commander van poots

it's Fleet Week here in New York.

and for you non-residents, this means that boats (really big ones) have docked and Manhattan is now crawling with men in crisp, white sailor suits.

today the New York Sun posted an article on this unique springtime phenomenon entitled "After the High Seas, How Tough Can New York City Be?" (uh, really, really tough?)

the piece generously quotes a Lieutenant Commander Michael Van Poots (what could I possibly say here that would increase the enjoyment of knowing that someone has actually traveled through life attached to the moniker Commander Van Poots?).

here's an excerpt for those of you who are link-challenged:

"'New Yorkers make gracious hosts,' Lieutenant Commander Michael Van Poots, a nuclear engineer who spent five years on active duty, said. 'In every restaurant, someone would offer to pay for our lunch,' he said. 'When we visited the New York Stock Exchange, the president of the exchange took us onto the trading floor. New York is one of the most welcoming cities,' he said, recalling how taxi drivers and other motorists would honk at him and wave."

(yeah, I'm sure that's what they were doing.
waving.
right.)

a slightly different take on Fleet Week can be found at Gawker.com