Hi Jed:
NYC is indeed several other countries. Genie and I feel no culture shock going to Europe, and live in a small bit of Ireland in New York, as one may live in a small bit of any country in New York, even I suppose the rest of the US, if you are invited to diner at the Mayors house.
On the other hand, Genie and I, who dress as we did when we lived in Ireland - our first home together, just because that is the way we are comfy, drove my brothers car for him from Texas to New York. We could not get over the fact that we were staired at in every restaurant from Texas, Missisippi, Louisanna (except for New Orleans) well through out the deep south. Could it be because we did not weigh 400 pounds? Dunnoh?!
I wasnt even wearing my Breton sabots! Well, I do think this little town of ours is an island of sanity in the shaddow of the megga-consumer, tyranasaurous, Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, who eats children in Asia while danceing with them on TV, and his little mouse, friend, Mickey, who eats up American corporations, eating away the graineries of the American worker, as he sells off the companies assetts, that by the way is part of the old wealth gap in America, the rest of the gap is iether working a McJob at the GAP or in jail.
But, keep picking them banjos, that is our common ground... sort of, we use four strings, you guys even add one more string, conspicuous consumption of banjo strings?!:-)
See the rest of the world, America, and you will see how we look from over there, but dont stay at the hilton.
All the best
Larry