Manhatten, NY - October 31st

East Side, West Side, all around thoughts on New York... (three dot schlock, with apologies to Herb Caen).

My first Columbus Day parade along Fifth Avenue, complete with fire trucks, thousands of flags, and Rudy Giuliani...had tikka lamb at the Afghan Kebab on 9th Avenue. Meat was a little tougher than I expected....The new Neil Simon play "45 Seconds From Broadway" was a bit disappointing, but "An Immaculate Misconception" by Carl Djerassi was outstanding....an insightful talk on the meaning of Jihad by Bernard Lewis, the preeminent Mideast scholar, at the 92nd St Y....a terrific all-female comedy review at Caroline's, a benefit for the firemen....someone playing Mozart on the piano at 11:30 PM the other night in the building where I've rented the apartment. I turned off CNN and just listened.

Happened into Bill's Gay Nineties one night where the Firemen's Local 238 had rented the place to celebrate the life of a brethren who had perished. Lots of Irish, lots of singing, lots of beer, had a great time.....Incredible amateur and professional photos of September 11th on display on Prince Street by HereisNewYork.org....enlightening presentation on the Afghan refugee problem presented by representatives from the UN and Doctors Without Borders...."An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein". This guy could write!....my son's suggestion: load the crop dusters with ecstasy and spray the hell out of Afghanistan. Not bad.

Just as Aphrodite was born out of a pair of castrated testicles (not a pleasant thought), those twin majestic towers, once the repository of entrepreneurial hormones, may one day give rise...well, you get the point.

I had the opportunity of engaging Shafeeq Ghabra (PHD, professor of political science, and Director of Information for Kuwait) in a brief conversation following his talk on the Middle East. He agreed that the moderate nations are not being vocal in their opposition to Islamic radicalism, but that is due to the complexities of Mideast dynamics. He assured me that September 11th was truly a wake-up call for these nations, and they are actively engaged behind the scenes in pursuing social change. The Arab countries have more capital invested in Western financial securities than their entire yearly gross domestic products combined, and they're now very prepared to tap into that reservoir and get to work. They are anxiously awaiting a coalition military success to stem the radical tide, and give a legitimacy to instituting a more secular administration of their countries. Let's hope his optimism proves warranted.

I took a tour of Little Italy, or what's left of it. It's mostly Chinese now. Most of the original immigrants were from southern Italy but, while they struggled together in this new land, tribal traditions die-hard. The Sicilians and the Neapolitans were separated by one street and intermingling was greatly discouraged. As a descendant of both sides, I'm thankful this enmity diminished over time. But, imagine if you can, what New York City descendants will be like a few generations hence. The top three immigrant groups now are Russian, Dominican and Asian. Wow. Put those three in the kitchen pot, add a little heat....

This city is truly incomprehensible. I love it. Whatever you read about New York, believe it only in part. For here, you will find your own reality. But now its time to leave (after I go to the freak's Halloween parade tonight in Greenwich Village). No, I'm not being voted off the island. The weather is beginning to turn brisk, and its time to get back on the road, head south and experience more of this great land, to boldly go....aw, fuggedaboutit.

Much thanks to Michele, Angelo and Heather. Ciao