NYC Gives us the Usual Re-Charge

Sitting in my office, high above Broadway, in a large suite at the Broadway Plaza Hotel. New York City traffic honks and sirens its way by, far below our fourth floor window. Outside the Empire State Building has been bathed in green and red light, to the right, far down, are the neon signs and passing pedestrians of Broadway. New York City always charges us up and puts us in a giddy mood.

We had a fun day here, beginning with a 6 am departure in the darkness. Then driving through New Paltz with Kent, we get the blue lights, and then talk our way out of the huge fine....'my wife is a teacher at New Paltz High," Kent says softly from the shotgun seat. It worked, the babyface cop came back with a meager fine and a kind word.

We hit the city and had a terrific meal at a Jamaican place. It was Negril Chelsea, and we were the only people there. Outside a man chatted for a long time on a phone, and the friendly Jamaican waitress brought us curried fish, Negril shrimp, and a Red Stripe. Then we walked down 23rd street to meet Shantini. She's the VP at Spring O'Brien, an agency that handles the New Zealand tourism group, and discussed the details of my journey there in February.

"This place has almost no American tourists," Shantini told me, pointing to a place on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. "It's the classic surf town, and here is where they have this huge arts festival in late February. It's all New Zealanders, and it's pretty unknown in the US.
We'll also take some sailing lessons in Auckland, and go out to an island near the surf town to birdwatch. I asked her to set up visits with 'interesting locals.' This usually guarantees fun meetings, and I like to ask people what they love about living there...that makes great travel story copy.