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My mom descibed Madrid as “the New York of Spain” and she couldn’t be more right. The exensive subway, sheer size, and large portions devoted to tourist shopping were just some of the similarities.

Madrid is the most expensive place I’ve been in terms of food and drinks, and the least expensive for clothing. It actually cost me more to eat lunch than it did to buy two shirts!

Also, it felt like half the city was under construction. Everywhere I turned there were cement trucks, fenced off areas, and people with hard hats. It kind of ruined the vibe.

This city is also the first where I’ve been approached by prostitutes. A lot of them. And the funny part is, to compare it to San Francisco, it’s not like they were on a side street of the Mission or Tenderloin during the night. They were in the middle of a tourist thoroughfare in broad daylight. Imagine a couple dozen women in too-short skirts taking drags off cigarettes right in front of the Macy’s in Union Square, and you’ll get the idea.

Unrelated to that, I actually met two girls from the Wellesley High School in the Madrid airport. One even works across the street from Coconut Thai, an old haunt of mine during college. And yes, she said, the construction on Route 9 continues. They were the youngest people I’ve met traveling - 18 and freshly graduated. They mostly seemed interested in getting straight to the drinking.

Then I had a tough time meeting people at the hostel in Madrid - the bartender was doing a poor job of keeping people around. Finally I ended up going clubbing with three British girls. It was a fun (but expensive) night, and I got to hear some “quality” European dance music. The techno version of Single Ladies just doesn’t sound right to my ears.

So yeah, big city Spanish style. Good time.