Swine Flu (Influenza A/H1N1) is rapidly spreading, and has become a item of major concern to public health agencies around the globe. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has declared a public health emergency in the United States. Their response goals are to help reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public to address the challenges posed by this emergency.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the outbreak. To assist in this endeavour, the CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to help coordinate the investigation.

The United States Government has thus far reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death in Texas. Mexico has reported 97 confirmed human cases of infection, including seven deaths. The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Austria (1), Canada (19), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).

The World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5 on April 29, 2009.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Staying healthy

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Key Facts about Swine Influenza (Swine Flu)

What is Swine Influenza? Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

How many swine flu viruses are there? Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

Swine Flu in Humans

Can humans catch swine flu? Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans? In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans? The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork? No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread? Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu? In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.

In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed? To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans? There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there? Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).

Is the H1N1 swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses? No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.

Swine Flu in Pigs

How does swine flu spread among pigs? Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild or no symptoms of infection.

What are signs of swine flu in pigs? Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

How common is swine flu among pigs? H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur in colder weather months (late fall and winter) and sometimes with the introduction of new pigs into susceptible herds. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of infection. In the U.S. studies have shown that 30 percent of the pig population has antibody evidence of having had H1N1 infection. More specifically, 51 percent of pigs in the north-central U.S. have been shown to have antibody evidence of infection with swine H1N1. Human infections with swine flu H1N1 viruses are rare. There is currently no way to differentiate antibody produced in response to flu vaccination in pigs from antibody made in response to pig infections with swine H1N1 influenza.

While H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human H3N2 viruses.

Is there a vaccine for swine flu? Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

* Facts in this release are provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Swine Flu web sites. The CDC is one of the major operating components of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

I smiled and said, “then it’ll be a refreshing change.”

All kidding aside, there’s plenty to say about visiting our country’s most populated city. Its history is replete with everything that makes for great movies, including making movies. It was Hollywood before Hollywood. The country’s comic book industry began there. It’s the first place in the world where “going up” meant REALLY going up. Skyscrapers became the norm as early as the 1920s. They hit their heyday in the early 1930s when the Chrysler Building and the legendary Empire State Building was built.

Sure, I knew all this before we arrived in Manhattan. No matter how much about New York I thought I knew, I could never have been fully prepared for the staggering reality that the Big Apple would present.

Legendary Empire

We only had a few days to see the City that Never Sleeps. My time was even more limited since I had to attend a seminar while in town. I didn’t complain a whole lot since the class was held inside the Empire State Building. I admit, I was a bit nostalgic the entire time.

One of my favorite books of all time is Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer-prize winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It’s a story of two Jewish boys that live in 1930’s New York City, who created their own comic book that was eventually published by Empire Comics – you guessed it – with an office in the Empire State Building. If you’re even half the comic book nerd I was as a kid, then you’ll not be able to put this book down.

My best friend of 30 years called while I was in the elevator, the very same best friend who suggested – no, demanded – that I read Kavalier. He asked what I was doing. “Oh, I’m getting off an elevator in the Empire State Building.”

“You suck!” he said. I knew he had been to New York before, but he never made it to the Empire. We talked a little about the book, and he reiterated just how much he hated me at that moment. I never felt better.

By the way, there’s a comic book store right across from the ESB on 33rd Street called “Empire Comics.” I resisted the temptation to go into that store – my bank account can only take so much!

My seminar was in itself an experience, as it was a class called “Train the Trainer.” Part of my profession is to conduct training classes in Photoshop and other Adobe products, so this is a step toward the needed certifications.

The class itself was small, with seven other training professionals (including the instructor), all from New York. Once they knew I was from out of town – a Southerner, even – they went out of their way to welcome me. I enjoyed telling them about my home state as much as they enjoyed telling me about all their favorite eateries and hangouts.

The conversation migrated to the events of September 11, a topic I really didn’t want to broach. After all, those atrocities happened right there in New York City. I felt a ping in my spine the first time I saw the skyline from the George Washington bridge; a skyline without the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

One man, Obinna Nwoke, whose family hailed from Nigeria, told with teary eyes how he went to work even mere days after the 11th. “The smell from the buildings – it was horrible – it lasted for months,” he said. Even after more than six years, it still brings tears to his eyes. He told of how he had to go through several checkpoints in order to get to his job, which happened to be in Lower Manhattan at the time. He described it as constant state of fear. “I just wanted to go to work,” Nwoke said. He added, “We were scared every time we went into a building.”

I finally understood what that line in RENT meant: “I’m a New Yorker. Fear is my life.” I couldn’t imagine what they went through during that horribly dark time. I recounted how we gathered around our television sets that morning. To actually be in the city where the buildings collapsed, well, it’s a whole new feeling of comprehension. The men I got to know in that room all had their own story to tell. Ultimately, though, they were stories of overcoming. They overcame their fear, their anxieties, and found a renewed strength and passion to do their jobs; terrorism be damned. I felt a sense of pride as an American as I got to hear their stories.

There was a sense of even greater urgency as we discussed these events in another of the world’s tallest buildings, a building that had itself been hit by a plane once. When I left the Empire later that afternoon, I did so not as a visitor, but as someone who was welcomed as a fellow New Yorker, even if it was to be just for a few days.

Subway – Which Way?

Aside from big buildings, New York City has one major challenge for all visitors from out of town: public transportation. The city boasts one of the world’s best public transportation systems (and arguably the most taxis per capita I’ve ever seen).

Whether you want to take a bus or the Subway, you’re sure to get around town very quickly (as long as you don’t drive).
That is, once you figure out just where the hell you want to go. Central Park? Take the A, B, or C train. Uptown? Take the D or F train. Downtown? Take any of these trains, but be sure you’re going the right direction. Crosstown? Take the 1, 2, or 3 trains. Whew. Thank heaven the local NYPD officers were so helpful (and patient) for visitors to ask which train to take.

The Subway has a mystique of its own, which presented to me an experience like I’ve never seen: The subway preacher. One afternoon while I was headed toward Columbus Square, I entered a train that would be at least a five minute ride to the next stop. An African-American man entered the train with a huge duffel bag and began his inspiring message by asking for donations to help his church feed the homeless.

After a few “God Bless You’s,” he began his fiery sermon of how he was once a crackhead, and now he’s filled with the Holy Spirit, changed by the power of God. He spoke with passion and power. Interestingly, though, the entire car largely ignored the man. They listened to their iPods (I think there are more iPods per capita in New York than anywhere else in the world), they read their copy of the New York Post. For me, it was a fascinating experience. For everyone else on the train, it was just another day on the Subway.

My companion and I both bought MetroCards for use around town, which is essential. There are kiosks around town that sell the ubiquitous cards – giving every New Yorker a chance to get around town at their leisure.

Lights, Camera, M&Ms!

If any particular place in New York is overwhelming to this Southern boy, then it’s certainly Times Square. We’ve all seen films that feature this legendary intersection, as well as the countless New Year’s Eve events. There’s seeing it on TV, and then there’s actually seeing it! The lights are as dazzling as they are breathtaking. They move, they dance, they have forty-foot video screens. The Coca-Cola sign, in its latest incarnation, is a broken-up computerized gizmo that has dozens of smaller screens to make up the whole.

In short, the whole experience of Times Square was “Bambi, meet headlights.” I’ll freely admit it: I gawked the entire time. No matter how mentally prepared I was, the dazzle of the Times Square lights was enough to give me a sense of being incredibly, hopelessly small.

I don’t know what came over me. I was instantly on a beeline to some place special. I couldn’t help myself. I was irresistibly drawn to the M&M World store. Call it curiosity, or just call me a “sucker,” but I couldn’t help myself. I HAD to see that store. My sister told me of it, so I knew it was going to be an unique experience. Boy, was it ever!

The store features a myriad of M&M-themed items, all of which were stamped with either the “m” logo or had one (or many) of their M&M mascot characters adorning them.

Along two inner walls were vast columns, each filled with a single color of M&Ms. Combined, they formed a confection spectrum that drew dozens of people at a time, each filling their own bag of M&Ms with their favorite color. I created a red-white-and-blue bag for myself. For my purple-centric partner, it was to be a bag of purple and teal candies.

Now the big question is whether we want to eat them – alas, I’m sure the nostalgia will wear off eventually. I suspect that if I bring them to the office, that my fellow artists will devour them in just a few minutes

The Big Apple in the Big Apple

I admit it. I’m an Apple nerd. I’ve turned over a new leaf. This former windoze-only guy has now been converted into a Mac evangelist! Want to play? Windoze is fine. But if you want to get real work done, then get a Mac! There. I did the “get-a-Mac” spiel. Now go buy yourself a Mac so you can be cool like the rest of us.

Being cool isn’t the only reason to get a Mac, however. When you have a Mac, you can be one of the millions of people who get misty-eyed every time you walk into an Apple store. What’s more, you can visit Apple’s flagship store on 5th Avenue, near Central Park. It is heralded by a giant glass cube with a simple apple logo hovering in the middle of it.

A friend of ours offered to meet us at the Apple store on Wednesday before we went to dinner. Who was I to complain about such a wonderfully brilliant idea? We quickly agreed.

We also deliberately arrived at the store about an hour early so we could properly drool over all the new Macs – especially that nifty little MacBook Air. It’s small, it’s sleek. It’s incredibly light. But no optical drive. Oh well. I’ll stick with my two-week-old MacBook Pro instead.

I know. I’m such a nerd. I was also a nerd in a store full of fellow Mac nerds, and it was indeed Mac heaven. I’m even getting misty-eyed just thinking about it. I actually felt a little depressed that I was already content in my Mac ownership that I didn’t even need to get that mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter. Oh well.

Everything is RENT

One simply cannot visit New York without taking in one of the many shows on Broadway. I found out that RENT, the popular play that opened in 1996 to rave reviews, was due to close this year. It spawned a major motion picture and at least two major soundtracks.

It was a cultural phenomenon as well, and created a whole new class of play attendees called “RentHeads.” These are people who wait at the door in the hopes of getting a chance to sit on the front two rows for only $20 a ticket. After all, what good is a story about bohemia if bohemians can’t see it?

Written as an adaptation of La Vie Boheme, it tells the tale of a group of friends in the late 1980’s who all must endure the impact of HIV and AIDS. What makes the story so universal in its appeal is that while there are indeed some gay subplots, they are merely parts of the overall story.

RENT was written by the late Jonathan Larson, who died of a heart attack the night before opening night. It cast a huge, dark shadow over the entire production. That shadow didn’t last long as the popularity of the play grew into the spotlight once everyone realized that it was actually a great play. Larson’s death actually grew into the mythos of the play, appearing to give it a boost from beyond.

If you’ve seen the movie or heard the soundtrack, you know that there’s a scene during which Maureen encourages the audience to “moo” with her. Yes, we mooed. It was icing on a very rich cake of an evening of entertainment.

An Unexpected Pleasure

One of the most unanticipated delights of the trip was an impromptu visit to a small French diner that’s just across from an ornate French restaurant that looked too expensive to read the sign (maybe that’s why I don’t remember the name of the restaurant). This quant little diner presented a classic 1950’s décor that offered relief from the cold and rain with two older gentlemen who offered a quick dessert and coffee.

I ordered a simple cup of hot tea (with milk instead of lemon) and a Greek salad. I didn’t realize it came with anchovies. I figured, “what the hell?” and tasted one. My dad loves them, so why not? My taste buds apparently haven’t changed very much since the last time I tasted anchovies when I was a child. They were revolting. Not wanting to be an unwelcome guest, I simply moved the rest of them off the plate. Yuck. No more anchovies for David.

The diner itself looked a little out of place in modern New York City, but that was part of its charm. Anchovies aside (literally), there’s nothing like a cup of hot tea on a cold evening, especially after miles of walking in the country’s most storied city.

Oh, the walking. How could I forget? I remembered how much I felt the “burn” after walking through the Sequoia National Forest last year. Even that paled by comparison this time around. We walked so much that even my rear end hurt. I forgot there were muscles back there!

The Exclamation Point

In all, the trip was entirely too short. We visited the Museum of Natural History, only to be chased out after a couple of hours since it was close to closing time. I chuckled at the sight of a standee of the Ben Stiller film, “A Night in the Museum,” which featured the Natural History museum. The planetarium featured a “Cosmic Collisions” film narrated by Robert Redford, and a short film about the Big Bang, narrated by Maya Angelou.

On the other side of the museum were large dioramas and life-size replicas of animals that populate the globe. One room featured a full-size model of a blue whale. Another exhibit featured a cutting from a giant Sequoia. “Been there,” I thought to myself. It was over fourteen feet in diameter. It was a small one.

We took the subway back to the parking garage, and began our gridlocked trip out of town. I’m really glad we weren’t in a hurry, since it was plainly evident that we were going nowhere fast. I started to understand why there was so much advertising plastered all over the walls in New York – What else are drivers going to look at?

We left town via the Holland Tunnel, located on the south side of town. It’s a mile-long tunnel that literally goes under the mighty Hudson River. We emerged on the New Jersey side and began the journey to our next destination.

When we crested a hill a couple of miles later, we saw her. Yes, her. Lady Liberty. Sure, she was a good mile or two away, but there she was in all her glory. The sun had begun to set by then, and the lights were turned on, so she appeared to glow over the horizon.

My breath was completely taken away. Nothing in New York was as breathtaking as seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. I didn’t even think I’d be able to see her, but there she was. God, she was beautiful. I can only imagine the audible gasps that immigrants would release upon seeing her for the first time after a long sea voyage.

This trip was one experience in delight after another. To see the Statue of Liberty at its closure was as fitting of an exclamation point as I could imagine.

Leaving New York City was like leaving a new friend. I don’t think I’ll ever want to live there, but I sure want to go back.

New York City holds a diversity of people, culture and places. I spent three days sightseeing in Manhattan in October, and this is what I observed: you rate whether it is good or bad, then see if you can justify why.

Times Square. You can’t walk it and not feel the excitement.

Thousands of people are always on the move; it is truly the city that never sleeps — with constant noise, constant traffic, horns honking along with the lights and excitement on Broadway.

Live Theatre. We saw Les Miserables and The Drowsy Chaperone. Not only were they brilliant performances, but they moved us into a new understanding of life, just as a good book would do. There’s a box office where people line up to get discount tickets. Every show fills up. A friendly woman told me that there are good prices on matinees for the off Broadway productions.

In New York City, there is an abundance of health food markets, fresh fruit and vegetable markets (pictured right), bakeries, specialty shops, drug stores with everything including the socks you forgot to bring; any kind of store you need is right around the corner. No need — in fact it’s a complete hassle — to own a car.

The Subway (the stuff of which legends and horror stories are made) takes you anywhere and everwhere.The subway is crowded, ugly, and the cheapest way that everyone travels. Taxis are an alternative. They’re everywhere and they drive like maniacs, come equipped with crash bumpers, but like Jim, the moped rider said, “they’re really good drivers.” He doesn’t fear them, even on his moped. “Everyone who uses the streets of New York has to be very alert.” A bicycle-pulled buggy got us to the show on time; while taxis were stuck in traffic, we zigzagged around them.

Restaurants that we observed or went to offered Indian-health food, Pakistan, Asian (with fresher vegetables than what I can buy here), Korean, Italian, Deli’s (with sandwiches packed high with meat and often served with a side of sour pickles). The Farmers Market in Greenwich Village offered fresh produce including yogurt, cheese and organic vegetables, pastries and bread – all on sale.

Knights, mounted, in full armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museums: a long list, all breathtaking. Just one single piece of any display is a treasure beyond comprehension. I spent a day at the Metropolitan Art Museum. I took into consideration the ease with which I am able to view these pieces and the beauty of settings, given the pieces. On this trip, I was able to see some of the Greek, Roman, Medieval, and Ancient works. It was in this museum that as a youth, Joseph Campbell first viewed the mask collection — his mind started wondering onto the comparisons of symbols of different old world religions.

David Boen pauses for a taste of Ancient Egypt at the Met.

People have little to no space, parks are filled, streets are filled, stores, subways. People are crammed into people constantly and generally do not look at one another. When I smiled or said hello to people, they for the most part ignored me. In New York, it’s important to own your space and not get panhandled or swindled. Time and space are commodities to be spent wisely.

While there is little physical space, there is an open world of space. Every nationality exists in New York City. Caucasian people are but a fraction, leaving no room for prejudice, no room for short sighted judgments. If you don’t want to grow, this can be a scary place.

We heard different languages everywhere: Russian, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Arab.

Art and culture is alive. When exposed to culture, it changes your life. Everyone is allowed to exist. Everyone has a name and a personality. You cannot demonize them, unless you think you will not ride in a taxi or on a subway or not eat in a restaurant, buy groceries or walk down the street.

NYU in Manhattan. We met an Idaho native attending NYU who, despite the culture shock, was very happy living in there.

Unique architecture often in the form of elaborate churches next to modern high rise buildings, those skyscrapers that seem to touch the sky.

There are jobs galore, but with lots of competition. Things are expensive, but you make more money.

Someone could die and no one would notice. There is no time to stop to care for someone who seems distressed; you wouldn’t get through your day. But there is courteousness too. On the subway a young woman gave us her chair; people talked to us when they felt we were safe. If you’re buying something in a store or deli, have your money ready. They don’t have time to wait or chit chat, and they’re willing to tell you so. When you can start a conversation, it is usually insightful, friendly and wonderful. You can’t have a hang-up about the F-word; you are going to hear it on the sidewalks, with that strong Brooklyn accent and sometimes by the people in uniform.School buses scream down the streets just like they do here. You can’t leave your children unattended anywhere. Day Care facilities take their little ones to the pet store. The kids hold on to a big rope in order to stay together.

Dogs live in the city. They go on walks. You don’t see their poop anywhere because it gets picked up by the owners. Dogs are allowed to walk in Central Park unleashed after 6 p.m. until 9 a.m. There are dog playgrounds.

Your purse will not be ripped off every time you walk down the street. You will not be held up if you are walking in Central Park, unless you dare to do so after dark, maybe. The pace for walking down the sidewalk is fast. The pace to do anything is fast. It takes real effort not to match it. Do cross the street if no cars are coming, even if the light is red. Do not cross the street if a car is coming.

The most joyful faces were that of children and their caretakers. I overheard a lot of happiness and well-being in their conversations. And adults slowed down to have those conversations.  Amidst the noise and rush it was a source of beauty.

Photos by Debbie Boen