No reason to complain

Today it was a very sunny and there was a gorgeous blue sky. The 3 hours on the train are worth it when you can be outside and enjoying the scenic views of the Hudson river. There is not a lot of places that look like this and some of the things you pass by in the river make you wonder just who built them and when.

West Point Military Academy is one of these architectural wonders sitting up on the cliffs above the water. The buildings overshadow everything around them and sometimes you can catch a mirrored reflection on the water below. Around Beacon, NY there are the ruins of a castle on a small island on the east side of the river. Who built a castle in the Hudson and why did they let it go into disrepair?

Sometimes the water is smooth as glass and other times it's so windblown that whitecaps appear and mist is blowing off the tops of the small waves. But today is one of those days where the blue sky is reflecting off the top of the water as you go past Yonkers, Sleepy Hollow, the Tappan Zee bridge and of course Sing Sing prison. It's beautiful and makes me glad I don't live in the cramped city and that I get to enjoy such sights.

To tell the truth, I have no reason to complain. If I had to pick a place to live and still have proximity to New York City I'm not sure I could do any better. The train ride is a little long but in my opinion it's worth the trip to be away from all the hustle and bustle and stink of the city.

Speaking of stink, ever walk down 48th street between Madison and 5th avenues on a warm summer day? It smells like garbage and vomit. There is a milky-white liquid in the gutter of the street that won't go away and it stays there and the smell gets worse as the day gets warmer. Then there is a cafe on the block where for some reason people sit outside and eat their breakfast. I guess tried and true New Yorkers have lost their sense of smell.

But what a place! Tourists everywhere in midtown. Today there were three groups of people blocking the sidewalk and by the time I got to the third I was audibly telling people to move out of the way. "Excuse me... move please... THANK YOU" was all I said and the tour guide
says, "It's ok sir, settle down, it's ok." I think they were from Indiana or somewhere like that, I wasn't even being rude. If I wanted to be rude I would have said, "HEY! PEOPLE BLOCKING THE SIDEWALK!! THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS CITY BESIDES YOU!! MOVE!!"

I like New York but I won't be sad when I leave it all behind me... for the second time. Ok, maybe I did a little complaining, but who could blame me?