Wednesday is what I call hell day for me. I have 2 classes that day. My first class is from 9:30 to 10:45 and the next one from 2:55 to 4:15. I do not have a problem with classes themselves, but I do have an issue with that huge gap of time in between.
I woke up Wednesday and had set on my mind that I would pay a visit to Bloomingdales on East 59th Street and Lexington. I always loved going to Bloomingdales and since Baruch was on East 25th Street and Lexington, I believed I could survive the trek of 30 plus streets. I thought I was just going to find something amazing on sale, but I discovered something else instead. My Speech and Communication class ended at 10:45 and my journey began.
Between East 25th and East 30th, all I can see were food places ranging from the standard Subway sandwich shop to Chinese/Indian restaurant. There were an unusually high number of Indian restaurants and at times, the street smelled like curry and biryani. Then between East 30th and East 40th, I saw the residential area with a vast array of homes, but no stores. It was a pleasant sight to see because it made me feel like I was back in Brooklyn.
Then everything changed from East 40th street. No more housing apartments. Instead, there were corporate buildings. No more people walking their dogs in shorts and sandals. Instead, people were walking and holding their Starbucks in suits and shoes. Even the signed changed from the authentic green street sign to a blue one! Then on East 50th street, the tourists invaded. The streets became clogged and I couldn’t walk without bumping into somebody. Before I knew it, 30 minutes passed and I was one block away from Bloomingdales.
I had made it. I walked into Bloomingdales. Looked around and I saw nothing good on sale. I walked and thought I wasted my time, but I realized that the time wasn’t wasted because I knew I needed to walk back to Baruch and this time, I chose a different Avenue. This walk allowed me to see the different parts of Lexington Avenue and I consider it my cultural encounter.
I love how you describe the transitions that take place as you walk down Lexington avenue. I feel as though the fact that all of these different people and subcultures can exist in harmony is what makes New York a special place. The city lends itself to all sorts of people and places all of which are an integral part of the melting pot culture of NY. Walking down an avenue is almost like looking at the clockwork of a very intricate and rare clock. It’s definitely an experience that I would like to have one day.
Your walking trip experience is quite refreshing to read about. Because I lived in New York City for quite a while and knew that diverse cultures are often adjacent to one another, I often forget that different cultures mingle with each other almost everywhere in the city. Take Chinatown in the downtown area for example, there’s a lot of Chinese restaurants and shops. Yet, bordering that area is Little Italy where many assorted bars and Italian restaurants can be found. And walking down even further towards Canal street and Broadway, everywhere would be fashion stores. All of these areas are very distinct from one another; and, when they come together, we have New York City.