Random NYC Observations

1. New Yorkers cannot parallel park.

Time and time again, I have witnessed someone trying to parallel park on the city streets. 99% of the time it involves bumping in to the surrounding cars and/or driving over the sidewalk. Sometimes the spots are tight but the streets are flat and the worst offenders are those parking in spots that have more than enough room for their vehicle. The biggest problem I see, is most people start out too far away - too far in to the middle of the street and they come in at the wrong angle. From that point they are screwed, they either hit the curb, back in to the car behind them or end up 18 inches away from the curb. The pulling in head first maneuver is a beauty too. It just is wrong and won't work. I don't think I've seen a perfect bumper in the city, they all have scrapes and dents. If you aren't hitting a car while parking, your car is getting banged up on the street.

2. New Yorkers love Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and karaoke.

If you want to see a bar go crazy, just throw 'Living on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi on the old karaoke machine. Everyone will immediately get on their feet and start singing while dancing around in a frenzy of head banging and finger pointing to emphasize the lyrics. In fact, I've decided if I ever feel the need to karaoke in New York that will be my song. No one will actually hear me sing over the crowd.
If you listen to the radio here (the stations all suck, especially compared to San Diego) there is a 25% chance at any given time one of the three artists mentioned above will be on air and most likely it will be Billy Joel (an official Michael statistic). New Yorkers try to deny this, but they are wrong - they just don't know any different since they have lived here all of their life, they think it's normal.

3. Dog pee freezes in the cold.

It is so cold out right now (how cold is it? you ask), it is so cold the dog pee freezes on the sidewalk. Forget the yellow snow, watch out for the trail of yellow ice. It is truly disgusting.