Traveling with Euphoria

I admit it, I was a little bit apprehensive. My beloved 16 year old cat, Euphoria had never been on an airplane before. I'm very lucky that my mom agreed to take care of her while I traveled. However, mom lives in New York, and we needed to take a plane to get there. When Susie came to take me to the airport, and it was time to put kitty in her carrier, I tried to act nonchalant and pretend I was just reaching down to pet her. Cats are smart, though, and Euphoria knew very well what I was trying to do. After several minutes of an exhausting game of hide and seek, I was finally able to wrestle her into the carrier. What happened next was very surprising. Euphoria sniffed around and then just curled up peacefully in her carrier! No crying, peeing or struggling to get out. She seemed perfectly tranquil and content all through the check-in routine too, even when I had to take her out of the carrier so she wouldn't be x-rayed. During the six-hour plane ride, she slept most of the time, only rising a few times to sniff and stretch. I was very proud (and surprised) at her calm behavior. The only explanation I have for her perfect deportment is this: She must have been relieved that this was not a trip to the veterinarian.

New York City

My Journey begins in New York, where I was born. I arrived in New York around midnight, crossing the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan high above the East River. The skyscrapers looked as if they were made of shiny new Legos decorated with bright twinkling lights reflected in the water below. New York City is a huge place, with a population of about 10 million people. Although many people equate New York City with Manhattan, The City is so big that it is divided into 5 separate counties, also known as boroughs. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, the island of Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. When people visit New York, they often go to Manhattan because 5th Avenue, Times Square, and Central Park are all in Manhattan. However, the Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium, Prospect Park and the Bronx Zoo are in the Bronx and Brooklyn. To visit the most ethnically diverse county in the United States (and maybe the world) take a subway ride to Queens. Famous chef and New York resident Anthony Bourdain likes to eat there because he says that there is such a huge variety of good inexpensive food from countries all over the world. I agree with him. Delicious food from everywhere in the world can be found in New York, because this city attracts immigrants from all over the earth. People have come to New York for over 100 years to escape poverty, hunger or war in their home countries, bringing their recipes with them. Lucky New Yorkers get to taste food from every cuisine in the world without ever leaving home.