While sitting at Saturday morning services at a synagogue in West Hartford, CT I became engaged in conversation with a nice lady sitting next to me. We had traveled 2 1/2 hours from Jericho and arrived at this elegant, bright synagogue with its young vibrant congregation.

The slight changes in the service (compared to our service at Temple Beth Torah, Westbury) were interesting. I was obviously engrossed and enjoying it all when this lady spoke to me.

Woman: "Are you from out of state?"

Me: "Do you consider New York as being from out of state?"

Woman: Laughs good-naturedly.

Me: "As a New Yorker, maybe it's chauvinistic, but I consider everybody not from New York as being from out-of-state."

We both laughed!

I could not help but think about that famous map poster which sold over a million copies. It turned up everywhere and it always brought a chuckle to the person who viewed it. It was titled A New Yorker's view of the world.

New York City was the largest portion of the map. The streets of Gotham were clearly outlined and the Hudson River looked like an ocean. New Jersey was not emphasized and the rest of the USA consisted of one marking that said "Vegas" and one distant and barely noted as "The Coast." Japan, Canada and Mexico were hard to find as were the world's seven oceans and eight continents.

Why this slanted tendency to think you are first and everyone else is a distant second?

They call it the Empire State, don't they?

New York City is the capital of the world, isn't it?

"The Bronx is up and the Battery is down. The people ride in a hole in the ground, New York! New York, it's a wonderful town." (Lyrics from Wonderful Town)

And don't forget, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!"

That nice old lady in the synagogue knew what I was saying. "Being a New Yorker is something special."