Yay! Mommy is home!
9:02 a.m.
Just like the last time I took this field trip, we drove home in a snow storm and were greeted with mountains of the stuff. Unlike the American customs, where each of our documents was inspected (although I must admit that on this occasion the officer was extremely pleasant and jovial, quite unlike many I have encountered), the Canadian side only requested to see the documents of those who were not actual citizens and merely asked if anyone was bringing in more than $200 worth of merchandise. There is something so refreshing about returning to the land of the true, north, strong and free after being surrounded by Americans (no offence meant to my American readers, really) who are so incredibly paranoid and xenophobic, especially after the events of 9/11. One of my travelling companions related how she was taking pictures inside some glass and steel structure, fascinated by the way the floors were tiered in a most artistic way, and a security officer actually made her erase three of her photos because they contained hints as to the structural makeup of the building. She also told how she asked two attractive female cops if she could have her picture taken with them, and they informed her that they were not allowed to be photographed.
The security is very tight everywhere, or at least it appears to be so. I asked teranika if this was a result of 9/11, and she seemed to believe that it had always been this way, uniformed men and women guarding the entrances to buildings and shopping centres. It actually reminded me of Israel, where you see exactly the same thing, except the security people are actually soldiers, and they check your purse and bags as you enter a building. They do that at the Met too. But not very thoroughly.
Upon my entry into the house, the first things that met my eye that affirmed I had been absent for several days were both the light and dark laundry baskets, filled with at least two loads of laundry each. I had washed absolutely everything when we arrived home from T & T, and now it looks like my family has gone completely through their wardrobes again. I think it�s time to give my son appliance-use lessons. They don�t seem to have made any impression on my daughter.
from saucy99 :
*incredibly* xenophobic and paranoid? Oh come on, you are too harsh! I beg to to differ! Sorry, must come to the defense of my fellow countrymen! ;-). The extra security is because of 9/11 by the way. In my opinion it is totally warranted. Though I don't know what to say about the picture taking. I took pictures galore of everything when I was in NYC, including buildings, and so did everyone in my group of 15 and no one said anything to us nor did we notice any excessive security, and I was there around christmas time. Maybe you just had a weirdo secuirty guard watching you.
from elgan :
Perhaps I am too harsh. It wasn�t the man-on-the-street who struck me as being paranoid or xenophobic, considering that NYC is a city of immigrants and I heard more foreign languages than I did English (I was also travelling with a group of largely French-speakers as well), but the image presented by businesses and nameless/faceless corporate entities reeked of paranoia. Everyone I dealt with was really nice, even the security guards themselves (and it was a colleague, not I, who experienced the problems regarding the photos), and I did preface my remark in my entry by saying �no offence�. I�m sorry if you felt that I was personally attacking you. I most definitely was not.
om saucy99 :
No offense taken whatsoever! I am the most un-PC person you'll ever meet and I believe everyone has the right to speak their mind without having to deal with the PC police. I just felt the need to defend my fellow countrymen!
from tcklyrpharsn :
Sounds like your two trips were a success! I am jealous... have really been wanting to go to NYC this year, to say nothing of wanting to be warm. In any case, glad you're back in one piece and with fun memories!
from harri3tspy :
Welcome back! It's so nice to have you back among us. I think your assessment of Americans as xenophobes is largely accurate, although the excess security is totally due to 9/11. Cultural institutions have always checked your bags, but, as far as I know, the implication before 9/11 was that it was to prevent theft and vandalism. It wasn't a fear of strangers but a fear of ourselves that instigated it. Now the same measures are being put to a different purpose and reinterpreted. Strangely, post 9/11 some of the security measures actually have made the security seem LESS invasive. At the Chicago Art Institute, for example, they used to make you check all your bags, including purses bigger than a paperback book. Post 9/11, they shut down the lockers -- they didn't want to risk bombs being placed there. So now you get to bring your bag with you.
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