In the Spirit of Lee Greenwood

One of the things I love most about my apartment is that I can see the Empire State Building clearly from the windows in all of my rooms. And on any given Holiday, they light it up with the appropriate colors. For example, it was spooky orange and creepy purple for Halloween - which I naturally adored. But what impressed me last night was what they did for Election Day.

Now, I'm fully aware and thankful that this election has been so insanely popular all over the US. But it seems even more palpable here in New York. Here, it's not a badge to say you follow politics...it's a prerequisite. Just a couple of weeks ago my co-workers didn't even attempt to disguise their gasps of disdain that I did not know who Joe the Plumber was. They're a group of mostly Latin-Americans and they were following US politics way more closely than I was. I felt not just un-American, but un-New Yorkian.

Yet listening to WNYC and constantly refreshing the election map page on nbc.com last night (bite me, I don't have a television yet) changed all that. I was talking and texting with friends all night. And even though I was technically alone and didn't go to any election day parties or events, I felt very much a part of something greater. The feeling was positively electric. You could literally feel it building up and down your spine, leaving tingles in your toes.

By the time Barack was being announced the winner, I'd heard stories from friends of American flags draped over hundreds of people in Union Square. Times Square was filled with New Yorkers and tourists alike, transfixed by the giant screens. I received txts of both "Yes we can!" and "Si Se Puede!" Hope filled the air in the form of cheers, shouts and honking horns for hours all over the city.

Before bed I looked out of my window to see that great beacon, the Empire State Building. It was all lit up in the center of the city in bright red and blue. And I smiled and then sighed, very proud to be in New York and very, very proud to be an American.