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Last week, I spent several days in New York City after being  “summoned” to meet with some producers and writers who wanted to talk about the possibility of dramatizing my recent memoir, “Was That a Name I Dropped?” It was flattering that they thought so highly of my book that some very gifted individuals felt it warranted their attention.

It was my first trip to New York City in almost five years. As I walked around the city enjoying the energy and excitement, I found myself drifting back to my first trip in the mid-1960s. I was not yet a teenager and our family had stormed New York to attend the World’s Fair.

We stayed at the Schuyler Hotel, just off of Times Square for less than $15 per night and each night I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of traffic and the persistent honking of horns. It mattered little because the city seemed to my young eyes exactly like something out of a wonderful movie like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or “Pillow Talk.”

I returned countless times in the intervening years. There were Broadway shows, spectacles at Radio City Music Hall, carriage rides through Central Park, multiple journeys up the elevators at the Empire State Building. There was even the opportunity to accompany a singer during her guest appearance at the legendary Carnegie Hall. New York City was always a memorable experience.

This time, however, I found myself making comparisons between New York City and Concord. I discovered rather quickly that they are not all that different when you really look at it.

The weather was amazingly balmy on Wednesday – somewhere nearing 70 – as I set off for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. My parents had been married there in the years after World War II while my mother attended Julliard. I always make a point of visiting this world famous house of worship. I usually light a candle and then sit in the peaceful silence, letting the tranquility wash over me.

Sitting in contemplative silence in any one of the beautiful churches that are a prominent part of Concord, has always had the same soothing effect on me. Try it sometime - it's less expensive  than psychotherapy and can produce similar results under some conditions.

A walk through Central Park made me appreciate the many parks that dot our fair city and the great escape they provide from the stresses inherent in all of our lives at times.

Concord certainly has a fair share of really good dining establishments and unlike New York City, you don't need to take out a second mortgage in order to dine at one of them.

As I passed Lincoln Center and remembered the many concerts and operas I had attended there, I smiled at the realization that Concord's residents have a veritable cornucopia of concerts, theatre, opera, and every kind of music you can imagine at their fingertips.

What Julliard is to New York City, the is to our city. You can study just about any kind of instrument or train your voice at the hands of some tremendously gifted teachers and instructors.

The regularly brings music acts for every taste as well as touring Broadway shows, dance performances and some very funny comics.

In the meantime, the have been bringing a wide-range of top-flight theatrical productions to Concord since back in the Roaring Twenties. They usually perform at Concord's venerable , which also presents scores of other performances during their season.

If you have a taste for exceptional symphonic music, look no further than our own Granite State Symphony Orchestra. Based here in Town, they usually present five performances each year at the City Auditorium. Hearing a live symphony play can give goosebumps to even a listener who may not have a particular passion for classical music. The Christmas Season isn't complete without attending their annual Holiday Pops performance in December. It's brilliant music, that's affordable, played by an exceptionally talented group of musicians under Maestro Robert C. Babb. Their next concert is on March 24 and I dare you to attend and not come away raving about this Concord treasure.

Concord's culture is only one part of what makes the city such a diverse and dynamic community to live in.  While we may not have buildings that seem to touch the sky, we have businesses that can provide you with most of the necessities of life. In addition, if you want a large city, we are an hour from Boston. The beach and mountains are about an hour away and you won't be lulled to sleep at night by the din of a million horns being tooted.

It's wonderful to take a bite out of the "Big Apple" but Concord can more than hold its own as an "Orchard" filled with a thousand delights.

--
Paul