Tag Archives: rats

Full disclosure: I think rats are fascinating creatures. A lot of people are grossed out by rats, which I can understand, but I owe my interest in rats to my brother and a book called Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants, by Robert Sullivan. In the book, Sullivan observes a pack of New York City rats in a garbage-filled alley near Wall Street for a year. (He calls this activity “going ratting.”) He also talks to exterminators, sanitation workers, and everyday New Yorkers about their experiences with the rodents. About a year ago, my brother, Matt, let me borrow his copy of the book, which he said was “awesome” and made him want to “go ratting.” Considering that my brother lives in New York — Rat Capital of the World — he has ample opportunities to go ratting, if he wanted to. Because one thing you’ll learn if you decide to read Rats is that if you’re in New York, you’re usually in close proximity to rats anywhere you go. Viral videos back that up.

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