NY - Day 1: Long Island. A cultural abyss.

I arrived to NY last night. When most people think of New York, they think of bright lights, a big city, and party people up all night. This is not the New York I grew up in. This is not the New York I arrived to last night.

My day today was spent driving from one Long Island mall to another Long Island mall. The only obvious difference between the two malls was that one was for slightly older, wealthier people with bad taste (Saks, Bloomingdale's, a food court) and the other was for younger, broker kids with bad taste (Justice, Rave Girl, a food court).

Here are my shots from the day's journey...


This is me. In the parking lot of mall one. Next to a large truck I fancied.


This is me. Sitting with a giant stuffed gorilla. The gorilla had something to do with a mall kiosk. That apparently, according to the gorilla's shirt, was selling equity?

This is me, taking a break in the mall from the Island accents and the smell of Aunt Annie's pretzels and the Abercrombie mall rats with a $1 massage chair.

This is me, taking a tip from Jesus, who--according to this sign--suggests 'com[ing] apart and rest[ing] a while.'

Fingers crossed that tomorrow holds the same promise for excitement.