Well, this is a really special upcoming week in NYC. Most of the family (except Cassie who will be sunning in FL), and many friends are coming to visit here for Jessica’s wedding next Saturday. Cleveland will be well represented in the Big Apple. I’m really excited about the week and can’t wait to see everyone. As far as last week, I have a few interesting observations (interesting to me at least). First, pigeons are disgusting “rats with wings”. They are everywhere and don’t move when you approach. In fact, I’ve almost tripped over them while running in the park. Also, they are filthy and travel in packs leaving a long trail of “waste” in their wake. Mostly an annoyance, at least they don’t attack (think Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”). The next observation is that NYC knows how to put on a parade. The St. Patrick’s day parade is the oldest and longest in the world (even older than those in Ireland). I guess having so many Irish here really helps, but it was a really cool thing to see. I’ve never heard so many bag pipes in my life. One of the best Pipe and Drum groups in the parade was from the NYC Sanitation Department (struck me as funny for some reason). Plus it was snowing hard which added to the aura of the event. It was especially moving when the FDNY (New York Firemen) marched by, each carrying an American flag, behind a banner with the number 343 which honored the 343 fireman lost in 9/11…very moving (see pics below). My last observation was the result of getting the opportunity to attend an “off-off Broadway show” in Brooklyn. One of my co-workers was in the show so several of us made the trip across the river, actually under the river on the subway.  The show was good and it was in a really cool venue, but the thing that surprised me was how cool the whole area was. It was in a part of Brooklyn called “DUMBO”. It’s short for “Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. This is what really fascinated me. New Yorkers love naming their particular neighborhoods with cool acronyms. In addition to Dumbo, there is SoHo (South of Houston Street), NoHo (North of Houston), Tribeca (The Triangle below Canal Street), NoLita (North of Little Italy), Alphabet City (A Manhattan neighborhood from East 3rd Street to East 14th Street between Avenues A thru D). Theae are the most famous names, others have tried but haven’t stuck. Names like NoBat, NoCal, BoHo, CanDo, ViVa (West Harlem between two viaducts), and, in Brooklyn, BoCoCa (where Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens converge) and GoCaGa (Gowanus meets Carroll Gardens). I love how everyone is really proud of the area of “The City” they’re from and want a funky moniker to try to match the “coolness” of their neighborhood. I’m just glad to have a place in the UWS (Upper West Side)…until next week, TTYL!