I have to admit, writing this update will be difficult.  This past Wednesday, NYC and the nation remembered the horrific losses experienced 12 years ago.  Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day including 343 New York Fire Fighters (FDNY).  This is my first year living here and experiencing it as a resident.  Many family and friends from back home called that day wondering what NYC was like and how it was being remembered.

Wednesday morning I was running a little late.  I left my apartment and caught the “1” train headed to Penn Station around 8:35 am.  At 8:46, the train suddenly stops and the lights were dimmed.  8:46 was the time the first plane hit the Twin Towers 12 years ago.  No one on the train moved.  No one said a word as we sat and stood in silence for 10 minutes.  There was no pre announcement and no post announcement, everyone just knew.  When I got to the office, I found out a few of my staff were taking the day off.  Some of them had lost family members in the attack and were remembering and grieving in their own way.  All day, the City seemed quieter, a little more somber.

New York is typically the most “live in the moment” city I’ve ever worked in or been part of.  The intensity can be overwhelming.  Everything seems compressed and the pressure to always be “on” is ever-present.  I actually love that about this place.  In many ways, it makes me feel more alive.  On 9/11, the edge seemed to drop considerably.  Maybe it was just me but people seemed to have a little more patience, a little more tolerance.  As far as I know, there were no protests, or big ceremonies other than at Ground Zero where the names of the lost were read every 6 minutes.  This is mostly for the families of the loved ones who they lost.  The “Tribute in Light” where two large spot lights stay on through the night of 9/11 could be seen across the city but even that came with no big ceremony.  It was more somber, sacred than that.  One of the most touching moments I experienced was walking by a fire station on the Upper West Side.  There was a small enclave near the main door where several photos of Firemen from that station who lost their lives were displayed in remembrance.  There were flowers everywhere on the sidewalk.

It’s just my opinion, but it feels like most people here want to honor the day and remember the lost in their own way, but also want to show resilience.  The events of 9/11 were a punch in the gut, but nowhere near a knock out punch.  In my 8 months here, I have found the majority of the people to be kind and gracious.  Yes, everyone’s in a hurry and people aren’t into small polite phrases (“excuse me”, “sorry”, “pardon me”), but I’ve never had a situation where I needed some help where someone didn’t extend a hand in some way.  I’ve never felt unwelcome, in fact just the opposite.  Everyone here is from somewhere else.  It’s the most diverse place I’ve ever been, maybe the most diverse city on the planet.  In a typical day, I will hear more foreign languages and non-English accents than I hear from people born and raised in the US.  It’s a beautiful tapestry of a thriving CIty.  But on 9/11, it just felt like we were all in this thing together.  Yes, let’s honor and remember, but let’s also show strength and unity.  Maybe I just see things through rose-colored glasses and I know my faith in God allows me to see people through His eyes as beautiful, loved creations (when I’m not in too big of a hurry that is).  There are plenty of major issues here, homelessness, poverty, drugs (especially among the middle and upper class) disease, rats, etc that all need to be addressed.  But there is conversely an amazing amount of beauty if you look just below the surface.  Every day, I have to choose which to see.  On 9/11, it was just a little easier to see the beauty.

Well, I just passed the 8 month anniversary of my new adventure moving to NYC. More importantly, that means there is less than 4 months before Laura moves here to join me. I think I can make it, but it is very difficult. In some ways, half my life is missing. Thank God for technology where I can stay in touch multiple times every day. It’s funny, but the change to cooler weather and football actually makes me miss Laura and the kids more than the long dog days of summer. Probably because I’m a huge football fan. I’m realizing that football is a sport meant to be watched by family or a community where you share a common response to high’s and low’s throughout a game and a season. On that note, I did find a great community of fellow Dawgs (UGA for the uninformed) that meet every Saturday in NYC and watch the game together. There had to be 400 – 500 people barking there lungs out there! Who knew so many, mostly southern, UGA alumni and friends were here in the City. For 3 – 4 hours, it really felt like I was in Athens, Ga at the game. All of the fight songs were played, the chants were chanted, the cheers were cheered and it just felt like home. There was even a live trumpeter playing the Battle Hymn from the balcony…how cool is that! It was even better because UGA won the game. I met a lot of new friends and will definitely be going back. It struck me yesterday that one of the really unique things about NYC is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. If you come to NY and look for rude and insane people, that’s all you’ll see. But in reality, they are everywhere, just more here because there is more of everything here. If you want to lock yourself in your apartment and be alone, people will leave you alone. But if you look for community, it’s definitely here. If you like to work out at 3am, there’s a group here that does that. If you like to sew quilts, there are groups here that are into that…I looked it up (The City Quilter).  There is a group of NYC Southerners that like to run, there’s also a group of NYC Southerners that like to try out new restaurants (for their health, I hope it’s the same group). I found them through a site called Meetup. Go check out www.meetup.com and look at all this City has to offer. There’s even a group for the shy and those with Social Anxiety (I hope it’s well attended). There are groups for backpackers, new moms that live on the UWS, writers and even people that want to take part in flash mobs. It’s interesting to me the responses I get when I ask people that have lived here a short time if they like it or not. Those that don’t, usually don’t get out much and are intimidated by the loneliness created by the size and complexity of the City. Those that love it have found community here. Many, including me find it through work or Church (Faith is the ultimate community builder in my experience) or through other things like NYC Dawgs. Funny, Church and College football are truly Southern things and they are life lines for me here. Anyway, enough ramblings for this week. Until next time…Go Dawgs!!

Here’s the latest on my adventures in NYC. This will be a great week because I’m going home to TN for 10 days this Friday. I can’t wait to see Laura and the kids (ok, they’re all adults, but they’ll always be my kids, including Chris or maybe I should say “especially Chris”).
This past week was great. Jimmy and Kristen Bowers visited me for a few days from Alabama. Conor and his friend Caleb Pippenger were here the week before, so we’re getting good use of the apartment and I’m becoming an experienced tour guide. I love when people visit me here. For one thing, I just love company, but the other reason is I love showing family and friends the wonders of NYC. I have developed a sort of standard tour. We start off on the Upper West Side eating a great brunch on the sidewalk at The French Roast cafe, Jacob’s Pickles or Sarahbeths (my favorites, but there are hundreds of choices). I then put them on the “1” Subway and head all the way down to Battery Park to see Lower Manhattan. There are great views of the Statue of Liberty, the new Freedom tower and Wall Street. I love showing off Stone Street where you can grab a snack at the Dubliner (Conor’s favorite spot). It’s like going back in time. All of the buildings are from the 1700’s – 1800’s (most built after the 1835 fire). The cool thing is that it’s right in the middle of Wall Street surrounded by sky scrapers. We then jump back on the “1” and ride up to 23rd. This is where we head over to Chelsea and taste one of the best donuts on the planet at Donut Place. We then go over to see the Flatiron building and Madison Square Park. Then it’s either up to 34th to see Madison Square Garden and the Empire State building or up to 42nd to take in the lights of Time Square (everybody has to see it once even though it’s packed with tourists, and there are not many great restaurants there). From there, we’ll walk over to 50th and up to 5th Ave to see Radio City Music hall, Rockefeller Center (Skating rink and NBC) and top of the Rock. We then head north on 5th Ave to see all of the $$$$ shops like Saks, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Prada, Bottega Veneta, Armani, Fendi, Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Cartier, Omega, Chanel, BCBG Max Azria, Harry Winston, Salvatore Ferragamo, Nike, Escada, Swarovski, and on and on and on.  Then it’s over to the South East corner of Central Park. I like this area because you can see the Plaza hotel (Suite life of Zach and Cody, Home Alone 2 and many others) and FAO Schwartz toy store. This is also the location of my favorite entrance to Central park because there is a beautiful pond with a plethora of wild life. You’ll see ducks, turtles and fish just a few feet from the City streets. We walk past a really cool water fall and then in to the heart of the park where we pass an amusement park, ball fields, several ponds and fields, an old carousel and massive trees everywhere. You have to be careful to avoid all of the runners (my favorite place for long runs), bikers and horse drawn carriages in the park. After touring the park for a couple of hours, we head back to the UWS just in time for dinner. Celeste’s Italian restaurant is a great way to experience great NY Italian food in a quirky NY atmosphere (completely non-tourist). Then desert at Cafe Lalo where they filmed “You’ve got Mail”. Jessica loves the deserts there.
After this, we’ve walked about 10 miles, eaten about 10,000 calories and are exhausted so we had back to the apartment to relax or get ready for the night!
All of this, and all we’ve seen is a small part of the West half of Manhattan. The East side has a lot to offer too. You could spend a month in this City and not see half of all it has to offer. All of the museums, shows, parks, culture (Chinatown, Little Italy, etc) and restaurants not to mention the other Burroughs. So much to see and do.
I just wanted to give you a taste of the excitement of a NYC trip. So, if you come visit, come hungry and bring a great pair of walking shoes.

Well, it’s been too long since my last update on my adventures in NYC, so I thought I would try and bring you up to speed. Since I last wrote, I’ve experienced the most oppressive heat wave I’ve ever felt (including last year’s summer in TN where it was regularly over 105 degrees). When it gets over 95 in the City with high humidity, hell starts oozing up through the subway tunnels and grates in the street. With all of the pavement, concrete and buildings holding in the heat, the City becomes like a convection oven. Plus, everyone sweats profusely…including all 4 million people crammed into the subway cars (which are thankfully air conditioned). Waiting on a subway, in a suit, in oppressive heat and humidity makes me realize why everyone leaves the NYC for the Hamptons in the summer. The good news, it only lasted 8 days. Then weather like this week (high 70’s to low 80’s with low humidity) sets in and the world is suddenly transformed back into “amazing”.
Other things that have happened, I broke a tooth on some bacon and had to find a dentist….and get a crown. Thank God (literally) that healthcare in NYC is some of the finest in the world. I found a great dentist 1 block from the apartment which is wonderful.
Jessica Garmon, Christopher Garmon and Conor Hale all visited last week which was exactly what the doctor ordered (not the Dentist mentioned above, the Doctor in this case would be a metaphor). As I say every time I write, if Laura were here (only 5 months to go…yeah), life would be perfect. In lieu of her being here, the visits from the kids really gave me a boost. I love having company here, especially family. It not only reconnects me, but it also lets me play tour guide and see all the wonders of the City through their eyes.  Things like Central Park with the waterfalls, gardens, carousels, carriages never grow old. We also took in a game at Yankee stadium. I must say, I am turning into a Yankee fan. At one point in the game, 22% of the Yanks on the field were from the deep South (Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky). They were playing Sweet Home Alabama, Sweet Southern Comfort and Country Music Jesus over the PA system between innings…in the Bronx! Really nice of them to make us feel so welcome. Conor and I (and his friend Pip) found a new favorite site of mine down in Lower Manhattan. Stone Street is like a time warp. The buildings are all from the 1700 – 1800’s and set right in the middle of wall street. There is an amazing pub there with great food called the Dubliner. This quickly became a favorite place for me and Conor.
Last week, I went to see “Peter and the Star Catcher” off Broadway. This reconfirmed how great the level of talent is in this City. What a great show. They’re about to go on tour, so if it comes to a city near you, go!
Let’s see, being the foodie that I am, I can’t write about the last two months without mentioning my culinary adventures. Other than the Dubliner, three other places have crept into my top twenty all time restaurant list: (1) Keen steak house – the food is off the hook good, but there is more coolness to this place than the food. It used to be a pipe/cigar lounge and its over 128 years old (new meaning to “aged” steaks). Because the pipes were all ceramic, the customers would leave them at the lounge and hang them from the ceiling. All of the pipes are still there…over 48,000. They have Teddy Roosevelt’s pipe, one from Babe Ruth and many other famous dead people. (2) Meli – Greek cuisine like I’ve never had before. (3) Ai Fiori – Italian place on Fifth Ave that was so good it made me want to slap my momma (not really mom, that’s just a saying…you know I would never slap you…hard anyway :)). Next on my to do list is to stop by Dominique Ansel’s bakery in SoHo to see what the fuss about the CroNut is all about. I’ll let you know. Summer is a great time to hit the restaurants on weekends because everyone is in the Hamptons!
Well, that’s enough for now. I’ll try to do better and write more. Until next time…stay cool!

Conor and Pip at the Yankees game

Went to a Yankees game today and quickly realized something special.  22% of the Yankee team on the field right now are from the South (Alabama and South Carolina). So far they’ve played “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Sweet Southern Comfort” over the PA system…I’m quickly becoming a Yankee fan.

Just a quick update this week from NY. It’s been a crazy week of weather here in the City. Early in the week it was blistering hot, then absolutely amazing with high’s in the mid 70’s and no humidity. Then on Friday, the remnant’s of Hurricane Andrea set records for rain in many parts of the NE. However this weekend has been nice.
With this update, I thought I would give you a glimpse of what a special place NYC can be in the Spring (or anytime for that matter). Let me describe my day today for you. I spent the morning in Madison Park with some friends for the “Big Apple Barbecue” (see the pics below). Madison Park is down in the Flatiron district which is a beautiful old part of NY. The barbecue was sponsored by Southern Living magazine. There was barbecue from all over the south there. My favorite was 4 time Grand Champion “Big Bob Gibson’s Barbecue” from Decatur, Alabama. I spent a while just talking to the workers and soaking up the pleasant accents. I then introduced my NY friends to Pimento Cheese and sausage at “Jim ‘N Nick’s” from Birmingham, AL…noticing a trend here, Alabama feels a lot like home to me. There was some great Blues music from a couple of bands in the park also. All in all, a great start to the day.
On the walk back to the subway, I went up 5th Avenue and spent some time watching the Puerto Rico Day parade honoring the 4 million people from Puerto Rico that make their home here. This has turned in to one of the largest parades in NYC. Great music and lots of energy.
From the parade, I turned down 50th street and passed by Radio City Music Hall where they were preparing for the Tony Awards tonight. I walked right past the red carpet where all of the Broadway stars were starting to congregate.
After making my way back to the UWS, I had time to catch up with another street fair on Broadway that went about 12 blocks. I wasn’t hungry at all but the sights and smells almost tempted me.
From there, I went to a running store to buy some Saucony running shoes that I’ve never been able to find in a store back home.   I think you can buy anything in NYC. After a quick haircut, I made it back to the apartment. All in all, a great day. It just amazes me how much stuff there is to do in the City. I’ve been here a little over 5 months and I’ve just started to scratch the surface of all this City has to offer. I’ll be going on vacation in one week and I’m really looking forward to some extended time away with Laura and seeing the kids. Stay tuned…

Well folks, it’s been a few weeks since I last wrote about my NY City experience. So much has happened, I’m not sure where to begin. So I’ll just share with you in “stream of conscience mode”…basically whatever pops into my head. First, you may get tired of me saying this but I’m counting down the months, weeks, days, minutes and seconds until Laura joins me in NY the end of this year. As I tour around the City, I make notes of places I want to show her, especially restaurants I want to take her. I miss the kids too. You know, family really is everything. Vacation is coming in a couple of weeks and I’ll get to spend 9 days with them…can’t wait.
Speaking of Laura coming, we’ve decided to start looking for the area of the City we want to live in because we’ll need a bigger place. It’s down to the Upper West Side (where I am now) or the Upper East Side. I have friends on both sides but the UES has some really amazing restaurants (all about food for me). It looks like the buildings on the UES are newer (1960’s vs pre war) and you can get a little more for your money. The main issue is how much longer it will take me to get to work. Right now, I’m about 15 minutes from my office via the “1” train. There is only one subway on the UES and it doesn’t go near my office. Moving there could make my commute 35 minutes or so. Not that big of a deal but it is something to consider. Also, the UWS has a more European feel with the architecture, cafe’s and parks. The UES has a ton of restaurants, Madison Ave and 5th Ave but doesn’t seem quite as “cool”.
Running is great on the UWS with Riverside and Central Park. The UES has access to Central Park as well, but nothing quite like Riverside. Well, let me take that back, the UES has the Gracie Mansion area which is beautiful, but just not as big as Riverside Park. Oh well, lots to consider.
Spring in the City is pretty amazing. Every weekend there are street fairs that cover 10 – 15 blocks.

They will shut down one side of Broadway and hundreds of tents pop up out of nowhere.  The vendors there sell some of the best food (I know, I’m obsessed) I’ve ever eaten. Gyros, fresh fruit, mushrooms the size of steaks, all sorts of pastries, baked good, turkey legs, falafel, funnel cake, and on and on. They also have amateur opera contests, and street musicians that are some of the best I’ve ever heard. If you’re ever here in the spring and summer, it would be well worth the trip to find one of these fairs and spend the day with several thousand new hot and sweaty friends.
Due to the weather going from low 70’s to low 90’s over night, I was forced to get an air conditioner (under window unit). I had forgotten how amazing it is to sleep in an air conditioned room. I can’t imagine how people lived pre-AC. Growing up in Atlanta and living in Tennessee for 28 years, I know what hot feels like. But hot in NYC is truly miserable. All the concrete traps the heat. The buildings trap the humidity and block any breeze that might provide relief. Also, in the South, I would go from my house to my car, then to a building…always in Air Condition space. Here, I’m walking so much or in Subway stations (new level of odors being experienced with the heat) that it just feels hotter than I’m used to. 90 here feels like 95 back home. Oh well, just part of the experience. Well, bed time…Until next time…..stay cool!

At breakfast this morning at the outside tables of French Roast Cafe, saw Megan Hilty walk by. She is the star of the TV show SMASH and played Glenda in Wicked on Broadway. Star struck!

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve shared my NYC experience, but a lot has happened that’s kept me a little busy. First, my daughter Jessica got married to Chris Garmon in a beautiful wedding here in the City. Having family and 40 or so friends in town from Tennessee was amazing. Next, I was able to spend several days in Tennessee with Laura celebrating our 29 anniversary and running in a Cystic Fibrosis 5K. Wherever Laura is, that’s home for me.

So the last time I wrote, it was freezing cold here and I had put on 8 lbs due to the great food and not being able to run much due to the temps. Flash forward to today, and the weather has gotten much better, I can run consistently in the mornings now. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I’m now up 10 lbs (actually down 1 since peaking last week). Speaking of spring, the City is just now starting to blossom. New leaves are visible and early spring flowers are out in full force. But the biggest sign of spring for me had to be on the Subway. Last Monday was the first day the temps hit the high 60’s. Up until then, all of my NY friends that share the morning commute with me on the Subway were all bundled up head to toe, dressed in black and gray. However, when the doors opened on that fine Monday, it looked like the Easter Bunny had thrown up in the train. Coats and scarves in dreary winter tones had suddenly been replaced by pastels and bright colors everywhere. The metamorphosis was stunning…and very welcome. Also, I think every restaurant in the City immediately set up tables and chairs filling up half of the sidewalks. It’s like the entire City woke up from a long winter nap and decided to take the train and eat out…in their brightest colors.

The weather breaking has me reflecting on my first 3.5 months here and a few things I’ve learned: (1) Family is everything – without a strong support system, I could never have taken advantage of the new job here in NY. But absence does make the heart grow fonder. Not having Laura here with me is hard and I appreciate and love her more than ever. I can’t wait to have her join me in just a few short months. I miss the kids too. (2) Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams – you only live once, don’t live with regrets. This has been an amazing experience for me and will even be better when Laura joins me. (3) Building a community here has been easier than I thought it would be. God has opened doors for me to connect with a great group of men at Redeemer Presbyterian (thanks Brad Blackmon). I’m looking forward to helping out with “Hope for NY”, they help the poor and homeless all over the City. Also, I work around some of the most amazing people on the planet. Working at Visiting Nurse Services NY has been amazing. The work we are involved in, taking care of the poorest and sickest people of NY inspires me everyday. The dedication of the staff there makes it such a great place to be a part of. (4) Some customs unique to NYC have been hard to get used to such as, grocery store lines at Fairway starting back 10 feet from the register (sorry to those I accidentally broke in front of last night — I didn’t know!), restaurants unwilling to split up checks, apartment rent prices (ouch), coffee orders – who knew a “regular” Coffee or just “Coffee” meant a coffee plus plenty of milk and sugar. You don’t have to say milk and sugar. You’ll get that thrown in like a bonus. If you order it “Dark” – that means a little milk. Lite or “light” – A lot of milk. More than a regular. Extra-lite or “extra-light” – More milk than a lite. You got to be lactose tolerant to order this way. I still don’t have this figured out so I just say “Black” and add my own stuff.

Well, enough for now. I’m still loving the adventure but will love it even more when Laura is here with me. I’ll start posting pics of the Spring in the City. Until next time….

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!