My experience in New York City, Manhattan primarily, has been and continues to be mind-boggling. Buildings and skyscrapers crowded together, concrete everywhere with only glimpses of sky. That is NYC. Granted, there are patches of nature left but they are few and far between. Now populate this cityscape with an average density of 27,000 people in the City per square mile. Take this high density population and add the millions of visitors and tourists who clog the streets and sidewalks every week and you have what could be chaos. However, it is mind-boggling how smoothly everything seems to operate when one thinks of the enormity and complexity of this place and all its needed services. There are exceptions of course like the December 26th 2010 blizzard. The weather can throw a curve at civilization easily, as we know.
The cold and snow of the winter does diminish the population of New York to some degree. We needed a break from the winter and went south to Miami Beach for few days. Nearly everyone we talked to or heard stories about hailed from New York City. The first person we talked to was the desk clerk at our hotel, the St. Augustine. He came to Florida from Queens. Next was the landlord who rented to us a furnished apartment we hope to keep for getaways to the warmth when needed. He lives in Miami but maintains his apartment in Manhattan. Apparently the stories of New Yorkers populating Florida are true.
We loved our visit. Beaches, views, Art Deco with character, sunshine and the warm, caressing air just slightly and naturally humidified met our basic needs. Moving ahead we will continue our life and exploration in Manhattan but add the Miami area as a major sidebar. After all, there is nothing more invigorating and mind-boggling than contrasts and variety.
Stan the Man
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