When I watch a Yankees game, or Saturday Night Live, or a parade on TV, it's hard to remember that it's all happening right now just a few miles away.
I might as well be in Ohio, or California or the middle of Siberia for as connected as I feel to events happening a subway ride away. But there's so much going on in New York at any one moment, that there might as well be nothing.
No one cares when the president visits. Or when world leaders convene at the UN. When the Pope came to New York in April 2008, it entered people's consciousness just long enough to be glad he would be visiting on a weekend, when commutes wouldn't need to be altered because of the crowds.
Of course, that's why so many stars love to live in New York: you can be in the center of the world and still be anonymous.
But I'm not completely immune quite yet.
I still get excited when I see, for example, Hillary Clinton outdoors giving a speech on TV when I'm taking a walk during my lunch break, or "The Good Wife" taping a segment outside a Duane Reade across the street from work.
I like these chance encounters, however small they might be. But I'm not part of the crowd jostling to see who's entering Radio City Music Hall for the MTV Video Music Awards. After all, I'm no New York City tourist!
No comments:
Post a Comment