Kamla, who has lived in the US in the recent past but is currently in Bangalore, writes a great piece about my “current” home city.
“….But, the place that takes the cake is definitely New York city. Manhattan is the place to hang out and watch the show. Each person on the road, curbside, train is worth watching. And, the conversations that these folks have on the road, over the phone, in the cafe…it is priceless. There is never a dull moment, and nobody has anytime to stop and smile at you. Everybody is busy hurrying and scurrying like busy little worker ants scurrying from one port of call to another. The best part is the dialogs you hear when you cross the roads. A hallmark of city dwellers is their healthy disrespect for traffic lights. The urge to cross the road at all times is strong. It don’t matter whether it is red, orange or green, it is always green for them to cross the road….”
For the entire post go here.
Cities are an entirely different ecosystem. People’s behavior tends to change so drastically once they enter the confines of downtown, say NYC or Philly. They are virtually unrecognizable from the peaceful docile humans who stepped out of their homes in the suburbs the same morning.