What’s in The Box? What’s in The Box? What’s in The Box?

Having to mail this box made me think of something. I remember, about a year ago- actually, I remember the exact date, it was New Year’s Eve ’09 because that’s the day I was in Soho buying my iTouch- I had this empty gift box, maybe about 6″ x 12″ x 8″ with the detachable top, in my hand and I decided to pretend there was something incredibly “important” inside. I can’t remember why I had this empty box in my hand, I probably found it, I do that, my mom used to call me Fred (Sanford) when I was little. No, I’m not a hoarder, I can just see the value in some things that might have been tossed by someone else.
I had this box in my right hand, extended out a little bit, walking VERY carefully (still fast, of course), looking at it making all kinds of facial expressions: fear; concern; anxious jubilation; glee. The reactions of the people passing me on Spring Street were truly priceless, jaded New Yorkers don’t want to pretend to care, so they just give you a two second raised eyebrow then go about their business. I even tapped my fingers some, but kept my palm steady so it looked like the movement was coming from inside the box. Pretended to almost drop, looked frightened and everything. It was too hilarious.
When I walked in the Apple Store to buy my iTouch, the whole crowd in front parted to let me through to the back like I was handling bio-hazardous waste. It just made me realize how impressionable people are. Even if they want to pretend they’re not. It’s a classic example of misdirection, making something out of nothing. Like what magicians or pick pockets do. That really cracked me up.

NYC.me

I always considered The Bronx and Manhattan to be sister boroughs. They have so much in common: Manhattan and The Bronx are on the same street grid, that’s why the first street in the Bx is 132nd St instead of 1st Street, or something like that; East and West are divided in the same way (5th Avenue in Manh. and Jerome Ave in The Bx) most of The Bronx is East, just the slither that’s nearest to Manhattan have West addresses. I can even remember when The Bronx and Manhattan both had the 212 area code, before The Bx got pushed aside to 718 to make room for more Manhattan phone numbers. This is before 917, way before 646 and 347. I’m don’t even think beepers were even out yet.
Manhattan and The Bronx are my top 2 boroughs. Obviously Manny Hanny’s number one, then Bx, then Bk (if not for The Wu-Tang and airports, I wouldn’t even know or care about the next two), Queens is fourth and Staten Island comes in at number eleventeen.. Talk about a redheaded step-child, SI gets no love, it’s New Jersey’s bastard kid that we decided to claim on our taxes.