Thursday, December 21, 2006

So 'Old' York

New York is a great many things.

It's one of the few city-cities. Sometimes it's gray tall buildings, which seem depressingly grayer on cloudy days. It rat conventions in the subways. It's luxurious lofts, doormen, chihuahuas on the top and roach infested, closet sizes studios beneath. It's homeless men who claim the street like they've the space on a lease ... which reminds me of Addis. It's free stand up comedy a ride to your choice of destination (much love to the conductors on subways). It's people always in a hurry - possibly to the nearest coffee shop - stepping on your toes with their unnaturally high stilettos in the dead of winter (but, why, why, oh why?), and barely noticing. It's 'gentlemen' clubs in the middle of Time freaking Square.

As a self declared bumpkin, I dutifully take in this fodder for amusement purposes only. What I fail to understand and tolerate is hanging out with, say habehsa guys, and trying to catch a cab at the end of the night. Then I find the real rotten apple.

This is the routine.

The guys will stand at a distance from me and I'll hail a cab.
If cabbie thinks I look respectable (really, that should read as I don't look like i'm going to the Bronx) and that I'm by myself, then it will stop.
Sometimes the presence of hovering black men in the background is enough to send a cab to the furthest lane from my curb.
And accelerate.
If the cab stops but before entering the cab if I make the mistake of acknowledging the guys, it will speed off.

One of my friends brushed it off and said, 'you can't let it bring you down.' Me? Down? No, I think New York is pretty god dammed low, and some how everybody's fine's with it.

Madonna sings away ...

"If you don't like my attitude, then you can F-off
Just go to Texas, isn't that where they golf?
New York is not for little pussies who scream
If you can't stand the heat, then get off my street"

I guess I'm little pussy, so another drink for good ol'Joisy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha ha.. what is "a self declared bumpkin, "?

Anonymous said...

Nolawi,

balager wedaj balager.