Rejoice: The Streets Are Ours Again!

Adios Tree, Tourist Free!


Where Did Everyone Go? No Gridlock on Fifth.

Ah, it's finally that time that I wait for all through the holiday season. It's the first full week of January, when are large portion of the tourists have fled, and the streets are our again!No more packed sidewalks. No need to avoid Midtown. No more slow walkers who change their direction without considering the speed walking New Yorkers who surround them, or those people who don't understand that if you are on a sidewalk in New York and you are not walking, you should kindly pull over. You can get reservations, you can see a Broadway show (if it hasn't closed yet), you can hail a cab with far less competition. I love it!

I found myself on Fifth Avenue this morning around 10:30. It was a sight to behold. It was like something out of a disaster movie, or like "The Day After"- empty sidewalks, no traffic. Even the Rock Center tree was being dismantled- joy! I stopped in Saks, I was only outnumbered by the idle salespeople.

Sure, New York needs tourism and it's one of the few vibrant parts of our economy, but this is the time of year that we get our rest and it should be enjoyed.