January 11, 2008

Field Trip to New York City

Went to Manhattan for my talk and book signing of Iceland. I love New York City, even in small, powerful doses like this most recent one-night stay. Thanks to the Icelandic Consul Magnus Gustavsson and everyone else who helped out! I sold out my books and have a few extra orders to fill.

Even better, I was welcomed into the secret hideout headquarters of Gawker Media down in Soho, where I met my fine editor Chris, and the dedicated associates of Gridskipper, Amanda and Hunter. Best of all, not unlike a Make-A-Wish Foundation dream come true, I got to meet and SHAKE HANDS with the epic Gawker commenter extraordinaire LOLCait. I did hope that some of his glittery wit would pass from his magic fingers into mine, but we shall find out in the coming weeks.

I took this picture as I was walking through Times Square and the sun was shining in my eyes so I had to keep looking down in the street. Walking through Times Square and being forced to look down was weird. Anyway, a week after New Year's and the gutter's still filled with big, easy-to-see-on-TV color confetti.

Despite all my meetings and big city business, I did manage 45 minutes of ME time in which I visited the NY public library and the Jack Kerouac exhibit and set eyes upon the ORIGINAL scroll manuscript of On the Road. My heart is still gathering it all in and stowing it away into meaningful memories, but it was all touching and emotional for me. To read Ti-Jean's little notebooks and feel like he would have been my best friend, if only we had crossed generations. I did notice one of his journal entries, where he writes, in pencil, "I hereby renounce all hipsters." I'll second that.

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