bah humbug

It is the holiday season in New York. The shop windows showcase elaborate displays. The smell of pine from the trees being sold on the sidewalks lingers in the air. The peal of the Salvation Army Santas' bells cut through the sound of sirens and honking. And the city is over saturated with tourists. Unfortunately, my office is located in tourist central -- I am caught between Times Square (no explanation needed), Fifth Avenue (which is unnavigable this time of year), Bryant Park (free ice skating and temporary kiosks selling all kinds of nonsense), Radio City Music Hall (home of the Rockettes and crowds of people wearing matching sweatshirts) and Rockefeller Center.

It is bad enough when the tourists block the sidewalks while alternately pointing at something or leafing through their guide books. Or when they don't step all the way into subway cars during the rush hour commute. But get a super-sized crowd on tourists together and there is no avoiding them. Rock Center is a tourist Mecca -- they come to ogle the ice skaters who were swindled into paying $27 for their entry and skate rental. They take pictures by the statue of Prometheus. And then there is that damned tree. Tonight is the night of the Rockefeller Tree lighting. It is 4:46 pm and the streets are already mobbed with tourists. The only thing that is worse is Times Square on New Year's Eve. I find that my patience with tourists grows shorter every year. This morning while walking through Times Square to get to work, I had to remind myself that it is not ok to elbow strangers when they walk 4 people across at a snail's pace. It is better to walk on the street in order to pass them.

I came upon this today. I think that Mayor Bloomberg should seriously consider establishing a new city agency. We need it.