A day in New York that was supposed to be New Delhi

Day 2, Thursday, March 26, New York, Newark International Airport
Let’s try this again, shall we. After an unplanned sojourn in Newark, I took the train into NYC Thursday to walk and gawk, rather than spend eight hours at the airport. Its much more fun to be in New York with friends than it is by yourself. Got off at Penn Station, stored my luggage and started walking. All the way up 7th Avenue to 52nd street, over to 5th, detour to Grand Central, one of my favorite places, down to the New York Public library, short stop for lunch then back to Penn Station and off to the airport.
One of the neatest things I saw was on my way back to Penn Station, standing at the corner of 8th Avenue and 35th street. A pigeon floating and weaving back and forth between the tall buildings on either side of 35th, looking for a place to light. It seemed to be attached to an invisible, slowly ticking metronome. Earlier in the day on the train into the city, I saw an egret pursuing breakfast in a reedy patch of swamp surrounded by grimy industrial landscape.
Animals are amazing in their capacity to adapt to what we do to their environment. Most city dwellers aren’t fond of pigeons, but New Yorkers especially, ought to admire them for their ability to adapt and survive.
The plane left about an hour late. In line to board was a couple who had been on the ill-timed flight from Pittsburgh to Newark yesterday. I While we waited to board, a group of young men stood near me, talking. I loved this phrase out of the mouth of one of them.
“Wow. Get ready for 14 hours of awesomeness!”