I ended up taking the wrong bus home for Spring Break yesterday.
Instead of catch the Bolt Bus that goes
from Baltimore to Newark, NJ to NYC,
I hopped on the one straight to NYC.
How the ticket checker managed that, I don't know.
Luckily it's only a $2 train ride from the City back to Newark.
With my general dislike of my hometown,
I decided to walk around Manhattan for a bit.
Eventually I squatted at Greeley Square between W32nd and W33rd street.
I picked this spot because I finally remembered where the train home was
after seeing its sign when I walked into the small park there.
Not wanting to pass up a beautiful New York day
and seeking to scratch off more of my 101 tasks,
I decided to record a bit of people watching.
Though I didn't have a specific purpose,
I wish I studied mannerisms and walking patterns a bit more.
Without further adieu, here are my jottings from the exhibition
with a few added after thoughts.
"Mother and daughter (Iranian?) beg for money with white paper bags."I gave the daughter a decent amount of spare chance. She seemed to want more, but I was skeptical of giving to her. I suppose I equated her to an average bum begging for liquor money, but the defeat in her eyes made me immediately regret not giving her more.
"Latino gay man walks across busily on the phone with no jacket, switching for all the boys."
It was a nice day out, but it was still only like 50 degrees at best. He was a scrawny kid, so I don't know what he was showing off. Then again, I didn't mind catching a peak of his barely exposed chest...
"Various couples parade their consensual bliss."
I believe you can pick up my bitterness. Adding 'consensual' was my way of wishing ill will upon each of their relationships, as a true hater should.
"Young Filipino man walks in a pea coat and his scarf wrapped around his left wrist."
Cuteness aside, I just found him interesting. I suppose it had gotten too warm - or maybe it was the lack of wind that day - but his decision to wrap his scarf like that inspired me. It seemed like such a fashion statement. I wanted one. Someone put that ish on a runway.
"A parade of shoppers and tourists looking 'totally posh.'"
I tweeted about 10 minutes earlier: This would be a beautiful day in city if it weren't for tourists. Granted, I'm not from NYC and I occasionally get lost, but I get lost everywhere. Besides, North Jersey is basically NYC's sixth borough. Don't listen to anything Long Islanders say. [Is that something they claim? I kinda just assumed.]
"Meeting of typical faced Asian men in business casual deciding where to go."
When I say typical faced, I mean you could watch any show from Japan, China, Korea, etc and see someone with a similarly structured mug. Look, I knew when I scribbled it down I would seem racist. Everyone's a little bit racist. Moving on.
You look at that statue and tell me you aren't a little intimidated by his old dead white superiority.
"I become self-conscious of people becoming aware I'm watching them."
Insert socially awkward penguin here. Obviously, I didn't let that stop me from continuing.
"St. Paddy's Day college sluts and two of their frat bros are two weeks early."
They were all decked in green, with hats and springy antlers and everything. I later verified with a friend that Hoboken held their St. Patrick's Day celebration yesterday. Why? Just another excuse to day drink. Well, that and I suppose it would have been too wild if they waited until the actual day to do it. People would die.
"Hipster boy with glasses and orange bandana of sorts sits behind a potted shrub and I yearn to see more of him."
I can't help who I'm attracted to, ok?
"Tall black woman (30s) cuffed up by a short Italian man (50s) with wrinkly skin. She looks over it."
It was probably the oddest pairing I'd seen all day. She towered over him as he yammered trying to sound impressive, and the look of disdain in her eyes was priceless. There's a fair chance he has big pockets.
"Tall, bro-ish white guy stares and walks dangerously close to me before reaching his bro at the next table over, engaging in a shake-hug."
It was a sort of fight or flight moment because I'm sure we locked eyes at one point. I described him as a bro because he had a bulky body and a square head, wore a lightweight North Face, and spoke in a cocky tone when he was with his brethren. Why yes, I am judgmental. Thank you for noticing.
These are the same business casual Asians from before. There's a few more of them now. I wonder what was on that flyer.
"Young man who seems established. I wish I could sketch his face."
He was a rather dashing gentleman, but that aside he had a striking face. His eyebrows, his jawline, various other features. It bugs me I don't have a photographic memory; well, at least not an extremely keen one.
"Three mid-20s white women sit down for a questionable meeting of the minds."
They were actually talking about mundane tasks. I just wanted to make fun of them.
"One Asian talks to tall black officer walking around the park."
Nothing too significant about that. I just noticed the officer walking around before. Do I still think black cops are an oxymoron? I shouldn't; I watched Carl Winslow on television for at least six years.
"Two pigeons try my patience by getting too close."
Simply put, Manhattan pigeons are the worst. I would have tired to hook one if it wouldn't have been deemed the act of a lunatic by those around me.
"Asian woman from the group approaches me and hands me a pamphlet. She speaks in broken English but engages me in a conversation about Jesus. She assumes I'm a Baptist although I say Methodist when she asked me. My tongue make it's difficult to communicate with her. She invites me to a service and to spread the good Word. A young Asian man comes to fetch her as the prepare to leave. He departs saying, 'God bless you.'"
I think I'll flush out a full monologue for this tomorrow. This one is long enough as it is.
So, what did I get from this?
A greater sense of understanding my fellow man?
A decent source of character study?
A few good ganders at cute boys?
Let's just go with all of the above and then some.
This is an exercise I'd suggest to you all.
You never know exactly what you'll get out of it.
Word.
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