Reflections on a weekend in NYC

A couple weeks ago I hopped a flight to NYC to hang out with some friends and, more generally, to just go somewhere.
I left work early Friday and bolted for DIA. Last time I drove to the airport, on my way to a failed Australia trip, there was traffic and construction so I allowed myself plenty of time and made my flight without breaking a sweat – the first time that’s happened in a while.
Arriving in the city the first thing I remembered is that New York has some of the most amazing food I’ve ever encountered. I’m not talking about going to some fancy restaurant with fancy garnishes and small portions. I’m talking about the smells the immediately and continuously invade the nose from corner pizza places, or Jewish deli’s that have been in business for 70 years, or even falafel from a street cart (one of my favorites as a vegetarian messenger in Manhattan). I love that ethnic food from literally all over the world is consolidated to within a few subway stops.
Sunday I met up with some cousins I haven’t seen in a few years. First of all I’d like to say that I have an amazing extended family. I have cousins from New England to Hawaii, and even a couple abroad, and they’re all awesome. I haven’t been great about visiting family though so I was stoked by the realization that bonds haven’t diminished. We talked about family and growing up and all kinds of interesting and fun but kind of deep topics and it was great.
My flight home at 7am required a pretty early departure from my cousin’s couch. Buses, trains, subway legs, it was all very complicated and at 4am the schedules are unpredictable. I decided instead to huff it and started walking through the early morning city streets enjoying a quiet afforded by the light layer of snow on the ground. There’s something so peaceful about such a massive city asleep – it made me think of how many people are living in such a confined place, all living individual lives but coexisting with similar activities and experiences.
I fell asleep on the plane and next thing I knew I was back in the small town wild west of Colorado.