Escape From New York

I went to New York for my day job on Wednesday and just made it back home tonight. I feared the snow storm blanketing the East Coast would leave me stranded out there, but my flight was able to get out (albeit with nearly a two-hour delay). What a mess! I had a nice visit. It was short, but nice. I always say I need to spend a week in New York without having to work in order to really see and do what I want to. These quick two or three day trips just don't give me time to do much of anything. I did have a chance to see Call Me By Your Name while I was there and I enjoyed it. I'll write a separate blog post on that.

I thought for sure foreign tourism would drop with Donny T. as POTUS but after being in New York for the past few days, I don't think that's the case. There seemed to be as many Europeans and other assorted non-Americans flooding the streets of Manhattan just like any other year. Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center were as crowded as ever. Now not every person there was from out of the country or even out of state, but I'm sure many of them were. Tourism seems to be alive and well in New York. I enjoyed walking around the little holiday markets that were set up throughout the city. I went to the one in Union Square and the one at Columbus Circle. I don't recall seeing those in the years I lived in New York, but I think they're great. They reminded me of the Christkindl market here in Chicago.

Here's a shot of Central Park from Friday before the snow came.