As we ate our "dinner" of ice cream and sprinkles, Professor Eismeier started class by having each of us either mention something interesting about our internships or describe a recent adventure. Almost everybody had something remarkable to say - Liz saw a celebrity, Lexi saw the President, Kristy attended the "Daily Show" and Jess saw an illegal immigrant return into society. Then it was my turn…and I had nothing to say. It wasn't that I hadn't gone anywhere or seen anything; I just felt that compared to everyone else, my little indulgences and journeys seemed trivial and too unexciting to share. I could mention that I escaped to this great little café and devoured a tea with whipped cream that would put Starbucks to shame, watched a man play with fire and dogs run wild in the Village, sat at my window and watched Janet Jackson perform in Battery Park, had a motivating conversation with the man who supplies me with my morning cup of coffee, or watched a basketball game with my friends in our apartment while devouring Amish Market "fish." But none of these events screamed fun or stood out as attention-grabbing. Sitting there and thinking about my days made me realize that it was just the little things that make me take pleasure in the city. While I definitely benefit from attending Broadway Musicals, the Philharmonic and specialty museums, I most enjoy the city for its idiosyncratic little perks and its exhausting yet exhilarating daily grind.
Posted April 7, 2004
