Some say New York City is the last small town in America. It is most definitely a city like no other.

Our tram ride got me thinking about what is quintessential New York that we have seen since we got here. Here is a sampling. Most of the pics are courtesy Jay and his iPhone.

Mod Designs…
Here is the lobby of my godmother’s building. My always hyper children love to play with it as I watch, wide-eyed, as if they were playing hockey in a china shop.

Food…
On one hand you have bagels the size of your head and Greek food cheaper than you can make it at home..

But on the other, even the vending machines are healthy…
Edamame

Plantains

Pomegranate Trailmix

Office Views…
Jay looking out his office window. My favorite part of this is the retrospect of his shirt and tie-clad business self.

Jay had a class in a different building last week. Out the window he could see Grand Central.

Jay’s building. His office is right above the ledge.

Sunrise view of Alien Spaceships disguised as World’s Fair Park.

Cars…
Most cars we see have some sort of bumper protection…most this “Bumper Buddy” (no picture) which is a rubber mat hanging out of the trunk, draped over the bumper. But, Jay is particularly impressed with this Ben Hur style. He feels like it not only protects a bumper but promises retaliation.

New York does nothing half way…

and finally….

Graffiti…
This is not simple tagging, these are masterpieces…

Six Flags Great Adventure was my childhood Disney World. Going there was the highlight of many summers. Being the 80s, it was not uber-safe though, if anyone remembers the Haunted House fire or Lightning Loops accidents, both ending in fatalities. Still, I loved it, and hey, people died going there, it had to be good. But the warnings of my parents rang in my ears as we sat on the cable cars going across the park. I was probably enjoying the scenery while tightly gripping my dad’s arm. A cable car passed us going the opposite direction, and the teenagers within it screamed….”the line is breaking! the line is breaking!” I nearly crawled out of the cable car itself in my sheer panic, I really do not even remember how I was calmed down, just that I somehow made it safely to the ground.

We never rode it again.

In college, when I arrived in Santorini by boat, there were two options to go up to the main area of the volcanic island: Donkey and Teleferik (Greek: Tram). I was opting for Donkey but that was a long and excruciating ride. The tram, which looked to be here during the time of Atlantis, was a much faster option. A crying, panic-stricken me was literally forced on to the tram as it made its way up the steep incline.

Keeping that in mind, after we dropped off Pappou tonight, I suggested taking the Roosevelt Island Tram. The only accident I could find was in 2006 when it was stuck for 7 hours over the East River. No injuries. It was also the new and improved Tram, not the shaky one I remember from my days on the Nightingale/Spence Swim Team over on Roosevelt Island. I could do this. It would be fun, the kids would love it.

Did I mention my 6’4″ husband is afraid of heights?

Actually, he did great too. Ride was very smooth except for entering the peaks and valleys. No strong winds to shake us around. Great views. Kids stood peeled to the window the entire time, big smiles on their faces. We had a great view of the bridge we travel all the time and up and down the East River. The Empire State Building was rather blah with just white lights tonight but it was definitely A+ cheap entertainment.

Alright, so my grandmother, surprisingly enough, was one of the biggest readers of this blog. It was where she got to see pics of the kiddos and read the funny (and not so funny) stories of our lives. I actually discovered she was reading the blog when she chastised me for blogging about her in the post about their voicemail circa 2007.

After GiaGia passed away, my drive to blog plummeted. It felt like the blog was missing its biggest fan and it needed to be in mourning too. This month, I have resurrected it but it needs even more of a resurgence. I want to commit to blogging more. Blogging is my virtual baby book for my kids, it is my venting board, and it is an amazing window back in time. I am joining (albeit late) WordPress’s Post a Week and will be posting on this blog once a week for the remainder of 2011.

I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way. (Ok, I stole the last 2 paragraphs from their site, give me a break, it is midnight!)

Keep me honest people!