Jennie Smash

One of my lovely commenters (and I do love you all, I do, I do) posted the following excellent question:

smash, so tell us, what do you think of the lovely odor that is “NYC in the summer”? whenever i am in the city in spring, fall, and even winter, i think “wow, this really is a lovely place.” Then i make sure i journey back there in the summer, and 5 minutes of the rotting flesh/fish in the 100 degree heat and oppressive humidity brings me back to reality.

i am not sure i have ever noted such a pungent odor in any other major metropolis, have you?

In answer to your question, I love it. This may be because I am rather new here (and feel brand new, given that today was my first day of work, and tomorrow will be my first day in my own apartment). But I think my tolerance for the city stink has more to do with the fact that I like cities in general and New York in particular. You know how , when you’re in love, you’ll look at the object of your affection and think, “That is the ugliest shirt I have ever seen on a human. Awwww.”? Well, that’s sort of how I feel about NYC summer stank. It’s pretty bad, but then, I understand that there’s a restaurant here that serves nothing but peanut butter sandwiches, and there’s a salon that only cuts curly hair. The bars are open latelatelate, which is when I prefer to be up, and you can act however you like, because no one really gives a shit, and also, there’s a homeless man peeing in a phone booth two feet to your right.

Also, the smell isn’t rotting flesh/fish: It’s dog crap, exhaust, garbage and sublimated subway rat. And yet my adoration persists.