NY Trip - Wandering

After arriving in Newark and taking the AirTrain to NJTransit into Penn Station I got on the 2 train. What a mistake. They were doing all sorts of construction on that line and I was underground for well over an hour just to get a few stops into Brooklyn! I made my way to Danny's house and dropped off my stuff and just started walking...

There was no way I was going back underground on such a beautiful fall day in New York City. I wanted to go over to Manhattan so I started walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge. I'd never really walked through Brooklyn before. It has so much more of a homey feeling than Manhattan. There were beautiful tree lined streets with leaves falling down, children's festivals going on in the streets, interesting and unique shops and restaurants. And, try as I may I could not find a Starbucks (you know...NYC's public restrooms). :)

After an hour and a half and a failed attempt to find the correct road to get onto the Brooklyn Bridge I circled back around and got on a subway to Union Square. Arriving in Union Square I was quickly aware of how much different Manhattan is from Brooklyn. There were throngs of people, tourists and locals alike, Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner. It kind of made me want to retreat back to the quiet streets of Brooklyn...

I wandered the Greenmarket whilst I was there and noticed that most of the farmers are from the area in NY that I used to live in. I took some pictures of the beautiful produce and flowers that were so down to earth in such a crowded, busy place. Each time I stopped to take a picture I would inevitably get pushed by the crowd pulsing behind me. Walking through the market was very neat in itself, it was something I had done many times before. But this time was different. Taking time to stop in the middle of all the madness made me realize how I had fallen out of love with NY. It was very strange to me. A place I'd always held so high in my life before, it was my escape, my way to get out of the country from up north and away from my bad marriage. I always used to come down here and think, wander the streets and try to figure out what I was doing married so young.

Now, a strong, more mature, more independent woman I realized that I was using NY before and I think my affair was over. There were more tourists than I remember from before, even in the smaller more off the path little neighborhoods it seemed crowded. I stated to feel claustrophobic. I started to long for the farm.

So, from the market there on 14th street in Manhattan I started walking back to Brooklyn. By this point my cell phone was out of batteries and I had no one to talk to but myself. My thoughts and I went on a journey. I didn't intend to walk all the way back to Brooklyn but I really had nothing else to do and I needed some time just to myself - something I hadn't really had time to do in Indiana.

I walked south and headed over the Brooklyn Bridge. I didn't really plan it but it happened to be right at sunset, so beautiful. Walking, stopping to sit, taking pictures and listening to peoples conversations as they pass by. I was definitely in a meditative space, walking, smiling. I was smiling at people as they passed by - some smiled back and some just wondered what I was doing. I was in a very calm, content space.

The bridge is beautiful at sunset. And, you look down below at the people on their way home over the bridge in their cars. Just whizzing by and not stopping to look at the site just to their right. Taking for granted the site they see everyday, passing on by like robots on a conveyor belt.

Arriving in Brooklyn it was starting to get dark so I started walking a bit faster. It was comforting once in Brooklyn there were police on each street corner. I started to play a game and smile, wave and say 'good evening' to each person I walked by. I felt like I caught a few of them off guard and really made their day. Making other people smile is such a self fulfilling act and I really enjoy playing that game.

After about a whole day of walking my Dansko's were really starting to hurt my feet, by this point I had some major blisters on the soles of my feet. I walked past a mall and stopped in to buy some shoes. 'Hey, I put some new shoes on and suddenly everything was right. I put some new shoes on and everybody's smilin' it's alright...' :)

My happy feet and I took off and made our way to Park Slope and decided to do something liberating..."table for one". It's interesting how much more attention you get when you dine alone. I went to a place called Flatbush Farm. They didn't have any tables so they sat me at the bar. I sat next to a very interesting woman and talked to her all night. She used to be a dancer on Broadway and now she teaches, she'd lived in NYC for almost 30 years.

Toni and I talked for a long time about living off-grid, yurts, Buddhism, and all sorts of other things pertaining to sustainable living. She said it was very refreshing to meet a young person my age with the thoughts, calmness and philosophies I have.

After she left I sat there alone and wrote...
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"Now I sit here alone, after two glasses of wine and a bowl of Jerusalem Artichoke soup. I still have that same calm, content feeling I've had all day. Maybe it's coming to a decision about what I want out of life or something else unknown to me yet.

My cell phone ran out of batteries over six hours ago. It's been so nice all day, just myself and my thoughts - I think they missed me, I feel I've been missing for awhile. The old me, the one that existed before I brought all this stress into my life."
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I walked on to Franny's after that and had a glass of wine and waited for Danny to get done working. As I sat at the bar I started to get excited for tomorrow...