AFTER CHRISTMAS IN NYC

I love NYC when it's cold and blustery. To suddenly receive that ray of sunshine through the tips of the buildings after walking blocks with the wind against you gives you a burst of warmth you don't appreciate anywhere else. As the winds whirl around you and you shove your way through the crowds, that sudden gleam on your face can almost always warrant a smile--that is, unless you live there. But, as a "tourist" or as I like to be called, a visitor, it's the little things in New York that you don't take for granted. You're not in such a rush to not enjoy the steam bellowing from the subway vents, or the nasty stench of chestnuts roasting on an unopen fire. You have the time to take in the beautiful, smoke stained carvings on some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. You truly appreciate the store windows at SAKS or Bergdorfs, even Tiffany's--which a lot of us don't have in our home towns. The next time you're in NYC, slow down, smell the stench of the city....look at the detailed architecture, wonder where that guy bustling through like a steam engine is going. Let your senses come alive and enjoy the life there. What a life it is. But, especially enjoy that fleeting moment of sun on your face before it's taken away by the next highrise.