New York

So I'm sitting in my friend Chris's apartment waiting for Caitlin to come back from her interview with Focus. I can't really go anywhere because there's only one set of keys and Caitlin has them...so it's time to update, I think.

The apartment is on the 12th floor, next to it is a large gothic-style church. From the bedroom I'm staying in, I can look down and see the roof, oxidized copper-plated ribs on wood shingles in that distinctive shape of nave and apse. The enormous green-copper steeple almost comes to the height of my window, and little dragon-gargoyles point off in all directions at its base. I expect some sort of comic-book trableau to be in progress every time I look out the window, especially at night. All around are tall office buildings, they all can see into the poorly-masked bedroom. In the mornings I can see a minimum of 30 people at their individual desks. Taking the phone booth-sized elevator down to street level I pass the back door to one of the neighbouring restaurants (there is a constant noise from kitchen late into the night) down the narrow hallway, past the front desk (occupied in the evenings by a large, long haired, tattooed guy in a wifebeater) and out onto the street. I walk half a block. Literally. I am in Times Square. People are everywhere, buying, selling, commuting, the place is thick with tourists snapping pictures. I left my camera in Vancouver otherwise I might be one of them; maybe I should be happy about that.

Time to go explore...