The Real Deal, really

I've noticed a new phenomena in my life. Here is how it goes...

I am out and about in the City. I may be with friends, I may be alone, but I am certainly exploring new places and conversing with new people. I look up and notice a famous bit of architecture, urban art, or a famous person. My first thought is, "That's a great replica of..." or, "Hey, that person kinda looks like..."

And then a shake my head like a dog that got water in its ear.

Oh WAIT! I'm in New York City! This is the REAL THING.

That's not a replica, an imitation, a fake, or a look-alike... It IS the Flatiron Building, it IS a mural by Keith Harring, it IS Jimi Hendrix's recording studio, it IS the club where Bob Dylan used to perform.

This is were I begin struggling to wipe the astonished look off of my face, so that I don't look like an idiot or a tourist.

And this is were I begin making the sound that is something like a persistent but subtle giggle.

This takes 10-15 minutes to wear off.

And then I spend the rest of the day marveling that I know a girl in the cast of Wicked, that my friend performed at the most famous live music club in New York, that I know people who are exceptionally good at what they do to the point of being the driving and the shaping force of their industries. These people, these places, these objects... they are what most people dream of becoming, of achieving and creating...

Sometimes I honestly forget and have to be reminded by confrontations with famous landmarks that I live in New York City. NEW YORK CITY.

There are no imitations here. These are the real deal.

Unless, of course, you count China Town.