Everyone's Your Friend in New York City

Nate here. Well, we're still trying to catch up - time flies when you are having fun, I suppose. July was a good month work-wise. I got to attend a training conference in New York City - my first time spending an extended time there. I thought I had turned into quite the city slicker going from Rigby, ID (tiny town) to Pittsburg, KS (small town), and then to the booming metropolis of Kansas City... Nothing like a trip to the Big Apple to put things into perspective. It was a great experience. Outside of some valuable work-related training, I also got to spend some time in Manhattan. I walked by the World Trade Center crater on my way to and from work - quite a sobering experience. I took the subway around, and spent some time in Times Square and Central Park (more on that below). On a lighter note, the pizza places are all over, and out of this world - I definitely didn't starve while I was there. The highlight of the trip was an opportunity to hang out with my cousin Matt. It had been about seven years, so it was great to catch up. We met in Central Park for an evening concert (the New York Philharmonic). I was amazed at how many people could be at one event simultaneously. New York truly is a melting pot, and a city that never sleeps. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the locals were (or maybe they were just humoring a bewildered Midwesterner). All in all, it was a great few days.