Zurich you complete me

Feel free to raise the flags back to full-staff: I have recovered my beloved sweatshirt. What was lost is now found. The national mourning can cease and the candlelight vigil can be cancelled. And I have you to thank, Zurich. Zurich, you have made me whole.

A couple things I learned about you today that I didn't previous know. For starters, after 4 trips to the airport (I was actually only on a plane once) I know the most efficient way to the lost and found booth at Check-in 1. As an aside, it is 623 steps from railway gates 1 & 2 or 647 steps from gates 3 & 4. I don't think this information is of much use but I felt like sharing. And the other thing I learned: dogs are allowed on trains. Actually they seem to be allowed everywhere. Jeez, Zurich you really know how to make the dog-lover in me feel welcome.

It stopped raining this morning and might I add, you clean up nicely in dry weather. Zurich, what is the deal with weather forecasts here? Each morning, I check the weather forecast online at BBC, CNN and Weather Underground — all seem to have slightly different forecasts. Zurich, are we in some sort of Bermuda Triangle for weather where no one is exactly sure what happens in the troposphere?

After work tonight, I grabbed a drink at a local bar. You know Zurich, you loosen up a bit after 10pm and are quite social. I like that. Honestly, I felt like I was back in New York with the high prices and all. I kid Zurich, I kid. Beer is actually one of the cheaper things in Zurich.

Sadly Zurich I had such a good time, I missed the last tram back to my apartment. You should take a cue from New York and run those trams all night long. Yep, it is a bit ironic that despite working with transit information all day long I missed the last tram. Yes Zurich, I get it. Please stop laughing. I enjoyed the hour long walk up a hill to the edge of town at 1am.

Is it true that all the cool kids go out on Wednesdays and Thursdays? I think I might check it out — so maybe I will see you later tonight.

Hey Zurich, R U there?

I just wanted to drop you a quick note and thank you for lunch today. It was pretty damn good. I've got to hand it to you veal meatballs are delicious and your potato gratin was killer. No, Zurich that is a good thing. "Ich esse Kartofelln gern!" That's right I do love potatoes and I can say it German. Are you impressed?

Yeah, I am in a better mood today. I got a full night of sleep and feel completely rejuvenated. Yes, my bed is still busted but my sheets are clean. I am trying to be more of a "half-full" kind of guy; I think you bring that out in me. You see Zurich, there is not a box-spring in my bed the mattress just sits on the floor with the busted bed frame around it. It is kind of like a fort. So instead of having a broken bed, the new Frank views this as a bed that prevents me from falling off onto the floor. The new Frank calls this a feature — it is a positive not a negative, Zurich. Sure, I would only fall 4 inches but Zurich, remember it is not how far you fall but the angle at which you do that leads to injury. So thanks for looking out for me.

Also, I meant to tell thank you for talking to SwissAir. They called me this morning to let me know that they found my beloved sweatshirt. I think I am gonna go by the airport tomorrow and pick it up. Hooray for SwissAir! Hooray for Zurich!

Okay look here is the deal, I don't mean to end on a downer but really what is with your television shows? They are horrible. They are a joke and no I don't mean that in a good way. Oh, and as a friend of mine pointed out you can't watch British dramas. They are unwatchable. Listen to me: the Brits know comedies but not dramas. You are better than this. You really should consider importing more shows from the US. Would it kill you to have an English speaking station that isn't a news network that loops its programming every 4 hours? After all, 43% of Zurich speaks English. You haven't updated the wikipedia page yet have you? Zurich, you are killing me.

Maybe you could export some of those delicious veal meatballs in exchange for TV shows. Stop it Zurich, that doesn't make you a sellout. Stop being so damn neutral and enjoy capitalism. You don't owe Britain anything — just broadcast the best shows. It is okay to piss people off sometimes.

Okay Zurich I have to go — you are getting a bit under my skin and I promised myself I wouldn't let this happen again.

Dear Zurich

I think we got started on the wrong foot. Let me first say, I want to like — no, love you. It has been a while since I was excited about something so new and different. I probably should have asked around a bit more about you before I jumped into this commitment but Zurich you know, love is blind.

Everything started off so promising, I breezed through check-in as well as security and was asleep on the plane before it took off. Zurich, that SwissAir is a doll. We even arrived an hour early! Hooray, more quality time with you, Zurich. I exited the plane and by the time I got to baggage claim my bag was waiting for me. A lot of people could learn from you, Zurich. I breezed past customs and walked outside heading for the trains. In no time, I would be downtown sipping hot tea and people watching with you, Zurich. As soon as your cold air hit my skin, I realized I left my sweatshirt on the plane. Not to worry — this is you, Zurich and SwissAir is a sweetheart.

I was wrong. SwissAir must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bett this morning. She sure sounded polite as she told me it could take hours if not days to locate the sweatshirt. "It is in 37E. I know exactly where I left it — right in the seat", I pleaded. It was to no avail — she wouldn't even let me wait. She had me fill out a form and asked me all these questions about you: what my local number is, where I was staying, etc. Zurich I had no clue! I had not yet checked into my apartment. Zurich, she made me feel helpless. I gave her my "mo-bile" phone number and she assured me she would call me back. (I doubt she will.)

Zurich before word gets back to you — I want you to hear it from me first, it is possible that I might have been a little mean. It wasn't my fault Zurich, this was my favorite sweatshirt and it can't easily be replaced. And Zurich, I look good in it. Of course, still being a little drugged up on Tylenol PMs did not help. Coherent I was not.

Heart-broken and groggy, I left the lost and found booth and headed to the train station. Zurich, I like to think of myself as somewhat intelligent but I couldn't figure out the ticket machine. So instead, I waited in line to speak with one of your representatives. I learned that you didn't have an all-day or even anything that remotely resembled a week pass. Zurich, this disappoints me. Instead I bought some 72 hour pass with unlimited access for 30 Swiss-Francs. It seemed like a bit much but she was adamant this is what I needed. Who am I to question you, Zurich? Oh and Zurich, Swiss-Francs are so last week. Please get on board with the Euros — they really aren't that bad.

My faith in you, Zurich was restored — albeit briefly — when I arrived in the Main train station. It was absolutely stunning and very clean. Tres impressive! (Note: Zurich, why do you have a "main" and a "central" train station? The main station is centrally located and the central station appears to be the main one because so many trains run through it. Zurich, why are you a tease?)

At the centrally located main train station I needed to transfer to the "11" line to my apartment. Of course Zurich, I did manage to get directions to the apartment before I left New York but guess where they are Zurich? Yep, they are in my sweatshirt. Zurich, I wanted to crawl up in a ball and cry. I walked around the train station for over an hour looking for "11" and I found "S11". While not "11" it seemed like it was right and by that I meant it went in the roughly the same direction — granted with stops I didn't recognize. (Oh, and someone needs to update your wikipedia page — 43% of the people do not speak English.) Zurich, I am sure you already realize this but "S11" is not the same "11". "S" is for a regional or railway train and "11" is the city tram. However, "S18" is a tram. Confusing? Yes it is. Zurich, here is an idea, feel free to run with it: block of a group of numbers just for trams and another group for railways. Do you follow? There are plenty of numbers out there. And while we are talking about traveling, I don't think you should allow people to arrive on Sundays. It should be a city policy. Zurich, you aren't too social on Sundays — nothing is open. Nothing. Now I realize that is part of your charm, I can usually appreciate a sleepy, quiet, boring personality. (To be honest, I kinda have the hots for it.) But not today, it is too much.

I think it is great that you are the home of banking and finance for the world. I mean they don't call it Credit Suisse for nothing but, is it really necessary for the smallest bill the ATM gives you is 100 Swiss-Francs? I guess it is necessary to pay for your 9 Swiss-Franc coffee. Get over yourself Zurich, you are not worth it. I am sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It is not you, it is me. I am going through a lot right now and I am pretty stressed out. You are a sweet girl but maybe we moved a bit too fast. I still haven't found my sweatshirt nor has it stopped raining. Oh and I just found out that "WC Damen" is the women's bathroom — despite having "men" in the word. (And "Herren" is for men. Go figure.)

Okay seriously, I am going to go now — don't bother calling me. No, I do not want to go out tonight. I think I need to some downtime to reflect. And besides I need to wash my hair and make up my bed. (Well actually, my bed is busted and the sheets are dirty so I probably need to wash them first.) So we will talk some more tomorrow — maybe even have lunch. Just lunch, Zurich — lets take it one step and day at a time.