Mysterious sweet smell returns to Manhattan, without explanation

[emad]

BY LUIS PEREZ
STAFF WRITER


The Sweet Smell came back.

Call it molasses- or maple syrup-like, the mysterious fragrance that confounded the noses of perhaps thousands of New Yorkers seven weeks ago returned to several spots in Manhattan Thursday.

Once again, no one knew what it was.

"Sweet," said Ian Michaels, a spokesman for the city department of environmental protection, which received a handful of calls Thursday afternoon from lower Manhattan to midtown. He added: "We keep sheets here for phone calls that we get and it's just, 'sweet, sweet, sweet.'"

Dozens of calls also came in to 311, and 911 Thursday afternoon, and by 4 p.m., the city's office of Emergency Management was once again acting as the sweet smell sleuth, coordinating the efforts of multiple agencies. "We have reports of it above 96th street," said Jarrod Bernstein, a spokesman for the office of emergency management. "Maple syrup. Same as last time."
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-smel1209,0,5226916.story?coll=nyc-moreny-headlines

[Loonman]

1. Must be better than

The smell of stale piss which is usually what NYC smells like.

[Stephanie]

3. that's nice

please don't visit - we don't want you

[Ian David]

11. I like Manhattan, but it DOES smell like piss

That's not to detract from the city's other non-olifactory properties that I love.

In Boston, our subway platforms smell like piss (and sometimes a combination of piss and disinfectant).

[question everything]

82. I am glad that our recent visits were in November and December

too cold for THAT smell? :evilgrin:

[MrMonk]

67. Sorry, but it's true in mid-town.

Especially on a hot muggy day.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

5. Leave it to New Yorkers...

...to complain about their city smelling nice.

:hide:

[Loonman]

6. I've been there 3 times

Each time was worse than the last...I despise that city.

[iconoclastNYC]

22. Did you leave Midtown?

Too many tourtist thing NYC is midtown which any new yorker knows is horrible...mainly because of tourists.

[Stephanie]

33. Great! Stay home!

And where do you live?

[iconoclastNYC]

24. Ha ha ha ha

First of all there are several things that are toxic that have pleasant smells. If I fed you anti-freeze I doubt you'd complain about the taste.

The thing that is scary is that nobody knows where this smell is coming from and its all over the city...I smelled it the first time inside a bar......its very strong and weird.

But i'm glad you had a chance to knock new yorkers. Go you.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

59. Aw, come on.

I love NYC. On the other hand, the last time I was there was (trying to remember exact date) some time around the week of the Puerto Rican day parade. It was 90 degrees in Manhattan at 1:00 in the morning. And you know what that means.

[murielm99]

7. I don't live there, but I loved it when I visited.

And I don't think it smells like piss at all.

[tridim]

20. I take it you never rode the subway on a hot and humid day?

I also liked a lot of things about living in NYC, but the urine smell was not one of them. I think long time residents are used to it.

[Benhurst]

2. I'll bet some "terrist" is trying to kill us with kindness. Arrest him

bring back the stench we're used to.

[Cronus Protagonist]

78. Sounds like he may be trying to kill you with Benzene instead

What is benzene?
Benzene is a colorless liquid with a sweet odor. It evaporates into the air very quickly and dissolves slightly in water. It is highly flammable and is formed from both natural processes and human activities.Benzene is widely used in the United States; it ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume. Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals which are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.

.How likely is benzene to cause cancer?
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene is a known human carcinogen. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.

How can benzene affect my health?
Breathing very high levels of benzene can result in death, while high levels can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness. Eating or drinking foods containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, irritation of the stomach, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, rapid heart rate, and death.The major effect of benzene from long-term (365 days or longer) exposure is on the blood. Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection. Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of their ovaries. It is not known whether benzene exposure affects the developing fetus in pregnant women or fertility in men.Animal studies have shown low birth weights, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage when pregnant animals breathed benzene.

http://www.classactionlawsuit.org/benzene_lawyer_lawsuit.html

[skids]

4. Maybe...

The amount of "curb butter" has reached critical mass...

[Ian David]

8. My guess is it's a secret government test project

They're tracking reports of the odor so they can predict dispersal of bio and chemical weapon attacks.

See:

Of Microbes and Mock Attacks - 51 Years Ago, The Military Sprayed Germs on U.S. Cities
By Jim Carlton
Wall Street Journal
10-26-1
http://rense.com/general15/ofMicrobesandmock.htm



BIOLOGICAL WARFARE?
TRY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
http://www.world-action.co.uk/biological.html

[iconoclastNYC]

23. They did gas tests in Grand Central

few months back and it got reported.

[KitSileya]

30. Bingo.

I'm willing to bet you're right. It does sound very plausible. Just wait for the attack - with Shrub's numbers still in the low 40s, he'll need another attack to declare martial law and circuvent the incoming impeachment.

[shance]

72. How and why is it legal for the government to engage in such acts?

The level of secrecy is corrupting this nation in the name of "National Security".

[emad]

9. Meanwhile in Osaka, Japan...................

Smell and the city: Osaka bottled

Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Monday December 12, 2005
The Guardian


Move aside, fruits of the forest, and make way for the scent of a middle-aged woman. A Japanese firm has used her perfume, along with other evocative fragrances, in a range of air fresheners that reproduce familiar smells of the city in the smallest room in the house.
Senoya, a souvenir sales firm in Osaka, says the air fresheners are designed to conjure fond feelings towards the city's landmarks and people after years of economic decline and bad publicity.

They include Tenpozan Omoide no Kaori, which is meant to rekindle memories of a first kiss on the Ferris wheel at Tenpozan harbour, and Kita Shinchi Unaji no Kaori, supposedly reminiscent of the smell of the neck of a hostess at an Osaka drinking club. About 1,500 of the air fresheners, which cost 580 yen (£2.75) each, have been sold since September
http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1665140,00.html

[Crankie Avalon]

10. Hilarious how a headline like this brings out the jealous...

...small-town deadenders.

As for smells--who can smell anything at all when it's as freezing cold as it's been around here, lately?

[Ian David]

12. Chicago smells like pizza. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

27. and good pizza, at that

I'm jealous, i'm stuck in Fort Worth (Texas is pizza hell). Oh well, at least I have TexMex

[Crankie Avalon]

32. HA!! Sounds good.

[porphyrian]

41. Actually, there's a place on the Dan Ryan Expressway...

...that smells strongly of chocolate. I'm not sure if it's candy or brownies or what, but it's undeniable. Curiously, it is somewhat near Oprah's studio...

[enid602]

80. Italian food

for good pizza try Buenos Aires (pop 9 mill., 60% Italian) or Rome, where they serve pizza in squares, make a cone of one and wrap it in wax paper. I'll never eat Italian food here in the States again. No comparison.

[porphyrian]

84. I've also heard that Italy makes horrible pizza, though...

...I've never been there. They apparently have some good Chinese, though.

[MadHound]

25. Jealous?! Small town deadenders?!

I don't know about the rest of the people around here, but I live in a small town/rural area, and have no jealousy towards those who live in a city. In fact coming from a city, I feel rather sorry for the people who still live there. Hustle, bustle, massive traffic, polluted air, the noise, the lack of room, all of this and more I am certainly not jealous of.

And why do you call us deadenders? Quite frankly I think that moving out to the country was progress forward, not deadending in a city. Here I can be self sufficient both food and energy wise, become my own boss, enjoy what nature we still have left, revel in a much less crowded lifestyle. And if you are thinking about politics, well some of this country's most progressive movements came from rural and small town America, and things are starting to brew out here again, especially amongst small farmers like myself.

Stereotyping is a horrible thing for you to do, horrible for anybody to do. New York is a construct of man, and has much to be proud of in its own right. However out here in rural America we live amongst the granduer of nature, and are much more attuned to natures cycles. There is much beauty and granduer there as well. Perhaps you should come explore it sometime rather than mock it and its inhabitants.

As far as this smell in NYC goes, perhaps it is ethyl glyecol, anti-freeze that is being dumped in massive quantities. It is expensive to dispose of properly, thus perhaps somebody is doing large periodic dumps in to the sewer system?:shrug:

[Crankie Avalon]

31. I skimmed your post (it was a little long to read)...

...but my original comment was more directed at people who see something posted about a large city and feel the petty need to attack the city. As a city person who has had to spend some time in the past with small town types in small town places, I know for a fact that jealousy usually has a lot to do with it when someone from a small town takes it upon themselves to be nasty for no other reason than hearing where the person is from.

It would never even occur to me to see a story from some given place and post an unprovoked nasty comment about the place. I don't need to do that to feel good about my own situation. If small town folks can say the same (or other city residents, for that matter) I'm glad for them, but obviously some of the small town folks who initially commented in this thread aren't secure enough about their own homes for that. I would suggest to such folks that, if they ever really are in New York or some comparable city and smell "piss" everywhere, they should wash their pants before proceeding with the rest of their visit--it should clear the smell right up.

Sorry my own response turned so long. Have a nice day.

[MadHound]

36. LOL, my you do make assumptions don't you

Quite frankly I don't find it suprising that somebody from a small town makes a comment about NYC smelling like piss, or something else. One of the more pleasant aspects about living in rural America is that you get to breathe and smell really really clean air, especially in the winter. Thus, living out here one's olfactory system isn't desensetized like it is in the city. You notice more smells, of all kinds. And then, take that supersensetive nose into a city, oh yeah, you are going to be overwhelmed by smells.

It was one of the things I had to get used to living out here. Now when I wander back into my former city, which I didn't think had any particular smell, I notice how much it does indeed smell, like rotten eggs. And yes, down certain streets on certain days, stale beer, puke and piss. But then again, there are good reasons for it smelling so, since the two power plants in the middle of town are spewing out sulphur dioxide, and because most urban bar districts have that beer/puke/piss smell going after a busy night, it is what the drunks do out on the streets.

So maybe, maybe these "small town deadenders" are exactly right, NYC does smell like piss, at least sometimes. Consider that their nose picks up much more than yours and hits them harder. Maybe, just maybe these people are simply being brutally honest, not trying to cut your city down.:shrug:

[Crankie Avalon]

42. Whatever, guy...

...these long posts about you and your smells make it seem like you're overcompensating for something. No offense, but your background isn't all that interesting. I think DU has local state forums, so why not try them if provincialism is so diverting for you?

See ya around.

[MadHound]

47. Again, making assumptions!

It is you who were so quick to the attack when it came to your precious city, yet now that somebody is calling you on your assinine assumptions you say that I'M overcompensating? Too funny friend, and very telling about yourself, though you probably don't comprehend exactly how telling.

And quite frankly you don't know enough about my background to make any sort judgement about whether it is interesting or not. You don't have a clue that people out in rural areas travel overseas, backpack through Europe, visit the Himilayas, hobnob with European political radicals, dine with radio personalities in NYC, attend opera, theatre, poetry slams, ect. etc. How many times have you viewed a Monet? A Rembrandt? How many languages do you speak? I speak three quite well, and am now working on my Japanese.

It is attitudes like yours, aloof, haughty and frankly quite presumptive and ignorant, that has cost the Democratic party many of the rural votes. Dismissing rural America as provincial and deadenders, especially in these days of instant communications and readily available flights is quite frankly assinine and counterproductive. Urban fools in the Demcratic party have been spouting the same condescending crap for the past twenty five years, and people out here in what you so snobbishly refer to as "fly-over" country finally had enough. And gee, look what happened now, the party has suffered three major setbacks in five years. Yeah, that's the ticket to winning friends and influencing people:eyes:

If the Democratic party is ever going to take serious control again you need the rural vote. And you don't win the rural vote by simply dismissing them as provincial backwater deadenders. You don't like it out here, fine, don't visit. But don't dismiss the people who do live out here with casual insults and ignorant assumptions. For then you are displaying as much ignorance, hate, and stupidity as you accuse us of having. Get the picture?

[Crankie Avalon]

51. Maybe I touched a nerve???

:wow:

Again, I didn't read it all (Can you really blame me? These things of yours are actually getting longer!) but the names Monet and Rembrandt caught my eye as I skimmed and I guarantee you I've seen more fine art than you ever will. Seriously. I'm an immigrant to this country and speak two languages a little better than "rather well" and a third one well enough that most other people would claim fluency for themselves in it. However, I'm not too interested in "pissing contests," as a rule. If my skimming doesn't deceive me, I think I also see you righteously invoking the Democratic Party, wrapping yourself in the flag, etc., as these posts of yours seem to be getting more and more cracked.

Feel free to furiously type out another page, though, silly boy. :D

[MadHound]

64. Of course you touched a nerve friend

D'uh. You gratuitously insulted rural residents because they rightfully pointed out that an urban area smells. Oh heavens. Read your history friend, since you have access to all of those fine libraries. Urban areas always have and always will smell. It is the natural result of too many people living in too confining a space. Then you compounded the matter by making sweeping generalizations that all rural folks are small town dead enders. And this coming from somebody whom I doubt has spent a week in rural America, much less enough time to make such broad brush statements. Yes, you come across as ignorant, foolish and condescending, and of course you touched a nerve. What else did you expect? Especially since your implication of my second class citizenship and that I should relegate myself to the state and local forums simply due to my rural residence:eyes:

And I find it interesting that you complain about the length of my posts, why is that? All of the stimuli from too much urban existence given you a case of ADHD? Geez, complaining about the length of a post. How damn petty is that? Don't you have something of more substance to complain about? Sorry, unlike yourself I prefer to explain myself fully rather than going to the quick and foolish gibe.

And don't ever guarantee anything friend, especially when you are dealing with unknown quantities. You never know who is on the other end, nor what their life experience has been. If you want to engage in a pissing contest concerning what we each have viewed, PM me, otherwise it will take up too much space here, and Lord knows how much you hate lengthy posts:eyes:

I'm not righteously invoking the Democratic Party, I am pointing out the perceptions that the party exudes, especially by people like you. Since you live in an urban area with access to many books and periodicals that us poor provincials don't have access to:eyes: surely you have seen this analyisis before? It has been floating around the political scene for a quarter century now, that one reason rural voters are flocking to the Republican party in droves is because of the condescending attitude of some Democrats, and the feeling that we're being left out and ignored. This isn't wrapping oneself in the flag friend, this is legitimate political criticism that has been around for a long time, and proven to be true in poll after poll. But surely you already know this, what with your wider horizons and all.

But perhaps I should wrap this up, apparently anything above and beyond two sentences is too much for you to read for comprehension. I suppose we will simply have to agree to disagree on this one. But hey, sometime I do recommend that you get outside of NYC for a few days. Then when you come back tell us just what NYC does smell like. Sounds like you will be mighty suprised, both by the air quality and the people that reside there. Or is that simply too much open-mindedness for you to bear?

[Crankie Avalon]

74. I read your last paragraph...

...and to respond to it and it alone--I'm at work. I don't have the time or the inclination to get into these so-called "flamewars." I addressed in passing a silly attitude that was being exhibited against cities, and too much of my breaktime at work has been spent having to go and forth with you and a few others ever since. If something is long and not interesting to me, I'm not going to read it. That is not unreasonable when "surfing." I mostly come here to find threads that make fun of Republicans so I can laugh a little and relax, believe it or not. I saw this thread was about home so I looked it over.

Anyway, from your last paragraph, I see you're still on your smells--a regular Francine Fishpaw.:D I have to leave New York too often as it is, so I don't need your advice.

All that being said, I hope you take me at my word when I sincerely wish you the best.

[Cats Against Frist]

90. Gawd, I'm going to do my best to not get this post deleted

...and I guarantee you I've seen more fine art than you ever will. Seriously. I'm an immigrant to this country and speak two languages a little better than "rather well" and a third one well enough that most other people would claim fluency for themselves in it.

Who's overcompensating?? You're the one throwing insults around -- nobody cracked on NYC, and no one was calling names, until YOU decided to shoot your fingers off. You don't seem very "classy," at all.

[Cats Against Frist]

91. I've dined with high-end literary figures in NYC

and I've been to the opera -- and while I wouldn't be caught dead at a "poetry slam" (;)), I've definitely hung out with (and slept with) European radicals, as well as sons of Middle Eastern and North African royalty, and the Turkish glitterati. Not too bad for this "hayseed"...




:toast:

[Stephanie]

54. lol! well said!

I guess the 9/11 goodwill towards NYC is dead and gone and folks who know nothing about the city feel free to insult us for no reason at all. I take umbrage.

[Crankie Avalon]

61. Thanks. I don't normally respond to this sort of thing...

...but I did this time and I've been having to spend most of my breaktime from work responding to the responses ever since. If I knew what a can of worms it would be, I wouldn't have got into it. I really prefer my breaktime to be spent relaxing with threads making fun of Republicans, but I guess I messed that up for myself for a little while.

[Beelzebud]

34. Don't worry. Our deadend is a backyard and stars in the night sky. :D

[Crankie Avalon]

43. Happy for you...

...I'm sure you're secure enough about your situation to see a story about someplace you don't live and not have your first response be to post an unprovoked nasty comment about the place, then. :thumbsup:

[Beelzebud]

50. You are awfully thin skinned for a new yorker...

I've been to NYC. I gagged one morning in Battery Park from the smell. I speak from things I have experienced.

That being said. I loved NYC. The people there are great.

[Crankie Avalon]

52. Hmmm...not sure why you responded to my post in this tone...

...as I was honest about being happy for you, but I'd like to end by wishing you the best, for whatever that is worth to you.

[Beelzebud]

53. LOL, Who are you trying to kid?

Your post called anyplace outside the city a "deadend", and the same time pretending to be outraged about people stating that NYC can be smelly.

*shrug*

You have a good one too, for whatever that is worth to you.

[Crankie Avalon]

58. Welllllll...

...I called small town people who attack cities "deadenders." I think that tweaks the people more than any location, but I suppose you think differently.

Thanks for wishing me a good one. If it's sincere, it's worth a lot.

[Stephanie]

56. What did it smell like? Piss? Or vomit?

Did you check your shoes?

[Beelzebud]

57. It smelled like a little of both. :D

[Stephanie]

60. I guess you forgot to bathe

:D

[Beelzebud]

62. Maybe so, but that is besides the point! :D

LOL

Really. I loved NYC, but it did have a certain "aroma" to it. You can't deny that. Unless you've just been living there so long you are used to it.

[Stephanie]

63. I do deny it - I think you're full of it.

And I think the comments on this thread are outrageous beyond belief. Honestly, where do people get off insulting my town like this? I invite you all to stay home next time. We don't need you clogging our sidewalks when we are trying to get someplace.

[Beelzebud]

65. I'm not insulting your town! Maybe I was just there on the only week that

it smelled. Yeah that must be it.


Chicago stinks too. So does St. Louis. So does Los Angelas. So does Boston.

So does every major city I've ever been in!

I'm not saying your city sucks. I'm just saying it stinks! :D

[Stephanie]

66. And I'm saying that's rude.

Read the other rude comments in this thread. I am restraining myself from describing the tourists I see waddling thru midtown this time of year, because that would be RUDE too.

[Beelzebud]

69. LOL Whatever. You suggested I don't bathe, and describe tourists

as "waddling thru midtown". Yeah that's not rude. :D

LOL

Have a nice day. Enjoy the fresh air!

[Stephanie]

71. You see - you don't like it either.

[Beelzebud]

73. Actually I have a sense of humor. If you'll re-read my posts, you'll see.

When you suggested I didn't bathe, I rolled with it, and laughed with you...

It didn't bother me at all. I'm not that sensitive. My feelings don't get hurt that easy.

BTW. I live near a city with a Soy Bean processing plant. My town stinks too!

Now, lighten up!

[MadHound]

68. Oh get off you high horse and live in reality

New York, like any other area that contains more than fifty thousand people, smells, either full or part-time. This has been true throughout the history of urban areas, and is true today throughout the world. We're not looking to insult you, perhaps poke a little good natured fun, but nooooo, can't do that to NYC. Puhleeze, give it a rest and grow a thicker skin.

I've been to most of the major cities in this world, and quite frankly they all have their own odor. This is the natural result of too many people in too small an area. Hell, NYC isn't even half bad when stacked up against places like New Dehli or Amsterdam. Geez, you folks can sure dish it out about we who live in rural areas, but can't take it when it comes to a little gentle ribbing about your place of residence:eyes: Sad, really sad.

Tell you what, go spend a week in upstate rural NY, and then come back to the city and tell me it doesn't smell. Just because your nose is used to the odor doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[Stephanie]

70. Is that where you live? Upstate?

Spare me the rolly eyes thingy, and the sad, really sad, comments. Someone posted a thread about a suspicious smell in Manhattan and then everyone had to come on here and say NYC stinks. Guess what? That's RUDE AND INSULTING and I DON'T LIKE IT. You people just weren't raised well, apparently, or you might have some decent manners.

[MadHound]

75. No, I don't live anywhere close to New York, either the state or the city

I was just suggesting upstate NY because it is relatively close and still somewhat rural.

And you may not like it, but NYC, along with any major urban area does smell. You may not like it, but that is the truth, and like they say, the truth hurts sometimes. Does that mean I hate NYC, no. I enjoy visiting there on occaission. It just means that some folks were poking fun at NYC over the subject. Lord knows it isn't like you urbanites don't poke fun at anybody between the Appalachians and the Rockies. It seems from many many postings around here that the people who live in what the more generous amongst you describe as "fly-over country" that anybody down below is ignorant, a hick, fucks their sister, etc. etc. And most of the time guess what, we shrug it off and go on.

But God forbid somebody turns the tables and insults NYC, even mildly. Sorry, but you've got to have a thicker skin than that friend, both here at DU and in real life.

Look, this was some good natured ribbing that has turned out badly. I'm dropping it and walking away because it is counter-productive within both the party and DU. I suspect that we've got more in common than not, and that at some point we'll need each other politically, even if indirectly. But remember this insult you feel now, and perhaps next time you folks won't be so damn quick on the trigger to gratuitously insult your rural bretheren, OK. Let's learn from this and go on. And please, please, grow a thicker skin, OK. :hi:

[Stephanie]

76. please, please, don't tell me what to do

ever. thanks!

[fhqwhgads]

97. look...

...there are parts of the city that smell fine, there are parts of the city that don't. just the way it is.

here's a tip: get off the r/w train at whitehall st. (by the s.i. ferry), go up the little set of stairs, and then the long escalator. literally smells like feces the entire way up until you get off the escalator and go through the turnstiles.

smelly or not, there's no place i'd rather be, but i hold no ill will toward those who aren't fans of my city.

[Cats Against Frist]

89. There we agree

And why do you call us deadenders? Quite frankly I think that moving out to the country was progress forward, not deadending in a city. Here I can be self sufficient both food and energy wise, become my own boss, enjoy what nature we still have left, revel in a much less crowded lifestyle. And if you are thinking about politics, well some of this country's most progressive movements came from rural and small town America, and things are starting to brew out here again, especially amongst small farmers like myself.

And, if we didn't want to shoot each other, I might be in love...;)

[Clark2008]

38. Well, I'm not defending some of the cracks about NYC, but

not everyone who dislikes NYC is jealous.

I happen to like NYC, but I couldn't live there. Too pricey! My whole house and acre of land costs less than a one-bedroom apartment there! :hi:

[Crankie Avalon]

45. I got nothing against you...

...but you have to admit it's strange to be so obsessed with a place. I mean, I don't go around thinking out opinions on towns in Kansas or wherever...why do certain of these folks spend so much time thinking about New York? They must have better things to do, no?

[Clark2008]

55. I don't know. I think sometimes these people DON'T

have better things to do.

But, it's funny. I'll make fun of my hometown, but if someone not from here does, I get a bit pissy about it. LOL.

[Cats Against Frist]

88. Why would you call people who live in small towns "dead-enders?"

That's kind of fucked up. I've lived in Chicago, Stockholm and Seattle, and I've visited NYC, and loved it, and could see myself living there. However, I quite voluntarily chose to buy a fairytale house for about 1/20th of the price of a property in Manhattan. I live just outside of the BLUEST county in the Midwest that doesn't rely on a minority population to make it so Democratic. It's wonderful here, in my pop. 900 town. And even though I love the city, there are definite pluses here. First, I don't have to slave my life away to afford a 500 sq. ft. apartment. Second, there's NO traffic, and I can walk to get all my necessities. If I want to get Thai, Indian, Vietnamese or Moroccan food, I can hop in my car (that I can afford, because I live in Iowa), and take a drive that is shorter than the train from Brooklyn to the West Village. I can also shop at Asian markets, plenty of boutiques, fresh market co-ops and outdoor fruit and vegetable stands. The local Bijou carries all the arthouse films, and I can probably see just as many authors read, every night, as I could in NYC.

But, I still love the city. Imagine that -- a "dead ender" who spends 1/4 of the year living in Seattle, and another 4-6 weeks visiting big cities.

What you said is mean, and it makes you no better than the other people. And they didn't even insult YOU, they just said the city stinks. Sometimes, cities stink. Is that a reason to call names?

[CornField]

13. Sanctity of Death?

A Catholic friend of mine believes that some folks emit a smell after death -- very sweet, like molasses or flowers -- which is a sign of their entrance into heaven or being enveloped by God.

??? -- just thought I'd toss that out there. I know one thing for sure, this is not the smell that comes out of sugar refineries. We have one not too far down the road and the odor always makes me want to hurl.

[Loonman]

15. ???

People shit when they die. Last I checked it does not smell like molasses.

[Ian David]

28. Maybe if they've been on a glucose drip for a week? n/t

[soleft]

14. I smelled it this morning!

When I got off the bus to go to work I smelled it on Water Street near South Street Seaport. It was a sickening smell. I mentioned it to the security guards when I went into the building and they nodded and shrugged.

[jbnow]

26. Sickening?

What is it like? Too many fragrant flowers? (Really, some people find the smell of too many Narcissus, honeysuckle or strongly sweet scented flowers sickening)

Before I read your post I was thinking it was a very pleasant smell. Guess not!

[soleft]

40. It was too sweet, and also had a chemical aspect about it too

Maybe it wasn't the same smell the others smelled - but the moment I stepped off the bus I smelled a strong sweet order - I looked around and I didn't see any workers around working with kind of chemical or anything and then I saw this article and went - man, that's what I smelled.

[ReadTomPaine]

94. "Sickly sweet.. like honey.."

Like that cloud monster from Star Trek - "Obsession" ;)

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. If I still lived there

I'd want to know what the hell it is and where it's coming from.

I can't believe they can't even figure out the source? So much for homeland security.

[newportdadde]

17. New Yorkers.. its called fresh air dont freak out!

Must have accidentally had some blow into the city by accident :evilgrin:

No no seriously I love New York. I remember our tourit guide ditching our school group in the middle of Central Park when we weren't overwhelmed by it.. hey we are from rural Missouri most of us can go outside and walk into 860 acreas of trees if we want lol.

Two more fun memories:

This large girl in our group tripped and fell in a side street and got honked at by a driver, he yelled "Move it you fat bitch!"

The cheerleader bimbo in our group with huge breasts had a guy walk up to her and say "You have got a great set of tits!" Now to be fair he was right but it was a bit surprising.

heh love NY, nothing like it was wild.

[Beelzebud]

18. I've been to NYC. Sweet would be much better than what I smelled.

:D

[TallahasseeGrannie]

19. I love NYC

and was born and raised in central NJ. The City smells wonderful to me. I've never smelled piss except at Port Authority.

But this is kind of disturbing.

[MissB]

21. We used to get that smell in the back of our van.

Turns out it was some antifreeze that had bubbled over and burned off. :shrug:

[Ian David]

29. Bethlehelm, Pennsylvania smells like sulfur. n/t

[bleedingheart]

35. ah coke ovens...nothing wakes you up like that smell...

[Clark2008]

37. Oddly enough, the spice, fenugreek, which is used in a lot

of Indian and Middle-Eastern cooking smells like maple syrup.

Is there a big Middle-Eastern cooking street festival? :)

[knitter4democracy]

39. We have that all the time.

Of course, we live in Battle Creek with two huge cereal plants. One week, it was Frosted Flakes all week, and then the next was Fruity Pebbles or whatever they were making. It's odd, but you get used to it.

[B3Nut]

79. That brings back memories!

I'm Battle Creek spawn (living in WI nowadays) and I used to love the smell of the cereal plants. Couldn't smell it at my house (used to live off East Ave N, just south of Roosevelt) but I sure could at my grandma's which was less than a mile as the crow flies from both plants. I still get down there periodically...I'm overdue for a trip and am craving the buffet at the Golden Dragon on NE Capital something fierce...damn their orange chicken rocks! :D

Todd in Beerbratistan

(edit: i kant tipe hahahaha)

[knitter4democracy]

92. Stop on by!

You wouldn't think that we can smell it where our house is in Lakeview, but that Fruity Pebbles week (or whatever fruity cereal it was) was pretty strong. If the wind's just right from the Post plant, we get it down here.

I haven't eaten there. We like the China Buffet on 20th pretty well (best veggie egg rolls ever). We also love the Indian place, Copper Chimney, on Columbia. Mmmmmmmm . . . garlic nan with double garlic . . . mmmmmmmmm.

We even have an office on Michigan for the county party. It may not be open much, but it sure has great huge signs you can't miss. :)

[B3Nut]

93. Never been to the China Buffet....

but I've eaten quite a bit at that Mongolian King on Columbia. But I used to eat at the Golden Dragon at least twice a week since the food was great and it was within walking distance of my old house. Then a really special lady lured me to Wisconsin, so off I went. :D Planning a trip down though. I tell you, what I really miss (aside from the old Lakeview Speed's, which I haunted like a ghost sometimes) was Zeller's Donut Shoppe. I was in town for their last weekend in business before Mr. Zeller retired and closed...I made sure to get a good assortment of donuts to go. :D I heard the Urbandale Speed's was under new management yet again...oh great, now I'm craving a couple of their slidin' gut-bombs! :D

Todd in Beerbratistan

[knitter4democracy]

96. Yes, we eat well here.

Then there's Arcadia Brewing downtown. Their food is fabulous! Oh, and there's a new bakery across the street from them with the best croissants . . .

[kwassa]

44. Sweet smell of success?

Or just too many Christmas cookies?

[MsTryska]

46. It happenned again?

I could have sworn I read this same article or about this same phenomena somewhere around here about a month or so ago.


wierd. I'll have to go find that previous post now.

[MsTryska]

48. here's one from Halloween...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=169&topic_id=4584

[Jara sang]

49. Cyanide smells like almonds.

[bettyellen]

77. they ruled out almonds, LOL.

they had a bunch of interviews and checked in with Jaques Torres, a famous chocolatier in Soho. They pronounced him innocent, because they were toasting almonds that night!

[incapsulated]

81. I think it means we've been Sanctified.

And smell of heaven.

Or we are being poisoned in a nice way.

Whatever.

[Oilwellian]

83. Could it be pot?

My brother used to work as a trader on Wall Street and he said there were warehouses in the city where pot is grown and it's ventilated through smoke stacks. Live pot plants emit a very strong, sweet odor. :smoke:

[Cats Against Frist]

85. That's funny, I was in Manhattan, outside, all day on Oct. 27th,

and in Queens on the 28th. I didn't smell a damn thing. Of course, I'm not from New York City, so maybe I just didn't recognize it. I did, however, think the city smelled much nicer than downtown Seattle. I was surprised at that.

[lectrobyte]

86. Could it be coming from a chemical plant in N.J.? I used to be around

some of them, and I don't know what they were making, but one of them gave off an almost sickening anti-freezish sweet smell.

[sarcasmo]

87. Someone coming from a Crack House has a sweet smell that makes you

almost sick. I drive cab for a living and crack is one smell you can tell on an individuals clothes. Maybe the Government is trying to get everyone hooked on the new fresh air.

[emad]

95. SUGAR BEETS: Molasses product touted as road salt alternative

SUGAR BEETS: Molasses product touted as road salt alternative

Product doesn't corrode like salt



LINCOLN, Neb. - The saying, "Slow as molasses in January," loses most of its meaning when you're driving on it.

A de-icing product made from sugar beet-based molasses from western Nebraska is being touted as a noncorrosive alternative to winter road salt.

The organic origins of the product marketed as Geomelt make it a good alternative to corrosive salt, said Galen Kauzlarich, who serves Nebraska customers from a distribution point in Knoxville, Iowa.

The product is manufactured by Grain Processing Corp., based in Muscatine, Iowa. The company also makes Mountain Melt, a de-icer that uses corn-based ingredients.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/13260277.htm

AND many thanks to "chillin" at DU's Minstrel Boy's Rigorous Intuition webboard....