50 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT NEW YORK (no particular order), 50 MORE TO FOLLOW.

1. Brooklyn. They say 1/4 of Americans have roots there. If that were only true, this country would be a lot better off. Brooklyn has pride. It has glory and sorrow, happiness and danger, all rolled into one big cannoli with a slice of white. It has a neighborhood for everyone. And people who live in Brooklyn are proud to be from Brooklyn. Hell. We got t-shirts. As my friend Gingi says, try shouting “Brooklyn in the house!” in a crowded bar or any large group of people from around the world. Someone will shout “WOOOOOOOOO!!!!HOOOOOO!!!!” As well they should. After all, it is the greatest borough.

2. We have broroughs. Three of them. Five if you count Staten Island (which is Jersey) and Queens (which is so Long Island). I kid, I’m a kidder. And within these great boroughs, you have neighborhoods. Many of them. And each borough has it’s own persona, it’s own glory, it’s own being. Life in this city isn’t just about you, it’s about the people around you and the city itself.

3. Power: Yep. Ugly word to some. But this city gives you strength. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. The city is alive and when it loves you, it makes you the greatest person in the world, capable of doing anything, however large or small. Some days buying a hair dryer is a challenge, but when you manage it, you know you’ve accomplished something. Because you had to work for it. Nothing comes easy here but the rewards of hard work are often…power.

4. Katz's which has, hands down, the very best pastrami in the world. You have literally not consumed pastrami until you eat here. Plus, if you order to go, they will give you a yummy and BIG sample. They have fabulous egg creams and surly but warm waitresses. I shine when I eat there.

5. Egg Creams: No, there’s no egg in it. Nor is there any cream. There are as many theories about where the name came from as there are delis. But whether they are vanilla or chocolate, their taste is extrordinary.

6. Coney Island: I have ridden roller coasters from here to California and back. And none have been as breathtaking, laughter-inducing, or terrifying as riding the Cyclone at Coney Island on a beautiful spring day. I only ride it with my friend Kristie and we scream and scream and then get off and laugh and laugh until we have to go get cotton candy and a beer. Coney Island is just like New York City. Grungy, slightly dangerous, a mix of all kinds of people, and absolutely filled with treasure if you look hard enough and can look past the surface.

7. Tiffany's: ‘Nuff said. Yes, there are other Tiffany’s in strip malls in California and you can buy some of their stuff in swanky boutiques across the country. But nothing, NOTHING is like shopping at the REAL Tiffany’s.

8. Prospect Park: Some may prefer Central Park. In fact, most do not even know PP exists. But I prefer it. It’s more intimate, more neighborly.

9. Brooklyn Bridge: I actually prefer going over the Manhattan Bridge so I can see the beauty of the Brooklyn Bridge. These days, there are huge American flags at the top. On a crisp fall New York day, you can almost count the stars and see the support cables. The cables. They are artwork in themselves. It is an amazing amazing feat of engineering.

10. THE YANKEES: God bless them. They embody all that is New York. Everyone hates them cause they’re so good. They’re so good because the city invests in them being good. They’re cocky and arrogant and fun to watch. Even when they lose, they are glorious.

11. Yankee Stadium: Not the only reason to go to the Bronx, but the best one. Walk in there and you can feel the history, the strength, and the power that is the New York Yankee Franchise.

12. Statue of Liberty: Seeing it from The Beast, my office conference room, or in a taxi on the way home, it is just inspirational. It can still bring tears to my eyes thinking of the immigrants who had this as their first sight of the new world. And how overwhelming NYC must have seemed to them. But they made it. I’m living proof.

13. Times Square: More lights, more tourists and more renovation than seems humanly possible. Bigger and better than life. Just like New York to take Times Square and make it DisneyLand.

14. The World Trade Center: Gone, but not forgotten. Hardly anyone liked it til it was gone. But it was my neighborhood. Glistening with power and speed, you could even see them in Jersey. And it was just cool. It was beautiful in it’s own way. It was ours.

15. Delivery of EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. Not that I do. But if I WANTED TO, I could order pot delivered to my door. Along with groceries, laundry and pet food.

16. Sample Sales: Where else can you get 60% off fashion that is so current, it’s barely hit NEW YORK stores yet?

17. The Mushroom People who appear from the sewers selling weather appropriate goods. For example, when it rains, they appear with umbrellas. When it’s cold, they got gloves. In summer they got yer sunglasses.

18. Uncle Louie’s Italian Ice: No. Not the crap you get from the ice cream man. This stuff tastes rich and creamy and comes in millions of flavors. I recommend Coney Island Cotton Candy.

19. The sheer number of songs about New York. Period.

20. Flowers on every corner: They’re cheap, they die quick, but they light up the city.

21. The smell of roasting almonds on every corner.

22. Real Neighborhoods: That means, for those of you who go from garage to car to parking lot to car to garage…active places where people congregate and live their lives together in close proximity. It means that my hairdresser knows my masseuse who knows the owner of my favorite bar whose sister lives next door to me who knows the woman down the block who knows a guy who will move your car for you on street sweeping day. And we all shop at the Key Food. And we all take the N/R. And we have brunch at New College. And we watch each other’s kids grow up.

23. People TALK to Each Other: This morning I bought tulips at the deli on the way. On my way out, I stopped to smell the lilies because they are my wedding flowers and I love the smell. The delivery guy says to me “Smell good? I think those were fresh this morning.” I tell him they do and I love them cause they were from my wedding. He says “Me, we had those stephanoplois wedding flowers.”

24. Public Transportation: Ah, sweet smelly sticky subways and buses. For $63/month, I can go to JFK, the Bronx Zoo, The World’s Fair, and Central Park. All without gassing up a car, sitting in traffic, or getting on a “freeway.” My use of public transportation may not change the world but it doesn’t hurt.

25. Literature on the Streets: All over the place, people sell books for a dollar on street corners.

26. People READ Here. Everyone reads. On the subways, waiting for busses, they read everything from trashy novels to great classic works of literature. Today I saw a man reading Finnegan’s Wake on the subway. From living out west, I can tell you that the majority of people don’t even know James Joyce exists.

27. People WALK places. And take cabs. But they walk a lot. And being outside with so many other people is an experience that changes how you view your neighborhood, your family, and what it means to participate in society.

28. Pizza. Will accept no arguments here. The best pizza in the world can be found in New York City. The worst pizza here is the best pizza you can dream of in Boise.

29. Chinese Food. See above. You may have your own Chinatown. Sure. But come on.

30. Bagels. Yes, yes. I see that there’s a “New York Bagel” in Duluth. Good for you. Just so you know, though. It's not just the boiling. It’s the water. Again. The crappiest bagels from the street vendors rank a 7 on a scale of 1-10. And unless you’ve had a 10, don’t tell me your Einstein Bagels rank anything above a 6.

31. Rockefeller Center: Personally, I only like it in the winter when it is a shiny glowing holiday festival of lights.

32. The Rest of the Country, despite 9/11, hates us. And I know why. It’s like when you hate your older sibling. Or the lacrosse team that went 12-0 last season.

33. Speaking of 9/11: People here gave each other shoes to walk home in. THAT is New York. It was before the 11th and it remains as such. People still cry on the subway. And people still offer them tissues.

34. Broadway: We don’t go as often as we should. None of us do. But we know we can go. Whenever we want.

35. The Empire State Building: Every so often, before the 11th, the lights would change on the ESB. You can request that they shine pink for Breast Cancer Awareness or your country flag for your heritage celebration. Often it is just white. Since the 11th it has been red, white and blue. I can’t wait until I look out my window again and see it red and green or blue and white or some other combination.

36. Water: NYC tap water. MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

37. Staten Island Ferry: It’s free. There’s beer. You can ride it all day. Can you beat that?

38. Coop City: When I was little, I thought this was the most glorious place in the world. I wanted to live there when I grew up. Now I’m older and wiser, but I still love it. It has it’s own White Castle and a population larger than most small cities.

39. SNOW!!!!: Snow in New York is unlike snow anywhere else. And it is different from borough to borough, street to street.

40. The Beast: It speeds around lower Manhattan. You get soaking wet. They play loud rock music. They will point out Brooklyn as you speed past. And Brooklyners will cheer. You get on this boat with tourists, Hassidim, and assorted New Yorkers. And go real fast.

41. Rays and Not Rays Famous Pizza: No one knows where the “real” Famous Ray’s Pizza is. Everyone will claim it is in their neighborhood. But I know where it’s not. It is NOT at Not Ray’s in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Incidentally, I have tried many many of the “Original Ray’s” and “Ray’s Famous” and none of them are as good as Not Ray’s.

42. Subway Murals & Ceramic Work: The very best new one is at Canal Street. The ones at DeKalb are in complete disrepair but you can see how once upon a time it was georgeous.

43. The Flatiron Building: It UNDULATES! It draws the eye downtown where it belongs.

44. Neil Diamond is from New York City, Brooklyn to be precise. ‘Nuff said.

45. Anonymity: Despite the smallness of the neighborhoods, you can also be anyone or anything you want to be. Pretend you are a fashionista or a derelict. No one outside your neighborhood will remember you.

46. Street Pretzels: Probably not very good for you but soooooooooooooo yummy.

47. The Halloween Parade: The biggest freak show Halloween celebration in the land. A festival of depravity and delight.

48. The Mermaid Parade: Coney Island Craziness at it’s finest. Celebrating the Coney Island experience.

49. Authentic Ethnic Neighborhoods: Where you can still sit down and hear nothing but Russian for hours. Or get a good Jamaican Beef Patty.

50. Parades in General: This city loves a parade. Any ethnicity. Any day. Prancing around town, singing songs and flying flags. It’s all a big festival.

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