A recent trip to New York City reminded me once again of how different we are from our big sister downstate. I’m sure you’ve got a list of your own, but here’s my list of how you know you’re not in Rochester anymore.
- You’re riding in a van from the airport, and everyone around you is speaking French.
- Your hotel room is on the 34th floor.
- You Google your destination, and it gives the route by car, subway, bus, or on foot.
- You’re riding on the subway when a quartet of middle-aged men walks by singing Stand By Me (while also holding a paper bag to collect tips)
- You pass at least a dozen Starbucks in the course of your day.
- You’re having dinner in a diner, and the waitstaff, all Broadway wannabes, entertain you the whole evening with one song after another, all the while also serving your food.
- No one orders pop, not even in the diner.
- You live without driving a car for a whole week.
- You can see the top of the Empire State Building no matter where you are.
- You’re walking down the street, and you happen upon a Broadway star (James Monroe Iglehart – the genie in Aladdin) doing a promo, and you leave thinking he’s your best friend.
- You get 12,000 steps on your fitbit without even trying.