Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Eau de New York Summer


Oh. my. goodness. In case you haven't heard, it is incredibly hot and humid in NYC right now. This is my seventh year living here, so, one would think that I would be used to the various "joys" that accompany this particular season in this particular city. Yet, yesterday, I was shocked to experience something entirely new...

I walked outside of the synagogue, on my way to run an errand, and I was struck by a wall of odor - the odor of (wait for it....): body odor.

Could it be that the entire city smelled like body odor?

I refused to believe it. I looked left, I looked right, and there was not a single hot dog vendor to be seen. Well, that couldn't be it. I looked to see if I happened to be standing near an odoriferous human being. But, no. That wasn't it either. And I had just switched to a super-duper deodorant, so it couldn't have been yours truly (though I had been ready to accept this sad and humbling conclusion). I had no choice but to conclude that the entire city smelled like this.

Even as I walked down the block, the smell remained. Here we are, in a city with some of the best educated, most affluent people in the whole country, yet could it be that no one knew how to use either anti-perspirant or deodorant? I am baffled.

Did anyone else experience this???

NYC never ceases to amaze me...

4 comments:

Shan said...

Funny you mention this. My husband and I went there (I took him for his 30th birthday) and when we came home people asked him what he thought--his reply? "The whole city smelled weird." I didn't notice--maybe he (and you) have incredible noses! (Or it was "forget to wear deoderant day" and no one told you)

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

Hahaha that sounds awful.
I particularly remember a part of NYC smelled like cabbage and duck sauce. Funny how it's the smells that stay with you sometimes (for me L.A will always smell like olives).
Thanks for stopping by my blog by the way.

Bridget Jones said...

Oh yes I have and like you, automatically assumed it was me. It wasn't.

I bet it was those carbon swilling trees. Were any of them lurking about?

Bridget Jones said...

p.s. of course I live in Ottawa. But the same principles apply! It's those pro climate choice trees, I tell ya.....