Just another rainy Friday in New York City.
Sometimes, rather than walking quickly to get from destination to another, I take my time walking and carefully observe the things around me. It’s amazing what I notice. Here are the things I noticed on this gloomy day.
1) While waiting for the Downtown E train at Sutphin Blvd, I saw a man with a huge white and black-spotted dog. This dog was no ordinary dog. It was a Special Forces Service Dog. sat in the same train car as me. When the owner settled down, he laid a mat on the ground for the dog to lay on. I watched the dog. Its eyes expressed such sorrow. The way the dog laid its head on the ground, staring back at me, eyes lowered, lying in an agonized posture. Meanwhile, the owner looked apathetic towards the dog. He didn’t seem so caring. Every time more people walked on to the train, the dog would lift its head and look around. It would make eye contact with one person for several seconds, even moving its head to follow the person. Then, it would sniff other people. Everything about this scene was sad. Maybe it was depressed. Maybe it was lonely. Maybe it was sick.
2) When I transferred to the 6 train at 51st St, on the opposite platform, I noticed a old white-haired man sitting on a short stool playing the accordion. He filled the train tracks with the sounds of Parisian music. It was gorgeous and lively. He made the mood feel lighter. Many middle-aged men and especially women would pass by him, stop, watch him play, tip him, then make small talk with him. As he talked with fellow subway riders, he and the subway riders would quickly yet gracefully smile at each other. As if they were old friends reuniting with memories of happiness.
3) On the 6 train going downtown, I stood in a car with a group of six high school boys, all but one wearing the same navy blue blazer with four golden buttons in a line going down the ends of each sleeve. They each wore khaki pants of various shades and loafers made of some soft fabric. Their hair was tousled in a young arrogant way, the attractive kind. They looked as if they just stepped out of a film about rich, preppy high school boys. But they were riding the subway…
4) As I walked to the Housing Works on 23rd St, I passed by the Gramercy Theater. Standing underneath the movie-listing “roof” was a tall man wearing a pink bunny suit. I don’t know what the occasion was, but he was reluctantly handing out small card fliers. Reluctantly. I assume he must not be enjoying his job.
5) Later in the day, I went to the train station at 14th St-Union Square. There are usually performers there, especially during rush hours. Today’s performer was a young boy of about 13 years, playing beautiful music on a keyboard. The sound filled the whole section. On the floor in front of the keyboard were CDs for $12. Standing in the crowd, watching the boy, was his father. A man of 50 or so years, holding four CDs in his hands. He watched his son anxiously, as if he was viewing his son’s performance in a competition.
6) As I walked down the stairs to catch the L train (still at the same station), the sound of the keyboard disappeared. By the time I was two levels below, I heard a different sound. The sound of the two men, one playing an electric guitar, the other playing drumming on a few large, white plastic buckets overturned, one with a cymbal attached to it. The impact of their sounds were tremendous. However, it did not fit with my taste in music.
The things that make New York, New York.
