UPDATE 12/15/07: read this NY Times article on why Europeans love shopping in NY (hint: it’s cheaper).

This stencil-collage on metal, bolted onto a street signpost, was located on Greene Street off Prince, in lower Manhattan. It makes me really happy ’cause I like the message, and it mixes two of my favorite art forms.

It is good to remember to stay human, ’cause the holidays have been bringing me down. I am Jewish, yet everything around me is urging me to partake in some orgiastic commercial celebration to which I have no allegiance. This is particularly severe in NY, where multitudes of shoppers crowd the streets with their bulky bags and pointy elbows, getting in my way.

I also must take a moment to complain about tourists. Yes, their money is good for the economy, but many visitors walk so slowly, talk so loudly, and frequently exhibit bad style and haircuts. It’s really annoying when people get in my way while I’m trying to run errands or get somewhere quickly.

Before you get scared away, please note: all my crabbiness at tourists and Christians can melt away in a simple human encounter. Last week I was rushing around doing errands, when I overheard a tall, blonde German couple trying to figure out directions in their guttural accents. I tried to ignore them but eventually the gorgeous woman stopped me.

“Do you know where Mercer Street is?” she asked, her eyebrows knit together in concern.
I looked up, trying to visualize a map of lower Manhattan in my head. Then I saw the green street sign in front of us. “It’s right here!” I exclaimed, happy at being able to help someone in their hour of need, or at least confusion. Me, the German lady and her shaven-head boyfriend all laughed in camaraderie, and then parted our separate ways.

Even I love to shop and eat strudel in foreign cafes sometimes.

This was stenciled on the side of the board: