NC Quick Hits

Today is Tuesday, our (and by our, I mean the banking industry) annual celebration of Chris Columbus is done, and I’m back to the daily grind in NYC.

After an awesome weekend in North Carolina, there’s just so much to share – I have some great video of the UNC game that needs some editing, some funny stories to share, and thoughts galore about my first trip back since the move up North.  Suffice it to say the blog will be filled with musings from the weekend – in fact, I think I’ll try and spread it out this week.

I was amazed at how different it felt to be back.  After all, it’s only been two months.  But as I flew into RDU on Friday morning I definitely felt like a visitor to my own home state.  Perhaps it was the sight of so many planned communities. Or the trees. Or the lack of incessant noise and crowds.  Regardless, it was at the same time altogether familiar and so very different from the environment I’ve adapted to in the last 60+ days.  I felt it most when walking through Harris Teeter and Target.  I was like a dog who finds the open gate and wants to run free into the word beyond – so much space and aisles upon aisles of product!

It made me realize just how much our life in New York is exposing us to new and different things.  While I expected to notice the difference in pace of life, noise and prices, I was stunned by how much I noticed the little things.  Like when I walked into Sutton’s on Friday afternoon and was shocked at the lack of ethnic diversity among the restaurant patrons.  I guess I take it for granted that in New York I live smack dab in the midst of one of the biggest melting pots in the world.  It’s this sort of diversity and culture that was attractive to us about the move and still is today.

At the same time, it was a breath of fresh air to be around so much that was familiar between Chapel Hill, college roommates, other friends and quality time with family.  I’ll elaborate on all in subsequent posts.

David Thompson (in the green shirt) informed me that he’s a loyal reader of the blog.  So I told him I’d put a picture of him on here.  So there you go David.  And I didn’t even crack a joke about how you’re standing on the curb.

Oops.