SOLSC 5: I Could Have Been a Tourist

             It was in the upper 60s in New York City today, and I needed a cereal I couldn’t find in my neighborhood grocery store. There are two supermarkets further downtown where I might find it, so I decided to combine that search with my daily walk.

            Took #1 train to 79th Street and walked down Broadway to Fairway, at 74th. They had what I wanted, and I was through the self-service lane quickly. My walk continued down Broadway to 64th Street, where I stopped at a little park opposite Lincoln Center, as my old orthotics no longer cushion my feet as well as they used to. I felt like a tourist, taking out my notebook to write what I’d just done. A man nearby was reading his phone. A young woman with a large orange dog (breed unknown) sat opposite, soon joined by a young man. At another corner of the park, five men in their older years chatted in a circle. An older woman stopped to sit down and look at herphone; after a few minutes, she stood and continued down the street, pulling a small wheeled case. Fewer people were wearing masks, even older ones.

            It was almost balmy, and I could have sat there for hours, but it was almost 4 p.m. I had planned to walk to Columbus Circle, but as I continued down Broadway, that was only five blocks from the park, so I walked on down to 50th Street, where I got on the subway home. At a stand near the park  with flyers for various events around the city, I made my other touristy move: picking up a brochure for places to see and things to do in lower Manhattan. There are streets down there I know I’ve never set foot on (Beaver Street) and museums I haven’t seen enough of (Museum of Jewish Heritage; Poets House).

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I’m participating in the 15th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 6 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!