My firstborn just finished her third year with a Manhattan Girl Scout Troop. It's been an amazing, enriching experience, and I look forward to her younger sister becoming a Daisy next year. Lucy proudly wears her badges Community Service, Cookies Selling, and Art.
But when Lucy's troop planned an overnight in a city park recently, it did occur to me that NYC scouts are different.
As I said to a friend, where I'm from, you don't sleep in the park because it's fun. You do it because your stepfather is abusive.
Enjoy your "ALCOHOLIC VAGRANT" badge, girls!
Because of the weather, we wound up having a mostly indoor party instead, but it didn't deter us from going on a walk in the rain, where I asked questions like, "What kind of leaf is this? And what do you think has peed on it?"
Later, the girls sat around and told scary stories, one of which involved "five hundred twenty five thousand, six hundred zombies."
And so, in honor of our unique girls in green, I humbly submit that Big Apple scouts -- of all ages -- be eligible for the following. I'd love your nominations for others, gothamites!
Tagging
Break dancing
Rhymin'
Stealin'
Not sleepin' till Brooklyn
Spanglish
Getting into the VIP room
Barney's Warehouse sale endurance
Booking a table at Per Se
Day trading
Surviving on a middle class income
Getting crosstown on public transportation without crying
Keeping personal life out of Gawker
Finding a parking spot
Getting in to private school
Eating from the cart
King Kaufman
Floyd Elliot
Cary Tennis
Jeanette DeMain
Dana Dangerous
Bill Maher
Salon.com
Comments
Sleeping outside at the zoo
Identifying slug species (Portland is the national capital of slugs)
Saving your breakfast from blue jays
Learning to drink coffee
Riding bikes everywhere
Never letting rain stop you (or you'd never go anywhere)
Riding the MAX trains
Identifying bridges
Going to public school
i spy (knocks off, musicians, dancers, mimes ...)
the jersey experience (the NJ mall w/o leaving the boroughs, now w/ a map to big box stores)
anti-franchise (eating where no one else has. updated Metro card a must)
Not touching the third rail
Ducking crazy city drivers
Doing "it" in a Manhattan Minute
Giving regards to Broadway
Taking the A Train
Seeing East Side Boys, West End Girls
Crossing Delancey
Taking the Train to the Plane
Cloistering at The Cloisters
Having more hair than Donald Trump
Walking through Strawberry Fields Forever
Also can I submit a slightly different badge idea? The "I Promise to Attempt to Kind of Somewhat Pretend to Hide my Disdain for People Who Aren't from The City" badge.
Zing! (That L.I. insecurity never quite goes away!) :)
Apartment buildings and complexes consolidate your customer base nicely, especially in the rain. Though once they cookies are delivered, they take over a huge chunk of a cramped NYC apartment!
I know of a few troops who sold on the NYSE trading floor.
Designator, that Girl Scout HQ store is where we get all our gear.
And Women's Voices, that's exactly how we sold the bulk of our cookies this year. It was nice letting Lucy and her little sis run around the building and take orders from our friends.
Based on the past few weeks, I can't believe I forgot to inlcude the
Getting a taxi in the rain
badge.
(13-year GS leader here. Yeah, I'm insane)
"how about a not-scowling-after-being-told-by-a-man-to-"smile!" badge"
That would be one I'd hate to see people earn. I find it obnoxious and offensive when people tell children (or adults) to smile. Maybe it's just me, but it's always seemed condescending and presumptuous. If someone isn't smiling at a person, it's probably for a reason, and that person demanding it, likely has some entitlement issues.
Smiles should be earned, not expected on the basis of ones presence. Maybe I'm just grumpy... :p