NEW YORK - The air was shimmering in a heat that made it possible to fry eggs on the sidewalk, even in the shade. The people did what they always do in this place, whether it was in the tightening grip of a big July heat wave or a Christmas snowfall. They walked the streets of the Big Apple, thousands of them, no, hundreds of thousands of them, no, millions of them.

 

          You can always tell a New Yorker. They walk the path they want to walk. They don't move for nobody. And, they can spot a tourist a mile away. The New Yorker walks like there is nobody in his way. The Tourist walks like he's about to get run over. Beads of sweat drop off The Tourist's forehead as he looks up while he is walking and wonders whether he should stop, dart to the right or dart to the left.

 

          We went to New York for a week. It is not the first time we, the Broker and I, have been to New York. And, God willing, it won't be the last time. It is a place that gets to you the moment you leave the airport and go to Manhattan. You could visit this place 1,000 times and still not see it all.

 

          But, this might have been the best trip of all, outside of the last couple of days when the sun boiled the place and the air was thick and smothering from the heat. But, you had to keep walking because there was so much to see. It is a grand canyon of huge skyscrapers, billboards, sidewalks teeming with people, endless rows of yellow cabs and cops everywhere. At night, it lights up brighter than anything you have ever seen, and there is never any quiet. This is a city that never sleeps. And, so, neither do the tourists.

 

          The trip started off on a shaky note. We got to the airport, and found out our flight arrangements had fallen apart. But, thanks to a dedicated and kind lady behind the Air Canada counter at the Regina airport, we made it. She worked like the devil and found us a flight that got us into New York close to the time we originally expected to be there.

 

          There is something that happens to you when you are flying into New York. It is as if out of nowhere comes this tapestry of massive stone and glass architecture, the Empire State Building standing above that long finger of humanity that is Manhattan. And, then, comes panic.

 

          We were met at the Laguardia Airport by my nephew Nathan, whom, you should know, is easily the biggest Saskatchewan Roughrider fan in the United States. Born in Regina, he and his family ended up in New Jersey, in a place called Old Bridge, that is only 45 minutes or so out of New York. He has since left the nest and occupies a brand new apartment in The City, his suite high in the sky, his view of the city and the Hudson River magnificent.

 

          He has become a New Yorker. He drove us downtown, darting in and out of traffic, honking his horn, while his uncle sat beside him, fearful of a heart attack. We got to our hotel. It is called the Novotel. If you are going to New York, this is the place to stay. The Novotel is the gateway to Times Square. We had a room on the 31^st floor, looking down on Times Square, and no matter what time of day, morning or night, you never grew tired of that view. Stay at the Novotel, if you're headed that way, and ask for a room facing Times Square. You will not be disappointed.

The Novotel has a Regina connection.   Kay Koot is now the general manager at the Regina Inn. Before that, she was the general manager of the Novotel. A Canadian, she had to return to Canada a few years ago, and chose Regina. Of course, Loretta Hughes, the EcoBroker^TM of EXIT Realty Fusion, was her agent and found her a warehouse condo. "This," said Kay, "would have cost between $2-million and $3-million in New York."

         

          New York is about a lot of things. But it is a lot about some of the world's great restaurants. No matter where you go in Manhattan, you will come across a restaurant. And, so, the first night, Nathan and his girlfriend Rachel took us to a place called Uncle Jack's Steakhouse. There was nothing not to like about the place. And, the rib eye steak was one of the best I have had anywhere. It was a superb way to start a New York week.

 

          There was much more to come. But, you won't read about it in this article. Stay tuned.