To begin the New Year, a small tribute to New York, that I’ll be leaving soon (even if I still have tons of things to write about it don’t worry!!). One of the things I like most in New York: encounters, people you meet in the street, the subway; they come from all over the world or grew up in the next block, and they are just being nice to you. These encounters always warm up my day, or even more! It’s funny because that’s actually a prejudice the French have against Americans: they’re all sweet and unctuous in the first place, but they’ll quickly forget about you…. Well it may be so but I find it kind of reassuring and refreshing in a Global city like New York, where it’s often all about stress, to be able to have nice small talks with people you don’t know from Adam. I actually spoke with more people I encountered in New York in 5 months than in Paris in 10 years!

So, for the first day of this New Year, here’s a tribute to New Yorkers, because its inhabitants are the city’s life.

To my great roommate, whom I met visiting a crappy apartment we saw on craigslist and who has become a friend.

To the musicians at Lexington-53rd E-M subway station, always playing great music.

To the hot-dog vendor from Egypt at the end of Brooklyn Bridge.

To the Gallery owner who showed me around DUMBO.

To an old Italian-american named Joe in the C train.

To the people of SoBro I met for my PhD and who invited me to their fantastic party.

To all the others I forgot…

To New Yorkers (and suburbanites!) – thank you and a very Happy New Year!