I'm smack dab in the middle of my trip

Yep, that's right, I'm halfway through my stay in New York City.  And in light of this landmark occasion, I'd like to reflect on some things I've learned and some musings I've been having lately.  First, this is the longest I have ever been away from home.  That sounds so very sheltered, but I don't think that's really the case - I've been to Europe twice, visiting 6 countries altogether, and, obviously, I've lived in Manhattan for over a month now.  I think it's just that I haven't seen much reason to leave home aside from simply exploring the world.  I'm finding that sometimes the best part about traveling is coming home.  Can you tell I'm a bit homesick?

As for a few things I've learned about New York City:

• The essence of New York City is, apparently, waiting is horrifically long, chaotic lines.
• Customer service is not a top priority for most businesses here.
• I don't think I will ever get used to having to pop my ears because the elevator goes up just that high (I work on the 12th floor).
• Building numbers do not coincide with street numbers - a fact that I find quite frustrating.
• There are some really cute dogs up here.
• As much as we complain about the price of gas, taking the subway is way more expensive (It's $2.25 every time you get on the subway or a bus which would equate to driving about 15-20 miles in terms of gas prices, yet I rarely take the subway more than about 4 miles.).
• It is really easy to find a sandwich with brie in it here (!!).

And speaking of mileage, if you've been following along like the dedicated reader I know you are, you've noticed my daily mileage counts at the bottom of each post.  So far, I have walked a total of almost 120 miles and I average about 3.3 miles per day.  For all my fellow Gainesvillians out there, that's like walking along Archer Road from I-75 to 13th Street, everyday.  Yes, yes, it's good for me, I know, but I can't say that I'm enjoying that part of my stay here.

In an attempt to end my rant of a post on a positive note, I would like to express the fact that I am indeed enjoying my internship, as well as the benefits it has to offer.  As I hope you can tell from previous posts, I do take great pleasure in visiting the amazing museums that the city has to offer, made possible in part by my internship and its free-admission-to-any-museum-in-the-city(-except-the-Museum-of-Sex) benefit.

Today's mileage: 3.33 mi