The main purpose of our trip to New York was Starving Artist’s Senior Art exhibit. I was the proudest parent in the room and I avoided sobbing and wailing, “Mah bay-bay is all growed up.” I did get teary a few times as I quietly observed the independent and self confident woman that she has become. The child who was born with her eyes open has always been stubbornly determined, but she is much more than that now. She is fiercely in love with her big city and it is where she belongs.

The rest of our visit was too rain soaked for the park that I love or my inexplicable desire to photo document all graffiti. Has Mythbusters ever explained how elaborately creative graffiti gets applied to the subway tunnels without the artists being flattened by the trains? Has anyone ever considered lighting parts of the tunnel and embracing the artistry of the work?

We did slog our way through the monsoon enough to witness two grown men haggling over the price of soup in a deli. I giggled when one of them accused the other of making a shmuck out of him. Expecting menu items to drop in price as the sun sets seemed odd, but I guess it’s no different than me grabbing the marked down bananas and bread at the grocery. I am a bit more conflicted about the haggle line at the Natural History Museum. There was a man in line with a crowd of friends gesturing that he would be paying a single dollar to cover his group’s admission. There was probably someone at the back of the line planning to pay with a bottle cap and a broken shoelace. Starving Artist’s argument for the absurd price she was paying for our group of five that she knew I “would be spending money in the gift shop” and “we would only be there for an hour” still doesn’t sit right. That was when I advised Starving Artist that I would be looking into a deprogramming group to bring her back to the south until she remembered her manners.

Dry bars are on every block in New York. How much time do people spend in limos that they can reasonably justify having their hair straightened in sideways rain? At least in Knoxville your hair would last long enough to enjoy an evening out and about.

We finished our much too brief (and rainy) visit to New York with a successful Broadway ticket lottery that allowed Starving Artist and I to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. There was much laughing, singing, clapping, smiling and crying. The script is sharp and cleverly respectful of the original while adding in enough current pop culture references to make it feel fresh. There was a bit of improv between Hedwig and Gabourey Sidibe, who was seated so close to me that I literally picked up my chair and jumped back two feet to get out of the spotlight. One snarky NPH remark made me wince, but Ms. Sidibe remained composed and charming. I have a bit of advice for wealthy New Yorkers who have never experienced a rowdy stadium concert. When the musicians ask you to put your hands in the air, please raise your hands high above your head and sway them to the rhythm of the music. The musicians do not care how pretty you look with your hands neatly in your lap. The people on stage are singing their hearts out. Show some appreciation. It’s more fun for everyone.