Category: Blog Post 7 (Page 2 of 2)

On a Friday afternoon, I was on the B train back to Brooklyn and was arriving to my last stop: Kings Highway. For the entire duration of the ride, I had been standing. The train was full of people.  There was barely any room to breathe. Everyone was anxious to get off the train and escape the unbearable heat caused by the amount of people. A man dressed in a brown leather jacket and blue jeans was talking on the phone right next to me. I overheard him complaining to the person on the other end of the phone, “If these people do not start getting off this train, I am going to lose it!” As I was the one who stood the closest to this man, I decided to move two steps back to keep my distance. I was unwilling to exit the cart, walk down the platform, and enter the distant cart. I was almost there. The train doors opened up and I thought we were still at Newkirk Plaza, but the conductor announced, “this is Kings Highway, the next stop is Sheepshead Bay, stand clear of the closing doors please.” At that moment, I ran out the train and pushed anyone who was in my way. I missed my stops countless of times before and I was not ready to miss my stop again.

Once I exited the hot train, the cold brisk air outside hit me like a slap in the face. The bright artificial lights of the train were replaced with the dark and gloomy sky.  Once I got out of the train station, I was thinking about taking the bus home. The B31 was across the street, right beside the bagel store. I decided to ditch the bus and walk home. Before I began walking, I stood by the train station entrance for a minute and watched the scene unravel before me. People pacing across the street to get on the bus, the headlights of the cars driving in front of me blinding my eyes, and a group of people congregated by the entrance complaining about the rain.  The wind had picked up and water poured down from the sky into the the sodden pavement in small drops. I zipped up my jacket, put on my hood, and began my walk from Quentin towards Avenue R. I was walking around in the residential area of my neighborhood, so all I saw were houses and apartment buildings. The rain had kept most people off the sidewalks, but there was a middle aged couple walking right ahead of me. Despite the cold rainy weather, the couple were walking at an alarmingly slow pace. Were they immune to the cold? Was the freezing rainy weather their idea of a nice afternoon stroll? I crossed the street to pass the couple and picked up my pace.

I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers and was shaking from the cold. I wished I had wore a heavier sweater that day. I had my recurrent worry on how cold it was this fall season. How would I survive the intense cold winter? I looked up and saw the green sign by the end of the block indicating that I reached East 19. That was quick. As I continued on my walk, I noticed the masses of leaves dying off in bright colors on the wet pavement. Every step I took would make a loud crunching noise from the leaves and combined with the honking of the cars made it difficult for me to think. I walked another five blocks and finally reached the block of my house. Before I would walk down the block to my house, I decided to walk an extra block down to Bedford just for the sake of walking. I came across a house with a big flower garden in the front. I remembered biking past this house all the time when I was little on the way to Marine park and coming across different types of flowers with beautiful bright hues. I even fell down one time because I got lost in the scene of colors and forgot to look where I was walking. However, those flowers only come out during the spring season and now all I see was wet grass. The flowers always made me happy and I needed that happiness against this gloomy Friday afternoon. I walked back to East 24 street and finally made my way back home.

After a long, stressful week of completing procrastinated assignments and work, I was just about ready to go home and dive right into the oversized blankets of my bed. It was a Friday, so almost about everyone was in a rush to get home. I had finished my work early at the job I work at on 47th street, so I decided that I would just meet up with my father at Steinway Street. I took the M train uptown. Tired from my week, my mind dozed off as my eyes couldn’t keep themselves open. Woken up by the ding of the subway telling me we were approaching the next stop, I noticed that I had gone 3 stops too far and ended up at 65th street. I could just get on the downtown M train, but I didn’t. I got off the train and received the awful text from my dad that his train is delayed and he doesn’t know when he’ll arrive. What else is new I thought furiously as I was eager to get home.

As I anxiously awaited to go home, I thought I might pass time by just sitting on a bench and reading the remaining part of Teju Cole’s Open City. I changed my mind, and decided instead to just roam around 65th street in attempts to relax and relieve my stress from the week. I walked out of the 65th Street subway station and got hit by the breeze of coldness. Standing there, my stomach ferociously rumbled, telling me it was time to catch a bite. I thought I might be able to find a decent place to eat. Instead, I ended up just ignoring my body’s needs and drinking water to satisfy my stomach. The cold water touching my lips reminded me of the coldness I felt as each drop of rain hit me. I shivered. Should I turn back? I ignored the weather and continued on.

As I was walking, I saw a playground nearby filled with kids and parental supervision. I noticed that the drizzles of rain from the sky and the coldness weren’t stopping these kids from having fun. There, I thought I might go meet some of the kids that were jumping around in the fallen leaves of Autumn. Although I might have felt like a kid, my 18 year old mind told me that this might not be the wisest decision, because of the judgmental society that distinguishes adults from the children. Reason and logic told me that these kid’s parents might not view me as just trying to be friendly, but instead as a creep or possibly even worse. I thought that maybe some day I’ll be able to just relax in a park with no worries and be like a kid again. Instead, I just continued walking and came to the realization that this will never be me again.

As I walked past a few streets, I noticed that I had arrived at a residential area. Old looking buildings, cars parked bumper to bumper, streets lacking maintenance. Based on my own perceptions, I could tell this wasn’t the nicest of neighborhoods. Though this wasn’t confirmed until I heard some yelling coming out of one of the apartments. It sounded like some kids fighting, though, I knew it was definitely a couple arguing for no reason. I thought I might intervene. Should I be a detective and investigate? I ignored my curiosity and my thoughts to intervene. I believed the neighbors would be able to handle it. It wasn’t my place to interfere.

I hadn’t realized how long I had been walking for until my phone buzzed, and I see my last message between my father and I had been thirty eight minutes ago. My dad finally made it, so I guessed it was time for me to go home. I made my way back to the subway station where we ordered a cab and headed home. Already anticipating a harsh week ahead due to a few exams coming up, including my second law midterm, I think it might not be a bad idea to accidentally end up in someplace new, and just walk.

On November 9th, I decided to take a walk on the Manhattan Bridge. I had not gone home after work on Friday and I felt tired and hungry but I thought I might as well do my IDC assignment while I’m in the city. I started walking up to the bridge and the emptiness of the sidewalk made me feel uncomfortable. There were usually a lot of people running and biking across the bridge. But the bridge sidewalk was empty. I felt crazy to be out there in the cold. I looked down at my light parka and hoodie and felt sheepish at my choice of clothes. It was so cold. I should have grabbed some food before walking up to the bridge. My stomach rumbled and I drank some water to settle it down. I hoped I would not have to go to the bathroom and instantly the cold made me want to go to the bathroom. I questioned my decision to walk the bridge. Turn back. Go home. Get some food. Get some warmth. I continued to walk.

The bleakness and the dullness of the day made me feel even more tired. I plugged in my earbuds and turned on some music. How can people create such great music? I felt so much more alive. “Close your eyes and listen carefully. Imagine you’re stood on a beach. Water gently lapping at your feet. And now you’re sinking, what were you thinking?”, my music hummed and I bobbed my head to the music. I wondered what it would be like to be on a beach at that moment. I should have worn a thicker jacket. The wind blew hard again and I turned around so the wind hit my back. I looked around thinking in the back of my mind if someone was watching me. Everything seemed too quiet. Chinatown was usually so lively so I wondered why things were so quiet.

A women in shorts and a tank top ran past me and I shuddered. Is she not cold? I walked up further on the bridge. I looked up at the massive steel beams and awed at the incredible structure. How does such a massive structure stay up? At that moment a train rattled by and shook the entire bridge and I awed even more at the marvelous engineering. I remembered I should take a picture for my blog post so I pulled out my phone, slipped it past the railing and snapped a couple of pictures. I gripped it harder. What would happen if I just dropped it? I shuddered internally. I pulled back my phone.

I turned around to look where I walked up from. I have to walk all that way back? I groaned and leaned against the railing. The East River flowed underneath me. I thought of my fear of the ocean. The crashing water made me feel even more cold. I looked around.  The massive buildings arose all around me. I wondered what it would feel like to be living in one of the massive buildings. I want to be really wealthy one day. A large boat crossed the river underneath the bridge and the wind picked up again. I felt flecks of rain fall on my face. I checked my bag and I had forgotten my umbrella. Run. I hurried back to the train station, desperately hoping it would not start to rain harder.

And so, I left. I walked out of the doors of Baruch College’s Vertical Campus building and I walked uptown, a direction I don’t usually go towards. I walked up Lexington Avenue up until 28th street, and then turned left and went west. I passed right over Madison Square Park, but I could still smell the wetness on the grass from the rain this past few days. I usually take the 6-train home, but today I wanted to simply wander. I wandered up until 6th avenue and 28th street, where I hoped I could catch the downtown F train, but instead I saw a sign that read “No F trains at this station”. Just my luck. So, I walked uptown a little bit more until I finally got to a train I could take. I’m not sure why I did this, when I could’ve walked downtown, towards my home.  I hopped on the 34th Street-Herald Square downtown local train and headed home. I looked up at the subway map and saw that my ride home would be 26 stops.  Well, that was certainly a long trip. I usually just listened to music on my commute home, but that day felt different. There was a sense of silence all around. I’ve noticed that rainy days are usually silent, morbid days. I decided not to take out my headphones, and I listened to the natural sounds of the subway. I heard the sound of the train moving across the tracks, and the dinging that would occur whenever we stopped at a station. I also noticed that I was essentially imitating the intercom on the train. “This is a Stillwell Avenue bound F local train. The next stop is Bergen Street.” I overheard a couple talking about what they were going to have for dinner. She was dressed in a nice jacket, and he was wearing a suit jacket and carrying a briefcase. I wondered where they lived, and I wondered what they would end up having for dinner. They seemed well off, so maybe they were going to have something expensive, like steaks. That’s what I am always in the mood for. They got off of the train before they made a decision about dinner. That left me feeling on my toes.  When I finally looked up after letting my mind drift for a little, I was at Avenue N, just 3 stops from my house. I tried to bring my body back to my natural senses, and brought myself off of the train one stop early, at Kings Highway. From there I walked home. I passed Public School 215, the local public school. There were kids playing outside. Oh, what I would give to be that age again, the age of innocence. Did they understand how lucky they were? I couldn’t help but stop and stare a little bit. After what felt like 5 minutes, but was probably more like 30 seconds, I decided it might look a little creepy to just look at kids playing in the playground. So, I turned right, onto East 3rd Street. and was delighted when I saw my house right off the corner. I was finally home, so I went inside, where I stayed, until the next day.

Tuesday morning, November 6. I woke up in the morning like any other Tuesday. My alarm rang at 6:50, and I snoozed it until 7:08. I walked to my high school where I have a morning job. When I got home I decided: “why not get to school early and get some work done.” I didn’t realize how early I would actually get to school. It was cold, dark, and drizzling out. It was definitely not my ideal weather, but I enjoyed the cold because it showed that winter is finally approaching, and the indecisive weather of hot or cold would be over. I decided: “why not take a walk to rest my mind before beginning to do my school work.” I began walking. No destination in my mind, just walking for the sake of walking. The misty drops of rain were getting in my hair and on my jacket. I was beginning to become annoyed. Why am I in the city on such a day like today? All I want to do is to be cuddled under the covers in my cozy bed. Suddenly I started to smell something that didn’t quite agree with me. I looked to my left and saw a Halal food truck. Already making such heavy food so early in the morning? I couldn’t understand. I began wondering, what was the man who owned to food trucks morning like. Did he wake up and come straight here and park his truck, or did he go somewhere before? Will he be here all day? Does he like the food he sells? Is that his only job? My thoughts were interrupted by a homeless man that was to the right of me. My thoughts quickly shifted to him. I could barely walk around in this weather, while he’s been sitting out here for who knows how long? How long has he been homeless for? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? I continued on walking without helping him (looking back I feel bad about it). I walked a couple of more blocks and walked into a Walgreens. I looked through the aisles and picked up some stuff that I realized I had needed. I walked up to the register and I payed with credit card. I then walked out paying no attention to whom I purchased my stuff from. I was then thinking, how can that be? How can I have no idea what the man or woman behind the register looked like? I should start paying more attention to the people, places, and things around me. I continued walking a few more blocks. When I looked up I saw that I was on Fifth Avenue and 22nd. The rain started getting hard, and I was beginning to become uncomfortable. I purchased a  cheap umbrella from a man standing on the corner. I then took my umbrella and made my way back to school. I sat down taking in the morning’s walk. Although, while I was walking, I didn’t quite enjoy it, but after the walk I realized that walking just to walk, no place to go, is actually nice and quite relaxing. I go walking a lot, but I’m either walking to a specific place, or I’m walking to exercise. I should start walking around for the sake of walking more regularly.

On Thursday, it was an exceptionally beautiful November day, so I decided to take a more adventurous route to school rather than just getting off at the usual 23^rdStreet stop.

I began my walk as I got off the N train at 34^thStreet Herald Square, and exited to find myself in front of the Macy’s that takes up an entire block. I stopped for a moment to figure out where I was considering this subway station has so many exits, and saw that I was on 34^thstreet between Broadway and 7^thAvenue. As I was looking around I noticed all the Christmas decorations that had been put up at Macy’s and other stores like Old Navy already. I knew that these would be only the beginning of the grand Christmas decorations to be put up at Macy’s and the rest of the storefronts of this area, but it still brightened my day because of how much I enjoy the holiday season. As I walked towards Broadway alongside of Macy’s, I heard Christmas music being played from the outside of the store to go along with the storefronts that had been put up.

As I got to the corner of Broadway and 34^thstreet, I had the same overwhelmed feeling I have every time I am in that area. Being that it is one of the busiest areas in the city, I stopped to watch all the different people crossing the streets, coming in and out of H&M, Macy’s, and other stores in this intersection. Many of the people I saw were tourists which I concluded based off of all the different languages I heard people speaking as they walked past. I also saw some elderly couples with shopping bags, enjoying the beautiful 55 degree November day. As I walked up the block, I smelt the most amazingly sweet smell which was also a familiar smell for me. I looked up and realized it was a Waffles and Dinges stand, and for a second I contemplated getting one but I decided not to because it was too sweet to have as a casual treat.

I had meant to walk down 6^thavenue, but after about 2 blocks I realized I was walking down Broadway. The split between Broadway and 6^thavenue confuses me every time, and I always end up walking down the wrong path each time I am there. As I walked down, I noticed multiple fruit stands and bodegas, and I noticed the men working these stands. I wondered to myself how they were able to create a sustainable living off of selling fruit, snacks, drinks, and other things on the streets of NYC for a living, but then I remembered that my grandfather had actually had his own hotdog stand on 6^thavenue himself. I missed my grandfather and often thought about him and the life he built for my father, and how my father had built a life for me as my grandfather had done for him.

I kept walking, and found myself in front of the Flatiron building. I stopped to look at the sunglasses being sold on the sidewalk, but convinced myself to stray away because I didn’t intend on buying any and I hate getting the seller’s hopes up. I saw two women wearing Mickey Mouse ears, posing for a photo with the Flatiron building serving as the background of their photo. Seeing this reminded me of the fact that a year ago, I was on my senior trip in Disney World doing the same exact pose in front of Cinderella’s Castle with my friends which brought back some good memories. Realizing 40 minutes had passed, I had to end my walk because my class was starting soon, but I really enjoyed this time and it allowed me to clear my head from all the stress I am under. I plan to take as many walks as I can before the cold is too harsh for me.

A little lazy for my weekly Thursday morning run, I decided to walk my typical route. I hoped it would clear my head in more contemplative way than running. Maybe, just maybe, I would notice something about the city I live in that I hadn’t seen before.

As I stepped out of my house, a little more bundled up than I usually am, I made a last minute decision to opt out of bringing my headphones in order to make this run as pensive and therapeutic as I knew it could be. I walked streets that I walk all the time to get virtually anywhere I need to go. I noticed just how much the leaves fell of off the trees in the past week. There are old men, all on different streets, raking the leaves out of their yards and into huge piles in the middle of the street. I find it very funny that it seems like every street has its own peculiar old man, who I could just imagine lounging on their back deck in the summer time in wearing khaki shorts and a white tank top.

I get onto Ocean Parkway, the main street in my neighborhood, and I begin to walk. Not an industrial street, there wasn’t much to see but a bunch of nice houses. As I’m waiting by a light, staring at the sky, a car zooms by me and my heart stops for a second. I realize I’m too close to the street and back up. Suddenly I’m reminded of a tragic incident a couple years ago. A girl in my neighborhood, I forget if she was a sophomore or junior in high school, as she was crossing Ocean Parkway something of hers fell. She bent down to pick it up and was hit by a car. A truly heartbreaking and earth shattering occurrence. She was so young, with so much future and all of that was taken from her. I was in Disney World with my family upon hearing the news. Hearing about it in the “happiest place on earth” actually made the news worse. As I stepped off of the famous “It’s a Small World” and my grandma called my mom to break the news, my trip ended. Not physically, emotionally at least. For the rest of the trips our pictures with Mickey, Minnie, and the gang were plastered with tainted smiles and minds far away thinking about the life that could have been.

As I continued my walk down Ocean Parkway I found myself all the way at the Coney Island Boardwalk. Normally, I’d run up the boardwalk and run. The only difference would be the extra wind in my face. Today, with no agenda in mind I walk on the sand. Even through my sneakers I feel the cold sand. A very weird contrast from the scorching sand I’m used to running away from. Sitting in front of the ocean, it was very serene.

I sat there for 10 minutes or so until I decided to get up and explore the now abandoned Coney Island Boardwalk. It was pretty creepy. I was extra pensive today so I tried to picture myself walking through a typical summer day on the boardwalk. I imagined a mom buying her son cotton candy and an old couple daring to get on the ferris wheel. I walked some more until reality kicked in. I took way more time than planned and had to make it to school for a 3:00 class. I’m not sure if this is cheating, but I called an Uber to take me home. And with that, my walk came to an end.

I recently moved into an apartment located at 150 East 18th Street in Manhattan. The building is in Gramercy Park, and I had been meaning to walk through the area and take in my surroundings for a few weeks. So, I felt this presented me with the perfect opportunity to do so.

With no destination in mind, I began to walk. It was Wednesday afternoon, the sun was shining, and the air felt crisp. I walked down the street and the first place I noticed was Pete’s Tavern on the corner of 18th and Irving. Though it was daytime, the well-known restaurant was hopping and bustling with people. I immediately thought of my friends from elementary school who I haven’t seen for a while. All of us have gone to different universities, we want to study different things, and we have veered off into several different directions, despite our similar backgrounds and upbringings. I couldn’t help but think how interesting and funny life is. As I finished peeking through the windows of the restaurant, I made a mental note to contact my friends and check in on how they are all doing.

The next think I noticed as I walk through Gramercy was the Gramercy Park Hotel. I stood still to take a look at the massive building, and the doorman standing right inside the door noticed me. He peeked out, asked me if I was looking to check in, and I responded by saying “I wish, but not today!” He laughed, nodded his head, and then returned to guarding the door. I imagined sitting in the hotel lobby, drinking a soda, and looking at the magnificent art that is known to be hung in the Gramercy Park Hotel. I think I would have a similar thought in many parts of the city, including the Upper West Side and Midtown. This is because Manhattan is known as the city that never sleeps, and every time I hear this phrase, I think of hotels like the Gramercy Park Hotel, all filled with friends drinking at bars, business meetings, and guests of the hotels people-watching in the lobbies.

I continued on my way and found myself back on Third Avenue. The sky was a beautiful blue and the light wind felt extremely refreshing on my face. These are my favorite kinds of weather days being that fall is my favorite season. Suddenly the conversation regarding blue skies that my family constantly has came to mind. Though I was only two on September 11, 2001, my parents often reminisce about that morning. Both remember waking up and the sky being a shade of blue that was unlike any other day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sky was bright as ever. Every time my siblings and I think the sky may be as blue as that day, we ask my parents “Is it a 9/11 sky?” and the answer is usually no. I thought that maybe today the answer would be different, but then I noticed the white clouds in the distance.

I ended up walking for over 30 minutes, though it felt much shorter than that. These are just some of the things I noticed and thought about as I strolled through Gramercy. I enjoyed the experience of letting my thoughts roam freely and my imagination take me where it wanted to. I hope to take more liberating walks like this in the future.