for a long time are priceless.  Those moments fashion the polluted congested streets into idyllic backdrops to romances that perhaps will never flourish.  The romantic in me lust after those fleeting silent encounters.

Also the bodegas that are available just about 24hours a day and the small horse carriages pulling people (most likely tourists), brave enough to risk looking cheesy to anyone looking, are sights that fill me with unfettered amusement.  Of course getting to answer with the right dose of false reticence “oh, yeah I do live in New York; yes it is a tough, tough city, but you know New Yorkers manage” is a bonus point.  

The west Village is also a constant source of entertainment. When inebriated pub hopers with blood shot eyes and unsteady stance attempt at philosophizing on the meaning of life with random strangers, my evening somehow always get more colorful. However what definitely makes my ‘favorite random occurrence’ list has to be self proclaimed psychics materialized in the form of Laundromat clerks who strike up unrequited conversations and share proudly that they are clairvoyant. Then while looking intensely at you they continue their passionate monologues by claiming to see great things happening soon.  When you shoot them back a quizzical look they draw parallels with your life and a planet and create mythical connections between yourself and a Greek deity.  The impromptu psychic consultation would typically be punctuated by a love forecast.  “Expect sunny days in romance, as your career takes off so will your heart!” Despite the part about my heart taking off sounding more like an impetus to see a doctor, my instinct is always to hug them.

Those nameless characters who in spite of their oddity and because of their unfounded yet benevolent predictions and their promises of auguries to come, are some of my favorite random encounters.  I just wish the feeling of elation I got from their words wasn’t coupled with a sense of awkwardness.  Do I pay them for their unsolicited consultation? Do I refrain from asking them what they see in their future? Do I leave the premises with my unwashed clothes and walk three blocks down to the next Laundromat so as to avoid the discomfort that settles in right after my free reading?  It’s always a debacle, one that I don’t mind going through if it means having a good laugh and thinking about it days later and feeling secretly trustful of tomorrow.  

Yes there is a plethora of things about New York City that rub me the wrong way and I am beset by a host of nuisances and inquietudes daily. But like Frolein Maria in the Sound of Music: “When the dog bites, when the bee stings…I simply remember my favorites things” and they encompass: Bodegas and horse carriages, strangers that offer free smiles, psychics with good news and…ok so perhaps not quite like Frolein Maria but you get idea.