Random Monday Morning Thoughts - NYC Roundup

• I've got some pictures that I'll try to post tonight.
• I look forward to cold weather as much as anyone, but after walking around in 31 degree temperature for three days, I'll take warm any day.
• There are a lot of people in this world.
• The Coyote Ugly bar (which I didn't really want to go to since I figured it would be a tourist trap) is frighteningly authentic. (At least until the tour bus arrived carrying a group of folks that I labeled "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Goes Out Once Night A Year" arrived.)
• St. Patrick's Cathedral may be one of my favorite places ever to walk into. But it's awkward in that everyone is walking around flashing pictures in a place that seems very holy.
• The Christmas tree and ice rink at Rockefeller Center is surprisingly small. (And all I could think about was when Meredith Viera busted her head skating with Will Ferrell.)
• No general rudeness at all. Heard "excuse me" more often there than I do when I'm at home.
• Funny line heard when after arriving at La Guardia and seeing most of the airport stores and restaurant shut down: "For a city that never sleeps, there sure are a lot of things closed."
• Had and Arabic speaking cab driver that one on a long anti-George Bush rant. Had another one take us to his favorite pizza-by-the-slice place in order to avoid "those that sell cardboard."
• Had a cab driver who owned his own cab tell us it now costs "250" to get a medallion that authorizes a cab driver to do what he does. I haven't looked it up yet, but I bet he meant $250,000.
• Saw a cab crash into the side of a limo in downtown Manhattan which gave rise to a very tense standoff between the two drivers. And I saw an older couple just get out of the cab and get lost in the crowd.
• Didn't realize cabs now have a GPS screen in the back to show you where you are.
• One establishment, later at night, frisked ladies before they were allowed to enter but guys weren't searched at all. Odd.
• I managed to watch the first half of the Tech/OU game. What a disaster.
• Ordered a "sandwich" and it came out of as a bagel.
• Those menus aren't very health conscience up there. But they also walk everywhere.
• Stayed one night at the Affinia hotel. Nice.
• If you worked in Manhattan but lived outside of Manhattan, your life would be one big beating.
• I saw what had to be the equivalent of a bullet train going through New Jersey, and I was told it could be heading to a place like D.C. and travels over 100 mph. I had no idea we had those in this country.
• Overhead a guy on cell phone on a train say he was heading into the city because: "I gotta see about a girl."
• Overheard two other guys talking about the virtues of baseball player Mark Teixeira with amazing detail even though he's never played for a New York area team.They do like their baseball in the northeast.
• Walked by the Nasdaq building in Times Square and, inside, they were filming a group of people cheering the closing bell on a set that made it look like they were overlooking the trading floor. We've been lied to!!!
• Airports were more fun when you got to see friends and family waiting for other people inside the terminals. When I was in high school, Saturday Night Live did a touching (yes, touching) short film of nothing but airport greetings as the song "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkle played in the background. I've never forgotten it.
• I played Rock Band 2 (the bass guitar part) for the first ever this weekend. What a time wast but what incredible fun.