PostCard to NYC

Last time I saw my friend from New York City she asked about the rat’s here.
We were riding the bus through one of the many particularly diversified neighborhoods, ethnically speaking not economically. No re-gentrification here. She had brought her faux Louis Vuitton for the occasion knowing how at home it made her look in the economically deprived areas of NYC. You’d look odd without one there, not so much the case here. I told her that honestly I hadn’t seen one yet. I live near a body of water, surrounded by restaurants, the general hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area. My neighborhood is edging into the big city. I’ve just never seen one.
I had to write her. It’s day 8 of the garbage strike. I saw the raccoons first.
The first night I let my dog follow ones trail along the ground as I saw it slip over the edge of the embankment into the water. The second night there was some guy in the park warning people. I saw a raccoon slip up a tree behind me. I didn’t know what the guy was saying and had to ask him. “You better put your dog on a leash, the raccoons are loose”. City boy. I should have told him that was who the leash was for. Loose raccoons. Really. What else would they be? I haven’t seen too much of the rats but I think it’s because they are at war with the raccoons. Everybody’s coming into the city for the trash. I think the coyotes are next. The next day in the park I saw a couple dead rats. More mice by NYC standards I’m sure. Not as big a lab (type) rat maybe more like a large gerbil. The raccoons are a whole other story. These things are the size of dogs. And not particularly small dogs either.
Yum, It's a smörgåsbord here in the windy city!

I’m just trying to stay up wind at all times