Other thoughts on Manhattan...this is definitely a place to visit and not to live. My friend Helen was telling me how after you live here for awhile you start to lose your mind, your patience, your compassion, your humanity...because there are just way too many people everywhere. Everywhere you turn you see a homeless person asking for money, or even just sitting there looking sad. As a visitor it's easy to feel empathy, to give them your change, to ask the old lady making her way down the subway stairs if she needs help with her bags, but everywhere you turn people need help...or money...or something and I can see how you could just become numb to it all after awhile. Which I think is really sad.

Also, there's no space at all in this city. The apartments are cramped and close together. Even in the hotel room I can hear everything going on in the hallway and in the rooms next door. I think it would drive me nuts to not have any sort of sanctuary in such a hectic world. You can't walk down the street without being jostled and bumped, or even smacked by some lady's coat buckle.

So I guess you could say the bloom is off the rose a bit. I'm still enjoying my vacation here, because I mean how could I not enjoy shopping, relaxing and eating? But I'm also kind of feeling ready to get back to life. And my cat. My friend Henry said she's losing weight =( She misses her parents.