Ah, the big city. Particularly poignant when you live in a mountain town. Tall buildings, busy streets, millions of people, thousands of Blackberrys, crazy cab drivers (now with touch screens in their cabs so you notice what’s going on during your trip less), the smell of street vendors’ lamb kabobs and hot dogs, bars open till 4, and, yes, the media.

NYC is the place to be (or at least visit) if  you’re in the media biz any way. Hence the regular pilgramage to the Big Apple, media center of the universe. This time Dave and I did the midtown two-step.

During our first night, we were given some good advice for negotiating the concrete jungle with oversized wheeled luggage filled with the lastest samples and demos to show. This from our friends at Verde PR who, coincidentally, were finishing up a NYC visit of their own, and who we met for a quick beverage the first night we were in town. 

The key: send out your best-looking (read: female) member of your staff (sorry Kris) and have the rest of your crew, bags in hand, wait in the shadows. Once the cab has been flagged down, everyone can come scurrying out, bags in tow. Needless to say, while this was sound advice, we were just two dudes without the benefit of the opposite sex.

We fared OK, though, since we based ourselves not too far off Times Square and most of the publications where we were headed are relatively close to one another, some even in the same buildings. Rodale’s New York office, for instance, houses Women’s Health, Bicycling and Men’s Health (Keith takes a breather by the elevator). Men’s Fitness and Shape are in the same digs - which also houses the National Enquirer and National Examiner (yes, we caught up on our celeb dirt). And Popular Science, Outdoor Life and Field & Stream all share a floor.

 Thanks to suggestions from our savvy city-dwelling friends, we also got uptown and downtown efficiently (knowing what time of day to take a cab vs. taking the subway is definitely key, thanks Joe and Judy), which helped keep things on time for visits to Urban Climber, Men’s Journal (Dave couldn’t resist the tourist photo by the collection of Rolling Stone covers), National Geographic Adventure and ForbesLife, among others. That, and a little speed-walking, city-style (Dave has been practicing).

In NYC, two days go by fast - as fast as those cabs that blew by us at every curb. A whirlwind filled with late nights, early  mornings, Brazilian and Korean cuisine (thanks Christian!), and lots of talking. But there’s nothing better than a little face-to-face with the people with whom you deal regularly.  That, and, at the end of the day, a visit to Arlene’s Grocery.