Jessica/Christian

Jessica was sitting to my right and Christian to my left. There wasn't all that much interaction between the two strangers; however, as soon as I said the word "Yankees" Chris became ultra animated and big high fives flew over my head. It didn't take me long to realize that I was sitting in the midst of two big Yankees fans. Naturally, they were extremely disappointed at last night's loss but optimistic that the deal will be closed tomorrow night, during the sixth and possibly final game of the AL Championship Series.

I can't say that I am a huge Yankees fanatic but I find that watching their loyal (and eminently boisterous) fans is sometimes more entertaining than watching the actual ball game, especially if there are anti-Yankees in the crowd. Jessica was born and bred in the Bronx so she is a life-long fan of the Yankees. With the Yankees as her neighbors and favorite eateries like Full Moon in her neighborhood, Jessica has no plans to move away anytime soon. Right now, she's pouring all her time and energy towards earning an Associate's degree in paralegal studies and after school, she blends healthy drinks and smoothies at Jamba Juice. Mango Mantra is her beverage of choice. Jessica is a New Yorker but if she could live somewhere else, it would be in a town like Hartford, Connecticut, away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. On the other hand, Christian who is from Ecuador, would choose to live in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan, right in the midst of all the commotion. Christian's favorite dish is pasta bolognese. I've had some great pasta bolognese at Figaro's, which is just a few blocks away, so I mentioned the place to Christian but he said he likes Olive Garden's. Like Christian, most of the strangers I've met during my breaks are big Italian food enthusiasts. It appears that regardless of where we come from, people seem to universally revere Italian cuisine. Outside of Italy, New York has got to be one of the best places to enjoy the prominent assortment of Italian bakeries, pizzerias and restaurants. A few months ago, I made a reservation at Del Posto. It would have been a night out without the kids to celebrate our wedding anniversary. A few days after making the reservation we were invited to a Yankees' game. Going to both was not an option. Without much hesitation, we decided to go to the game - it was free.