nyc – sabbatiblog

I made some new friends today. At my age, this doesn’t happen every day! My new friends are three start-up founders who are working with some colleagues of mine. We were introduced Monday, then spent time in meetings together Tuesday and Wednesday.

These three are serious, ambitious people. You can tell they are on a mission. But while they take their business seriously, they don’t take themselves too seriously. Throughout the week we laughed, joked, and got to know each other. After our last meeting, we went for lunch.

This is their first time in the U.S., and all they’ve seen of New York is Midtown and Times Square. I wanted them to experience a different side of the city before their long international flight home tonight. We hopped on the train and went to a favorite downtown restaurant of mine.

We had an amazing meal, debriefed on a hectic week, and bonded over shared interests and outlooks. I got the feeling that we are fast friends, and will eventually be longtime friends. I can’t wait to see if I’m right, and to see how this new friendship may deepen.

It’s good to be in New York. Years ago, I was traveling here often enough to start keeping a MetroCard in my wallet year-round. The card is so useful to have on hand, and so noticeably unnoticeable in its thinness, that I was never tempted to remove it from my wallet.

These days I’m in NYC less frequently, but still I haven’t considered ditching my MetroCard. It’s not only the inconvenience of buying a new one for each trip. When I open my wallet and pull out that blue and yellow card, it still gives me a little jolt of happy energy to be here, to know my way around, and to feel familiar, if not native.

All transit systems have issues, but for me New York’s subway works great, and is so far ahead of transit in Chicago and other US cities that I never take it for granted. Nearly every trip I’ve ever taken on the NYC subway has been to or from someplace exciting. Being here it still feels like an adventure. When I’m not here, seeing the MetroCard in my wallet reminds me of what I love about the city, makes me look forward to coming back.