Syndicating Love

The I Love New York logo is a rebus created by Milton Glaser consisting of the capital letter I, followed by a red heart symbol (♥), below which are the capital letters N and Y, set in a rounded slab serif typeface called American Typewriter. The logo and advertising campaign have been used since the mid-1970s to promote tourism in New York City - and also in New York State. I love New York - Wiki

I love New York.

New York is the city that first used the heart symbol to represent the word "love". And now the verb "to love" is being replaced, in yet another internet-driven change to our language, as "to heart". "I heart New York", for example. Weird. First we used symbols to represent words and now we are translating the symbols back into words, though not to the word that they originally represented.

Although I cannot bring myself to say "I heart New York", I do (love it). New York, that is.

What do I love about New York?

One of the things that I love this city is its lack of division between between being private and being public. Between being isolated and being part of the big picture. Between being born in New York and being not.

I love the acceptance of new people by the New York that has existed for 400 years.

People wonder about us  Manhattan New Yorkers - I have to distinguish between Manhattan  urban dwellers and what we call "up-state New Yorkers" -  those who live in rural areas (with bears and waterfalls).

Such people  wonder how we shop at supermarkets, how we live without trees and birds. How we live with concrete and mass-transit? How we live not needing paper books and pay phones.

"Quite well,' I say.

The world is our playground. Well, THEIR playground, I should say - meaning the life and environment of young New Yorkers - I'm getting a bit old to be counted ...

In most other cities and countries the inhabitants draw barriers between private and public life. "The Englishman's home is his castle," sort of thing.

In New York - well in Manhattan that is - is there any other New York? - our bedroom and bathroom and if we are lucky to have one, our kitchen form the nucleus of our homes.

These rooms are for the necessities of life. Social life - exists somewhere beyond these four walls.

Look at the young woman holding a pair of shoes in the photo top left. She's on the subway from New York to Hoboken - on her way home from a Saturday night in Manhattan. So at ease is she, that she's gotten up, grabbed her evening-shoes not bothering even to put them in a bag, and hopped onto the subway to go back home. Just as anyone would carry a pair of shoes from one room to another in a house.

Hoboken Gospel

No suit-case, no back-pack, no boundaries. No hang-ups.

However, as normal as it may be to carry your un-bagged shoes on a subway, there are other aspects of New York that DO attract my attention by being - well, a bit weird.

Take property tax and soft drinks for example. Where else would a realtor put those two things together?

Or the gospel according to ... Hoboken???? Or medical staff wearing their scrubs on public transport. Hardly hygienic. Or people having Great Danes live in high rise apartment blocks - with their own bedrooms.

Strange and unexpected things must be taken in one's stride - as part of a diversity that is essential for the health of any culture.

And diverse New York definitely is.

Yep, there has to be something to be said about the diversity that is New York.

New York, my (adopted) town.

New York - I'm standing in it!

On another note - to add to my list of disappearing things - see      . The typewriter. This YouTube video illustrates what can happen if you don't keep up with technology!

My name is Kathleenwng and I approve this message.