(Author’s note: These are the rambling, on-the-fly impressions of Yours Truly, designed to serve up a bit of the feel of what it’s like to be at the Macworld CreativePro Conference & Expo in New York. It’s a companion travelogue and opinion piece. If you’re looking for hard news, feel free to skip this and move on to the next MacCentral article.)
Ah, summer in New York. Nothing like the sights, sounds, and, well, smells of Times Square in July. I always enjoy the annual trip to the Big Apple (will this be the last?). I never ceased to be amazed at the sheer number, and variety, of people here — and the incredibly complex infrastructure that keeps such a behemoth of a city working so well.
As I was riding the shuttle in from the airport to my hotel, I noticed that The Naked Cowboy is doing well. NC is a country “singer” who performs on Times Square in nothing but a cowboy hat, briefs, and cowboy boots. From the shuttle, I saw him posing with tourists for photos. Where else but NYC could a guy make a living with such a gig? Guess the Naked Cowboy’s secret of success is paring a business down to the bare necessities.
And, of course, as someone who loves to eat, the sheer number of food choices makes me salivate. My MacCentral compadre, Peter Cohen, and I made a venture to the Stage Deli on our first night in town. I had a triple-decker, more-than-even-I-could-eat sandwich called the Sarah Jessica Parker. It was chicken salad, bacon, tomato, and lettuce on rye bread. Mighty fine. Also tasty is the chicken and spinach pizza from Pronto Pizza (1101 Sixth Avenue) I eat as I write this.
I also made my first visit to the Apple retail store in SoHo (103 Prince St.) for the presentation by author-editor-Photoshop guru Scott Kelby. Scott’s always an entertaining speaker. And the Soho store is a wonder, especially its centerpiece glass staircase.