When I went to New York City a couple of years ago, I had taken gloves, mittens, scarves, and lots of good will to meet up with the poor of New York. Being my first trip to New York, I was not aware that I would not run into many beggars in Manhattan.

But I got lucky the very first morning, standing at the roadside in front of our hotel at 5:30 in the morning. The pick-up trucks had made their noise, the sirens kept going, lights keep flashing and throwing shadows in the room, and then jet lag did the rest to get me out of bed. On the steps of the hotel outside, I watched the dumpster guys pick up the trash, saw flashy young New Yorkers returning from their night out, took in the air, and stood there, bracing myself against this November cold.

So, on that morning, as I took in the New York City air, smell, sounds, and lights, this guy approached me. He only asked for a cigarette, but I actually was looking for a place to get a cup of coffee that early. So I ended up inviting him to breakfast and he had to lead the way. His name was Charly. While we had breakfast at a little place around the corner, I felt the staff eying us.

Charly told me he never travels without surgical gloves as there are so many diseases about. He took his apple juice with a slice of chewing gum which served as a non-existent tooth brush and paste combined.

He showed me his mobile phone and told me most of his kind do carry one as life on the roads is too dangerous without one. He then asked me for my mobile phone number and I declined. Then I asked him if I could take his photo and he declined. Nevertheless, our conversation was very engaging and lively and he struck me as someone you and I would meet anywhere while having a cup of coffee.

On the way out, I asked him if he wanted anything else and he chose a couple more low-cost things from the menu. I learned a lot from him in those 30 minutes. He had dignity, he took care of himself in his own way, he knew when to say no, and he was gentle. I do not know if living on the streets was his choice. He was too young to be a Vietnam veteran, he was too old to be a hippie of some kind.

I have always liked this song by Ralph McTell.

So whether you are in New York City, London, or Frankfurt, you might find an interesting street person to talk to. Just give them and yourself the chance – they are usually grateful for any interest you show in their life. Wouldn’t you be?

We have booked our hotel for the trip to New York City in late November. We will miss Macy’s Thanksgiving  Day Parade which is the week after, as well as the famous Christmas decorations of the city put up right after Thanksgiving. Oh well, we can’t have it all.

The Stanford Hotel is situated right in the center of Manhattan. It is located on 43 West 32nd street between Fifth and Broadway and just steps away from all the attractions & things to do in Midtown Manhattan. We will have immediate access to all the major midtown business and major tourist attractions. We are only a few minutes of a walk to Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Empire State Building, the Broadway theater district, Fashion district, and the Manhattan Mall.

I had contemplated booking a lower-priced one out in New Jersey – which claims to have excellent bus service to and from Manhattan – but we want to see and stay in New York for the nights as well. We won’t be going out much at night as I will be traveling  with my by then eleven-year-old daughter. It will be nice just to stroll up and down the street, while staying near the hotel, to see the famous lights, hear the big-city sounds and do some serious people-watching. And November in New York City will be cold – another reason for getting a hotel nearby, therefore limiting the wait at a dark and drafty bus-station to get back into the cozy warmth of our hotel room. I wonder how cold it will get…

Another factor for staying in Manhattan is that I tire easily even after only three hours of shopping. It will be so nice to have the hotel in walking-distance to go back and take a rest – and unload some shopping bags, too.

Last, but not least. Our hotel is in Korea town as well, where I will have my favorite food – Korean cuisine – at hand. I was told I should try Sul Long Tang (beef soup) at the restaurant Gam Mee Ok, which serves supposedly the best Sul Long Tang in the whole world.