Thousands of wet, huddled masses, trooping for an otherwise worthy charity but simultaneously blocking all cross-town traffic. The city's blue saw horses get a workout 52 weekends a year, and police and traffic officers get overtime. This is just one of the reasons. Fourteenth Street is still lumpy and the manholes still billow steam. The cabs still cut you off.
Parking is a horror.
Parking lots are expensive. We didn't mind the delay as virtually all the wedding guests had traffic stories to tell. The listeners with smiles were New Yorkers who live in Manhattan and took the subway. New York may be cleaning up its act but the hard edge remains. Living there is still a daily challenge.