i'm back in nyc, just in time for the quarter finals of the world cup and the atmosphere is intense (especially at Nevada Smith's - the place to be for soccer fanatics). i'm really very happy and excited to see americans finally take interest and participate in supporting the games and teams in this tournament. unfortunately team america lost today, but i doubt new yorkers will stop watching. we new yorkers are a diverse people, and there are many teams that have yet to play. i'm particularly excited by the strong latino presence in the world cup this year and i'm totally looking forward to many more exciting games to come.

here's me and my two brothers enjoying soccer madness. not sure which of the two are more fanatic about the sport.

other than soccer madness in the streets of downtown manhattan, new york city is the same as when i left it. one major difference i noticed are the new mta buses!! fancy fancy. lots of renovation of old run down buildings in lower manhattan as well. nyc seems to be cleaning up nicely. but one thing that will probably never go away are the nasty garbage juices that coat the street corners and evaporate to add "flavor" to our stagnant air. and with all the heat, a simple walk down 2nd avenue can be quite unpleasant. hopefully we'll get a solid thunder shower to clean things up a bit followed by some cooler weather.

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