NYC Trip 2024 -

At the end of 2023 the Enterprise embarked on a 2 week trip to New York City. This is my fifth trip to the Big Apple so I knew a little of what to expect, especially regarding traveling through airport security with Kratom and other Nootropic goodies. Traveling with Kratom is usually a non issue, but this time airport security flagged the Kratom – essentially pulling my fiances backpack aside pending an investigation. Luckily the TSA employee cleared the small bag of Kratom right away and we were allowed to continue our journey. We didn’t bring a large bag of Kratom on the off chance security gave us trouble, and made a plan to simply purchase Kratom once we were in the city. I assumed being in NYC that we’d have a lot of high quality Kratom to choose from, but this turned out to be a gross miscalculation. The available Kratom at local smoke shops was over priced, and of inferior quality. In 2024 the Kratom you get at local smoke shops is still not that great, even in large cities, and the employees know next to nothing about Kratom. Forget about asking them questions about quality because they really haven’t a single clue. When asked about which Kratom was the best, there was a lot of bumbling and pauses before the employee chose a bag at random. I do enjoy acting dumb when I go in to observe how much the employees know, and it’s always funny to make them describe what the different “strains” do.

To date, Remarkable Herbs seems to be the best brand you can get at local smoke shops, but nobody had any stock of our favorite strain – Red Bali. With limited options I settled on a “Red Dragon” house blend which turned out to be very lackluster, and I’m ashamed to admit how much I paid for an 1oz bag. This terrible purchase further solidified my decision to quit Kratom after the trip. We ended up buying the Kratom online. On the flip side I was happy to also purchase my favorite flavor of Zyn Nicotine pouches which are banned in California.

After purchasing some Kratom we kracked through mid town Manhattan and soaked in the sights. I do enjoy the city and I marvel at the sheer size of the infrastructure, and ingenuity which goes into making a city the size of NYC function on a day to day basis. I understand what people mean when they say NYC has a lot of “energy.” The constant stimulus and fast pace of the city releases a near constant flow of cortisol into the blood stream. Every block you’re on high alert as to not get hit by a bus, scammed by street hustlers, or trampled underfoot by the tens of thousands of people stomping furiously behind you. Anytime I was afforded a momentary space of silence my body went into a shutdown mode and I felt exhausted. This exhaustion dissipated once back in the hustle and grind of the streets. The city forces you to operate at a fast pace – perhaps much faster than you’d like. I noticed the city can temporarily lift you from a depression, but over time concluded that such a pace is not sustainable considering the constant flow of fight or flight chemicals.

Even though I was with my fiance, the city also felt somewhat lonesome and alien. There is a certain disconnection which has taken place with New Yorkers. For whatever reason I noticed the street hustlers always managed to single me out. This was something I though about, and concluded that I hadn’t disconnected from the city quite like the locals – who seem to tromp through the city streets disconnected. The eyes are open but it’s as if they are “looking through” everything. The mind becomes an empty shell, there is nothing, only an empty gaze and a steadfast almost robotic ability to simply walk from point A to point B. Perhaps they have achieved enlightenment I thought to myself. Is this what the Buddhists mean by emptying the mind? I always thought there was something strange about meditation, to disconnect from the environment totally, but it appears to be part of the survival strategy if you are to live in the city, and probably happens naturally over time. To remain conscious in the city is to expose the mind and spirit to much pain and suffering. One homeless man had a sign that said “Losing all hope.” I felt a deep sadness watching thousands of people rush by him in their disconnected state of mind.

For the 2 weeks we were there we ventured into Mid town twice. This was enough for me and while I enjoyed myself, the city is not a place I want to live everyday. I will say I found many New Yorkers rather pleasant and they are quick to help you with directions. This is counter to what you typically hear about them. Multiple times locals came to help us with directions, and one lady offered her card at a local supermarket to get the member discounts. All this without us even asking. I can’t say I’ve ever had that experience in California. The people appear to me more direct and straight forward, versus California where I never see anyone go out of their way to help.

I managed to snap a few pictures with my Lumix G7. This is also the camera I use to film the videos.