Worlds Colliding

That is how NYC feels to me. This city is full of juxtapositions that make it seem like I live in a dozen different cities at the same time. Examples? I would love to share some.

1. Another subway snippet: The other day as Amelia and I were on the train two Buddhist monks boarded and sat nearby. I watched them for a moment and thought to myself,"How strange and worldly they must find all of this. It must be incredibly overwhelming to come from an ascetic monastic lifestyle and experience the fast-paced, possession centered life of New York City."

As I was preoccupied with these musings, one monk drew an iPad out from his robes and began showing the other monk something on the screen. The second monk then pulled out an iphone and they had an animated conversation in Chinese referring several times to their respective gadgets. Weird.

2. Here's a more visual example; Contrast these photos that were all taken in one weekend. The following are from the conservatory in Central Park:







Compare to these:

City, city and more city. These were taken across the street from our building.






I've heard the U.S. called a melting pot of peoples and cultures. What a strange stew New York City is.