on screens and to stand in so many places we'd read about - places where nearly miraculous things had happened.

Yes, it's an intense place. The scale of it all is hard to take in, impossible to fully process. Buildings stacked on buildings. People stacked on people. Perpetual motion. Relentless sound. Sirens blaring. Horns honking. Music blaring. A constant buzz of conversation in English, in Italian, in German, in Spanish, in French - so much French.

Didn't see any rats. But lots of mentally ill and/or addicted guys roaming around. Yeah, this was a concern. But more than anything, it left us feeling cranky that these people are left to suffer on the street. There are ways to reduce these problems (no, I can't say eliminate them). But they require tough leadership. Not heartless leadership. Tough leadership.

Despite that, the City's exhilarating. Yes, it was a little intimidating. But as we rode the LIRR toward JFK, it was hard to say goodbye to the place. Kinda wish we were still there. Exploring.