What's a song you associate with your favorite holiday?

My wife has family on Staten Island. We were over for a family wedding, the first time I’d been to New York. We’d had a few days up at Cape Cod and Boston before we headed down and into Manhattan.

As cliched as it was, all the movie tropes held true, all the images I had in my mind were writ large, the steam rising through vents in the road, the towering buildings, the hustle and bustle, the cultures all smashed together. It was wonderful, it felt very safe, very friendly, a bit like Glasgow (friendly with a sense of an “edge” to keep you in your toes).

On day we head to a dive bar to meet up with her Uncle who was working in the city that day. We sat at the bar, I was bought beer after beer and whilst this song didn’t come on, others of Billy Joel did.

Discussions about how good he is, from a variety of people clearly proud of “one of their own” just cemented things for me. A city that is proud and protective and revels in all its aspects. A glorious place, especially off the beaten track.