Eye Contact

The three days in New York City are over, and it is good to be back in Delaware.

Yup, you heard me right.

I actually had a pretty good time in New York. The technology office party was at Chelsea Piers on Monday night, and I've been working long enough that I actually know a few people at the New York office now. As usual, the accommodations were very swank as well during my stay.

I am consistently amazed, however, by how rarely people are willing to make eye contact with you on the streets of that city. I've noticed this before, but never really articulated it: everybody kind of exists in this tunnel vision, running from place to place and cab to cab, always either talking on a cell phone or listening to an iPod.

To me, it's not a very appealing way to live.

My friend Lisa recently posted wistfully in her blog about a friend from Colorado visiting her in Jersey, and how his tales of wide mountain ranges made the Jersey strip malls seem pretty lame in comparison. But despite this, she still loves New Jersey.

(Note to Lisa: The way it smells, Jersey doesn't need to be compared to Colorado to appear lame ;-P)

Similarly, people in New York are always surprised when they find out I like it a lot better in Wilmington. For me, it represents the happy medium. There are still plenty of things to do that are typically associated with "city" life (bars, nightclubs, playhouses, etc.), but it is small enough to start recognizing people after awhile... people will look you in the eye in this town, and not everybody has something glued to their ear to distract them from what is happening right in front of them.

Don't get me wrong, Delaware ain't paradise. But there is something to be said for a place where you don't have to drive too far to see trees... or skyscrapers.