It was a brisk yet pleasant Thursday morning when I emerged from Port Authority.  After my usual hour and a half commute from Monroe to New York City, I usually make a beeline straight to the subway, wanting to leave as much time as possible for me to just sit down and enjoy time to myself before class.  That day, however, I decided to explore a bit more of the perpetually bustling city, despite the cool temperature.  I walked straight down West 41st Street to the Time Square 42nd Street transit, but hesitated as I realized I probably would never get another chance to take time off just to go for a walk.  My first class was at 2:55, after all, and it wasn’t even 12:00 yet.

I rely on Google Maps if the route I’m taking isn’t one I’ve memorized, and I don’t like to go too far out of my comfort zone.  But Times Square was close by, and I’ve always enjoyed walking through Times Square, despite my dislike of large crowds.  Even though it wasn’t so big, I knew that I could get easily distracted enough by anything for my walk to last for up to an hour.  So, I pressed play on Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die album on my phone, turned left, and took a stroll down 7th Avenue.  As I crossed the street, I had to suppress a laugh at a brooding entertainer dressed in an Elmo suit with the bobblehead of a mask perched on his head.

I walked by a huge crowd of people standing in front of a generic store that all looked alike and appeared to be wearing the same-colored shirt.  There was a man leading them, also wearing the same shirt, and he appeared to be lecturing them on something.  Once again, I was grateful to be able to take my time to absorb the sights alone.  Further down, I stole a look inside the Disney store.  Sure enough, it was packed.  A giant golden Mickey Mouse statue commemorating the character’s 90th birthday sparkled proudly beneath the lights.   It was strangely beautiful to look at.  I’ve always been fond of vintage cartoons, but the fact that a memento of a nearly-forgotten facet of art and animation history has managed to stick around for so long is really a testament to the perseverance of pop culture.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As I walked through a fairly open area free from crowding in Times Square, a man approached me and greeted me.  He was friendly enough, but I was so distracted I nearly jumped out of my skin.  I stood in place, a really dumb decision on my part, as he asked me where I was from – unsure of what he meant, I answered Lebanon.  Ah, the land of the sexy ladies, he said, grinning.  I laughed awkwardly.  I wasn’t uncomfortable, but talking to strangers was never my forte.  He showed me a CD and told me about his music video that he was filming.  I zoned out, as you do when strangers talk to you about stuff you’re not interested in.  Finally, he asked me to make a donation.  I stuttered as I told him that I didn’t have any change I could give him.  I cursed in my head as he persisted, but seeing that I wasn’t about to budge, he let me go.  He extended his hand to shake, and not wanting to be rude, I did the same.  He froze for a moment and asked the question I should have seen coming from a mile away.  Do you have a boyfriend? he inquired cheekily.  Without hesitation, I said yes, I do, sorry, haha, as liars do.  He looked disappointed as he let go of my hand, and I was all too happy to be on my way.  Not everyone can say the same.

At this point, I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was 1:00.  I decided that it was time for me to head on back to the transit station and be on my way to Baruch.  I’d seen a lot on my walk that day.