Thinking, Drinking (coffee)

What could be more New York than a cup of coffee, a bagel and a yellow cab ride?

I'll tell you: Sitting in a Brazilian cafe for an early afternoon snack. Grabbing a "dirty water" hot dog on your way to Central Park. Going out for a sushi supper around 5 pm. Having cold, leftover pizza as a midnight snack. Slipping in 6 hours sleep between 1am and 7am (the city doesn't sleep, its people do). Waking up at 7 am to start over with a bagel with cream cheese and lox, a hot coffee and good conversation with a cab driver from Bangladesh.

New York City will always be an international capital. A patchwork of the globe. I have long taken for granted the cultures that envelop me as a man born, raised and rooted in New York. I have spent years saying if you are from New York and can make it anywhere, why make it hard on yourself? Yet, the more I venture out into the world, I cannot find satisfaction in living in a smaller, quieter place.

My frustration is all too common. And to grind out life in a frenetic environment that often goes against my inner peace and patience is to be an anomaly. A unique bit of a most unique place. An eye of the storm.

I am fascinated by Mick Jagger's fetish for the frenzied place that is New York City. A titan of music and founder of a culture and style all his own, he has seen the globe. He has changed the world. And there is no other place like the city I call home. It may lead to bouts of grandeur on my part, but I also take pride in trying to stand out among all the standouts known as New Yorkers.