Beautiful Weather, Sucky Attitude

It was finally a beee-you-tee-fil day here in NYC, around 50 and sunny. So I decided to go out at lunchtime for the first time in many months and take a walk and get some fresh air. I especially needed it as I had been buried in my putty-colored cubicle all morning ironing out the little quirks on the web report that called my ass into work on my vacation day, after a weekend of cleaning out closets and de-cluttering my apartment while being held captive by the raging-pounding-running-stomping-jumping hellspawn I live beneath all weekend. So a brisk walk was in order. I made it (all the way) to 38th Street (from 32nd). Finally overcome by the pushing and shoving and after being hit in the head by the third bag-hip-shoulder-whatever I decided to turn around in defeat. The neighborhood I work in is just not conducive to the relaxing lunchtime walk. I can see all the craziness converging in this area, but to this day I just can not understand the tourists who have to stop on the corner of 34th & Seventh (or 34th & Sixth), drop all their bags, frantically scramble for their cameras, to take a picture of... Macys! Don't they have a Macys (or similar department store) at the mall they've just come from? I'll just never, ever figure that one out. So, after ducking into the nearest "gourmet deli" and purchasing my $7-three-pieces-of-chicken-and-lettuce-in-a-wrap sandwich, I slunk back to my dismal corner of the cube farm. At least there I was free from bags and appendages swung at my head, wheelie suitcases rammed into my shins and strollers used as battering rams to gain sidewalk and crossing advantage. Sheesh.