NYC, brief but satisfying.

Last year they told me 2 days wasn't enough time for Paris. But I made sure it was. I'm from New York and that means I can walk, and when I can't, subways are my friend. {I especially liked the way I could jump off the moving Metro in Paris.}

I had 4 days in nyc and it was very full indeed. I made it to most of my old loves and let in a few new pretty young thangs. I had some underwhelmed-ments and one or two fantastic surprises.

Coney Island is still going strong. My favorite new addition is "Shoot The Freak" a paintball game with the best barker on a mike. With sarcastic lines stretching out over the boardwalk like, "You don't have to wait in line here to shoot our live human target!" I liked this guy's lines so much I visited three times and shamelessly asked if I could have a photo taken next to him. In New York we say that you can tell who the tourists are because they look up, make eye contact and love pointing. Famous for having a child-like interest and never taking for granted the obvious, I decided to rejoice in intentional silliness of the highest order. I carried my favorite new digital camera in a front pocket, looked at everyone, engaged strangers, asked questions, smiled a lot and pointed. Summer can do that to me. I like being in a place where seasons are looked forward to with excited anticipation.

In a series of posts I will cover the foods and businesses and streets that I ate with all five senses.

Comments

[Kudzu]

Shuna -- I was going to write immediately after seeing the ice cream signs and then I looked closely at the photo of you with your father and felt my heart warm to the obvious resemblance and the sweet connection I see there. You are very lucky to be with him.
As for the sign: I just this week decided I could not possibly throw out a metal sign I brought back (folded in my suitcase) from a shop in Cortona years ago. I used to have it in my kitchen and believe it will go back up again. It has the same sort of super-colored-sharp-edged images, only in Italian: croccante, fiordifragola,rico whisky.
As for your quiz: I am stumped by almost all except for salt and mulberries!

[Dad]

So utterly cool to see the photos you took as we strolled looking so great in eggbeaater--super use of this cool technology. Lovely too look at--thank you

Dad

[Dr. Biggles]

YEAH !!! SHOOT THE FREAK !!!
I wanna play, that sounds like so much fun. To run around and be shot at would be grand.

Biggles

[Steven A.]

Shuna,
Thanx for bringing a warm gentle breeze, on a hot summer day, to the "shoot the freak" game. Hopefully we'll be here next year, depending on the plans of the new developer. Coney Island is changing, yet the essence remains. If we are here upon your next visit, feel free to stop by and shot the freak in his freak'n head.
Peace Steven(the barker) A.

[Fatemeh]

Shuna -

So nice that you're able to spend time with your dad. And, like Kudzu said, the resemblance is striking.

How freaking cool is it that the BARKER came to the site?!?!

[shuna]

well thank you all for visiting! my dad and I look so much alike that people who have never met him walk up to him in NYC and say, "are you Shuna's Dad?" or they tell me they've seen my father, never having known him which can be peculiar.

Steven!!!! Wow thank you for not only visiting e g g b e a t e r, but also COMMENTING! very brave and beautiful of you. and I may see you again sooner than you think...Coney Island calls to me like a siren.

[chronicler]

I wasn't sure which matched better, the shirts or the smiles. I have to go with the smiles, the shirts are a way too close second though! I've never been to Coney island and now even I miss it!

[Wend]

he he!! I think I'm blogging?? I been Coney
Island and bought cotton candy. Apparently that's American for 'candy floss'. Some guy asked me for a piece of my cotton candy and I told him he don't need to ponce my cotton candy from me, it only cost a dollar or two and I could see he was doing good business on his fleamarket type stall so he should go buy his own cotton candy and stop pestering the tourists. I think he understood my English (read 'Yorkshire straight talking mixed with London attitude' - a force to be reckoned with!!) humour!! I bought a tee shirt too. On the way their two young guys were rapping and dancing on the subway (do they still call it subway when it ain't 'sub'??). You don't get that in London. Shuna rocks!!

[cujobklyn]

thank you for my free short cake it was great.do you deliver?

ps..
wheres my cute picture?