In NYC for a meeting with a COGA research group. This “boutique” hotel room is a little bigger than a postage stamp. Just walked a few blocks to get some excellent ramen noodle soup at a place recommended by a colleague and now ready to settle into prep for tomorrow’s meeting. Superficially, I don’t like NY any better than I did a few years back when here for a meeting and then a conference. Too big and dirty and noisy and the buildings block the sun and people are rude and everything moves too fast- I prefer to take my time. Let’s just say I prefer the “flyover zone,” from whence I came. But one plus today is the scent of spruce and fir wafting along the sidewalks where people have put their Christmas trees for trash pickup.