NYC - Big Apple

After a really nice trip by train - and some hassle again about wheelchair accessible taxicabs - I arrived at the Guest House yesterday afternoon. I've a clean, rather small room, with a large, accessible bathroom, and it is quiet (Upper West Side, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) as far as I can tell.

Teacher's College

Yesterday evening I only went to a nearby Deli to buy something for dinner and I wheeled there again this morning to pick up coffee, a bagel and the NY Times. For me this (small) Deli is rather impressive: open 24 hours a day, with a large choice of salads, dishes, vegetarian and organic food etc. So I had my cup of coffee and my bagel - American style - seated at the Deli. Again people here seem to be mostly friendly,even if it is more hectic in the streets than in Boston. There is a police station near the Guest House and apparently one or the other of the officers is always at the Deli, sometimes helping me in and out.


These days I was thinking about the cultural differences between Americans and Swiss people - and I have formed some private theories: First of all people here, at least in the big cities, are used to diversity: there are black and white and brown people, poor and rich, skinny and obese, old-established and immigrants - and, very important, they also have the ADA law. So they seem to be better prepared (or less astonished) for someone who "gets out of line" - in other words I think in Switzerland there is probably more "need for adjustment" - diversity is not always seen as enrichment. AND I've also got the impression that something of the old "pioneering spirit" in the States lingers on insofar as they tend to keep a child's curiosity about anything technical. A machine like my Swisstrac is immediately seen as a great and helpful invention, a lot of times I've seen people (especially men) who simply made the "thumb up" sign, laughing friendly, when I passed by ... They are more interested about "how" it works than about the fact that I need it.
By the way: did you hear the news about Obama's running mate (see my links on the right)? So far the newspapers couldn't write much about the reactions, because he made it public in the middle of the night - I'm looking forward to read more about that.

Today a "Greeter" - in a wheelchair - will come to spend a few hours with me, showing me around and giving me some insights. I've arranged this service already in march (from Switzerland), because the service is very sought-after.