September 26, 2008It's finally fall. There are only three things I don't like about NYC - the humidity, the subway platforms in the summer, and spit on the sidewalk. The rest is great. I'll be glad when the humidity subsides completely.
This evening I went for a walk in Brooklyn. I had planned on doing my usual walking around the Heights and returning home. But I walked toward DUMBO instead.
As I headed down the cobblestone streets of DUMBO (the artsy area of Brooklyn that lies down under the Manhattan bridge overpass), I came across a huge book/art show in a large warehouse-type building lined with windows on Water Street. It was all lit up, with music blaring, and full of people looking at the exhibits and tables piled with wonderful books - many about New York. As I wandered from table to table, I kept wondering if I somehow had snuck in without paying admission. How could this be free?
I didn't know what the event was until I stepped back outside and saw some "Art Under the Bridge Festival" signs. Turns out the whole event is free. After gazing at the beautiful lit-up Manhattan bridge above the cobblestone streets for a few minutes, feeling grateful for my life in New York, I walked across the street. Soon I found myself inside another show at the festival. I stepped into a big, old, dark loft space with mortar walls set up with three huge video screens, a bar, and lots of large round benches facing the screens.
It too was packed with people, some eating and drinking, the screens showing video interviews of New Yorkers on the street. One question posed was "Do you make enough money to live in New York?" I smiled as most responders answered in the negative, except for a doctor and a handful of others. It was interesting. A server was handing out those paper 3-D glasses, but I didn't stay to see what was next (it was too hot in there for me).
When I checked the Web at home, I found out I'd come upon video_dumbo.
When I left there, it had started to drizzle. I walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. The famous Brooklyn Bridge Ice Cream Factory, for once, had no line out the door. I'd never seen it like that in all the dozens of times I'd passed by it. Since it was on my list of things to do, I finally stopped in tonight and bought a chocolate chocolate chunk cone.
Walking home in the rain from there, I stopped to pet a dog tied up outside a grocery store on Henry Street while its owners shopped inside. And all I could think about is how much I love NY and wouldn't want to leave. Unfortunately, due to a recent unexpected change in my job status on Wall Street, I might be forced to go elsewhere to find work.
It's been a crappy year for Wall Street. I'll never forget the words of one of my two British bosses several months ago, "You couldn't have picked a worse year to join financial services." (Real motivating, eh?)
Yet it's true and is the story of my life. It's just like me trying to do something simple like have LASIK surgery - these life changes just never seem to go right for me. The only right thing about taking the job on Wall Street was that it put me back in my favorite city and allowed me to meet some wonderful people (bossholes excluded).
When I gazed at the two bridges I so love earlier tonight, it almost brought tears to my eyes. It's a sight I always enjoy and will miss dearly if I'm forced to leave. If I do go, I'm going to have to move to another major metropolitan city and visit New York frequently.
Maybe I'll go back to my second favorite city in the U.S. - Seattle. We shall see.
I didn't know what the event was until I stepped back outside and saw some "Art Under the Bridge Festival" signs. Turns out the whole event is free. After gazing at the beautiful lit-up Manhattan bridge above the cobblestone streets for a few minutes, feeling grateful for my life in New York, I walked across the street. Soon I found myself inside another show at the festival. I stepped into a big, old, dark loft space with mortar walls set up with three huge video screens, a bar, and lots of large round benches facing the screens.
It too was packed with people, some eating and drinking, the screens showing video interviews of New Yorkers on the street. One question posed was "Do you make enough money to live in New York?" I smiled as most responders answered in the negative, except for a doctor and a handful of others. It was interesting. A server was handing out those paper 3-D glasses, but I didn't stay to see what was next (it was too hot in there for me).
When I checked the Web at home, I found out I'd come upon video_dumbo.
When I left there, it had started to drizzle. I walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. The famous Brooklyn Bridge Ice Cream Factory, for once, had no line out the door. I'd never seen it like that in all the dozens of times I'd passed by it. Since it was on my list of things to do, I finally stopped in tonight and bought a chocolate chocolate chunk cone.
Walking home in the rain from there, I stopped to pet a dog tied up outside a grocery store on Henry Street while its owners shopped inside. And all I could think about is how much I love NY and wouldn't want to leave. Unfortunately, due to a recent unexpected change in my job status on Wall Street, I might be forced to go elsewhere to find work.
It's been a crappy year for Wall Street. I'll never forget the words of one of my two British bosses several months ago, "You couldn't have picked a worse year to join financial services." (Real motivating, eh?)
Yet it's true and is the story of my life. It's just like me trying to do something simple like have LASIK surgery - these life changes just never seem to go right for me. The only right thing about taking the job on Wall Street was that it put me back in my favorite city and allowed me to meet some wonderful people (bossholes excluded).
When I gazed at the two bridges I so love earlier tonight, it almost brought tears to my eyes. It's a sight I always enjoy and will miss dearly if I'm forced to leave. If I do go, I'm going to have to move to another major metropolitan city and visit New York frequently.
Maybe I'll go back to my second favorite city in the U.S. - Seattle. We shall see.
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