Manhattan

I just returned from a quick trip to Manhattan. Quick, because I hate being away from the girls, and because Manhattan is expensive!

I went to receive an award for my article Comfort in the Court (Bark Magazine, Issue #42, June 2007) about using facility dogs in prosecutors offices to assist victims of crime. I won the Westminster Kennel Club Angel on a Leash award, sponsored by the Dog Writers Association of America. I'm honored to have been recognized in this way.

Of course, while in Manhattan, I just had to run in Central Park.

One photo shows me standing in the SW corner of the park, at the end of my run. The other - of reflections in glass-sided buildings - was the view from the 35th floor apartment I stayed in Saturday night, an apartment loaned to my cousin Todd and his girlfriend Ellen for the weekend, an apartment I'm told rents for -gasp - $3700 a month!

Todd and Ellen helped me explore and enjoy Manhattan, making my visit there a blast.

Sunday night - the evening of the award banquet - I stayed at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel with some members of the DWAA. Across the street, at Madison Square Garden, the Westminster Dog Show was underway. Many of the participants were staying at this hotel. It was fun to see the dogs and their owners and handlers come through the lobby at all hours. I never did see Uno, the Beagle who won.

I have to say: just observing the dogs and handlers in the hotel, I realized how spot on the wonderful movie Best in Show truly is. It was great fun to sit in the lobby, observing and eavesdropping. And I thought I was a dog nut!

I was disappointed, though, by the number of women who still wear fur in NYC. Daytime, evening wear, didn't matter; fur trim, fur coats, fur everywhere. I can hope it was all fake, but I doubt it.

When I returned home Tuesday night, the girls were ecstatic to see me, and I them. I'm rarely away from them - especially for five days* - so our reunion was full of kisses, cold nose nudges, and happy dances.

*I only spent two nights in Manhattan; the rest of the time was spent getting to/from there. Because of flight options, it made sense for me to fly from Boise to Seattle and spend a night in Seattle on each end of the trip. There's just no easy, direct way to get from the mountains of Idaho to Manhattan!