SeNsOrY OvErLoAd

As a New Yorker, sometimes I find New York City a bit overwhelming. Other times I fall completely in love with it and am determined to quickly find a job and head to the Big Apple--like 75 percent of my high school. Mostly, it is a mixture of both. Usually I, and whoever else I'm with, get off the bus, drop our bags off at a friend's apartment and start exploring. Exploring meaning:
1) Eating food we've been craving since the last time we were in NYC
2) Experimenting on a few new places (I tried a 3 lentil chili soup this weekend and a prosciutto/basil/mozzarella panini that I'm already craving again).
3) hitting a few touristy sites *when necessary*
4) shopping
5) Going to a show

However, I could easily spend countless hours just wandering. New York is one of the most sensory-saturated cities I have ever visited. If someone is trying to have a conversation with me as we walk down the street, more than likely I will have to ask them to repeat themselves. I don't mean to mentally wander off, but I can't help but get pulled in by the buzzing of cars and bustle of people, reading personalized bricks on the sidewalk, gawking at ornate building facades or women in couture gowns, glancing at a little cafe on the street, appreciating the music around the corner or just staring in shop windows.

Christmas time is especially hard to keep my attention because I am captivated by window sirens like these from Bergdorg Goodman (many of which were based on Alice in Wonderland, the book I'm reading right now). Go ahead, click on one:

They are absolute pieces of art. The longer you look at them the more you will see. Can you imagine having a job to create these? "I'd like to buy two monkeys with arms in these positions" or "I need a paper mache turtle, a diamond encrusted rabbit and a crystal couture dress, stat!"

*This post brought to you by Bolt bus, who's free Wifi made this post possible somewhere between New Jersey and Delaware.