Final Thoughts about NYC

I know I got back from my trip to NYC a month ago now, but I wanted to write out my final thoughts/observations about the city before I forgot.

• I grew up at sea level, but have lived the last 14 years in the Rocky Mountains.  It was interesting to realize that in terms of altitude, that when I was at the top of the Empire State Building, that I was still about 4700 feet lower in altitude that standing in my driveway at home.   
• New York City puts ads everywhere.  If there is an open space - they put it there.  The oddest place I saw was the riser portion of stairs in the subway stations.  They had to split  up the add in strips to make it fit and from far away it looked like one big ad that you could read, but then up close it was split between the stairs. 
• There are only two colors of cars in NYC.  Yellow or Black.  Okay - not really - but close!  I think pretty much you either take a taxi or you have a private black car with tinted windows and a driver.  Very few people have vehicles - which makes sense of course.  It was funny to try to imagine the SUVs and trucks I see around here, trying to get around in New York. 
• It is true - the city really doesn't sleep.  The streets seem just as busy at midnight as they do at noon. 
• New Yorkers don't know the subway system any better than anyone else.  We had locals approach us on more than one occasion  (we must have passed for locals ourselves instead of tourists!) asking for subway directions to get where they were going.   And it's true - there really are rats and cockroaches in the subway.
• There is no such thing as personal space there. People cram into subways, tables in restaurants are practically on top of each other, etc. One restaurant we went to the table was literally 1 inch from the table next to us - and people were seated there. The illusion of personal space seems to be created solely by eye contact - or the lack here there of. You can be crammed right up against someone, but as long as you don't look at each other you're good. I completely understand how you can be in a city full of millions of people, and still feel alone.
• New York has its own sort of beauty.  It isn't mountains or beach sunsets, but it still has its own majestic, awe-inspiring feel.