New Yorkers can be rude, pushy and indifferent, but they are also warm, funny and caring. I was once caught in a downpour on the upper East side and waited for a bus, with dripping hair and running mascara. One finally showed up and everyone on the bus took one look at me, quipped "is it raining?" and burst out laughing. Then they all started rummaging around in their bags to see if they could find napkins to help me dry off.
Another time, I was walking down the street on a nice fall afternoon when this guy pulled me aside and said, "Hey, look! Isn't that the biggest cockroach you ever seen?" And when I went to look, it was indeed an enormous cockroach. I agreed. He said, "it must be one of them palmeeto bugs or somethin!"
Another time, I was dressed in business attire and on my way to an appointment when a guy walked up to me and said, "that's a really nice suit!" I thanked him and he kept walking.
I can't remember the number of times I had really great conversations with people on subways, standing at bus stops, reading in the park, or just standing in line for one thing or another. People can just be super nice or they can be jerks.
Vegas is an odd place. I was last there in the late 1970's before it became family friendly. It was a place for gamblers. It was notable for high cancer rates (thanks to the experimental nuclear explosions), a zoo, boating on Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and especially populated by lots of people trying to dull their senses with drugs and alcohol. There were legal brothels on the outskirts of town. The surrounding desert was beautiful, though.
I hope your son has a good trip and comes home with happy memories of the place. Lord knows we need intercessors with the goon in the White House doing all he can to burn down our reputations globally.
