to Zzz or Not to Zzz

New York City...Known for its hustle and bustle, has a well-earned reputation as The City that Doesn’t Sleep. Perhaps you—as I once did—thought that moniker was just so much hyperbole. Perhaps a public relations firm for NYC thought they’d say the city never sleeps to demonstrate that there is always something going on: concerts, Broadway shows, sporting events, late-night fine dining, buskers on the subway platform, neighborhood Bingo, shopping, shopping, shopping.

You name it, they’ve got it. You’ll be so busy you never have time for sleep because--in addition to all the lovely things I’ve listed—you still need to show up for that Work Thing. Plus, you’d better build in a little extra time for circling the block looking for parking, because even if you already have a great parking spot, you’ll have to move your car every week. On some streets it’s Monday, other streets require you to move on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Sometimes it’s just faster to go sit in your car, in its parking place and wait for the street sweeper to come. When it does, you drive around the block and come back to park in your newly swept spot. Sure, it could take a couple of hours, but in the end, it will be faster and cheaper than looking for parking.

Besides that, being a New Yorker means you will use the time constructively. You can make calls, return emails, shop on-line for dry goods and toilet paper (why drag that stuff home on the subway when the nice people at Amazon and UPS will take care of that for you?) And you can nap.

That’s right, nap. New York City might not sleep, but New Yorkers sure are good at napping. Glance around you on the bus or the subway and you will see people catching a few Zzzs.  I even saw people who had learned to sleep standing up, like horses, gently rocking to and fro with the motion of the train. Full disclosure, I can’t do it. I fall down. It’s harder than it looks.