I love to travel.
One of the greatest joys in life, I think, is exploring new surroundings and discovering the wonders of the world around us. And I love to revisit my favorite places, which become like another home. I consider myself a lucky dog because I get to experience new sights and smells all over this fine country.
New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town.
Recently my person and I visited New York City, one of my favorite places ever! I mean, there are people everywhere, dogs everywhere, smells EVERYWHERE, so what’s not to love? It’s like a sensory party and I am invited. 
My person tells me that it has changed a lot since she grew up there, and I believe it, because every time we go there, everything smells totally different. But wherever we go, whether it is Central Park, Broadway, Times Square or the Hudson River Walk…there is always tons to explore and enjoy. I also get to see my grandpa, my aunt and my people cousins, and I get to lick all those faces that I only get to lick a few times a year. This makes licking them all the more special, so I put extra effort into it. I think they appreciate it.
Thanksgiving – the best holiday ever!
And, we got to celebrate my absolute favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love this holiday, because it’s all about giving thanks. I must admit, it amuses me that peoples need a special day for this, because dogs are thankful for every moment of every day. I am thankful for every fetch of the ball, every roll in the grass, every lick of the face and every belly rub. That’s a lot of thankful! Peoples, it seems, need a reminder every now and then, to look around them and notice all the greatness in life. I try to remind my person of this every day, but perhaps peoples who don’t have a dog don’t get reminded as often and that’s why they need a special day. Yeah, that must be it. Oh, and of course, the other reason I love it:
Turkey!
No, it didn’t have bacon…but a dog can dream, can’t she? 
The unforeseen threat
So there’s a lot of good stuff in New York, but I recently became aware of the existence of a major menace, one that threatens the very fabric of existence in the world’s greatest city. Of course, I am speaking of the horrible, terror-inducing and ubiquitous New York phenomenon known as: the BICYCLE MESSENGER. (Insert dramatic musical chords here) 
What is it, you may ask, about the bike messenger that is so disturbing? To that I reply, what isn’t?! They appear as if from nowhere, they move too fast, darting and weaving as if they own every inch of space – which is ridiculous, because that space belongs to me! They swarm all over the city, like a crazed bunch of bees, and when they arrive at their various destinations, they ring people’s doorbells!
This is one area where my person doesn’t understand me. She says I am crazy because when I meet a delivery person after they ring our doorbell, I turn friendly and try to lick their face. She says this makes no sense, but I disagree. Here’s the thing: once they cross the threshold of the apartment, they cease to be a crazy bike messenger and they transform into a normal person, which means I now love them. My person likes baseball, so I tried to explain it thusly: it’s like when a baseball player changes teams, and people who used to boo them now stand and applaud because they are wearing a different shirt.
She failed to see my logic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. She also doesn’t understand why I bark at them out on the street, because they are not ringing any doorbells at the time. But I know their evil plans. I know that somewhere, in the next few minutes, they will ring a doorbell – and I must react to that outrage. 
I put this information out there as a public service announcement, in case any of you visit the Big Apple anytime soon. Enjoy the wonders of the city that never sleeps, but always be alert and know that they are out there. Are you a traveling dog? What’s your favorite place to visit? Comment below and tell us about the hidden treasures – and dangers – of your top vacation spot!
