Trying to sleep in the city that doesn’t

It’s true; I am still trying to adjust to the noises of Midtown Manhattan at night.

My favorite (and by favorite I mean worst) is the garbage truck guys that come by at about 3 a.m. Not only do I get that annoying “large truck in reverse” beeping noise (yes, I just linked to give you a sample), I am also graced with the banter of the men hurling the garbage in the back of the truck. One of them usually tops it off by making a “woo hoo” noise, which is also very loud.

Then there are the sirens, which I also feel are unnecessarily loud. And what would New York be without lots of horn honking? The below signs are likely meaningless.

And in the mornings, there are the taxi whistlers outside the hotel across the street. Although the whistles can get annoying, I am considering purchasing one to aid in my own taxi catching adventures.  If the arm in the air doesn’t do the trick, a shrill whistle sure will.

Forgive me for the above rant about street noise; I am definitely enjoying my time here.

And speaking of enjoying my time, last weekend brought with it my first visitors–my mom, aunt and namesake (my grandmother). It was great to have family around, and I enjoy playing tour guide.

We saw St. Paul’s Chapel (which has one of the best stories in the city–I blogged about it once here), the WTC site (which is really coming along–check it out here), the Statue of Liberty (from a distance), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and all the other great tourist spots. We also went to see a Broadway musical, ate dinner in Little Italy (yum) and Devil’s Food Cheesecake from Juniors (double yum), and I introduced them to another personal favorite–macarons from Macaron Cafe. These little French cookies are the bomb. Don’t worry, future visitors, I will introduce you. For now, enjoy the delicious picture.

Au revoir!

-M