The City Lights

Last night, I went into Manhattan, to visit my newborn great niece. I have not driven into NYC in years. I usually take the train, but this time, it would not have been convenient. We packed our gifts into the car and off we went. Speeding along for about 4 miles. Then dead stop. The dreaded Long Island Expressway traffic. We sat and sat and sat. Literally, parked on the road. While we were sitting, a few fire trucks whizzed by, on the shoulder, so we knew that there was an accident ahead. Finally, we started to move. We were more impatient than usual because we were all so excited to see the baby. Once we crossed the bridge, we were immersed in a sea of lights. Half of them were from the cars ahead but the rest were from the buildings. I find it amazing, how these skyscrapers are built so architecturally beautiful, in such a limited space. We parked the car and walked around the block to head towards the building where my niece lives. The city was so alive, we actually stopped to take a picture. Just like tourists. The building we were going to, had a courtyard and a garden and an outdoor sitting area, so even though it was directly in the middle of Manhattan, it still felt like a bit of the suburbs. We are only 35 miles away from the city but life there is so different.