When I went to Ohio for grad school it was the first time I had visited a country I thought I knew from television. Americans at home turned out to be welcoming, kind and curious about the world I inhabited. I loved it then and I love it now but I chose a whirlwind week to be in New York. I did my small bit by not buying my coffee at the Starbucks in Trump Tower which, while closest to the office, now comes with added turnoff of a security checkpoint at the door to the building. No, thanks. You'd be surprised (or maybe not) how many people were out front taking selfies. I passed one woman on Saturday morning who was filming herself reciting the names of Jewish people who'd been refused refugee status in 30s and thereafter died in concentration camps with the backdrop of the TT. It's great to see these acts of peaceful protest.
I talked to my friend in Montana on Saturday morning as I trudged the streets of Midtown looking for a fedex to send him a book, not available in print in the US, and which I had lugged all the way from Australia, and he reminded me to stay positive: protest matters, it's our democratic right and we need to make sure we don't get fatigued with outrage. He said subscriptions to the NYT had rocketed which reminded me I quickly hit my 10 free article limits on both the Washington Post and NYT as credible news sources these days. I am planning subscriptions to both of those.
I walked many blocks on Thursday to go to dinner and several on Friday night shopping for kids and on Saturday morning on my own agenda. Such diversity and energy. I'm going back for that Cuban food.
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