The Pleasant Stroll

I departed 23rd street and 7th Avenue at approximately 10:32pm on a Thursday night. Thursday nights in New York can be busy. Over the summer, interns patrol the streets like it’s their job, hugging sidewalks shoulder to shoulder, smile to smile.

This Thursday night was much quieter. The cold had something to do with it. The fact that it was January 29th did also.

I told myself to walk fast and focused – it’s a 15-minute walk if you trot, a 20 minute walk if you don’t. As I headed east on 23rd street, I simply observed. My hands were in my pockets. What I observed were things that I generally don’t see in New York.

First, the streets were not flooded with cars or taxis. There was very limited activity on the road. There was also a steep reduction in foot traffic, on a street that is usually very busy for different reasons. I was overhearing conversations from yuppies – “you can get a nice 2 bedroom for 31, 32.” For our non-New York neighbors, they are talking about a nice 2 bedroom apartment for $3,100 or $3,200, which by the way, is categorically false. Alex still makes fun of my first 2 bedroom apartment in New York (which I loved), and it was $5,400 (before inflation set in).

As I continued to walk, the natural interactions that happen with people were happening. A lot of eye contact. A quick second here. Another connection there. People maybe coming home from a late night at the office. Begrudgingly walking their dog. Getting home. Waiting for the bus. Wondering “why are you out when it’s so cold?” and the passerby-er asking the same question. But with their eyes.

What was so pleasant about it was rather than staring at people looking at down at their phones, you were staring into the whites of their eyes. Forming a bond in that one second. That feeling you get where you may know someone. All those lines about looking into someone’s eyes exist for a reason. I walked past one, one person who was scrolling or texting on her phone – the little open finger mittens variety. It was pitiful. One person was on speakerphone with his bare hands. I always support a phone call, and am also a big fan of speakerphone. I’ll allow it.

The bus stop digital advertisement reminded the world it was 15 degrees and clear. Which, by the way, is fucking freezing. I don’t fully buy into all the “feels like” bull shit, but the feels like bull shit was -1 degree.

12 minutes into the walk, I heard the first ambulance. The first siren. That seems to happen every 3 minutes on normal cadence walks. Not on this one. It interrupted my mental flow and observation, and then as I turned my last corner to head home, I saw a gentlemen walking his dog around Gramercy Park. In the spirit of eye contact and conversations – the themes of the preceding ten minutes -- we locked eyes. Just for a moment. I spotted his New York Rangers beanie. I happened to be randomly watching the Rangers Islanders game at the Garden earlier on TV. So I asked: “Did the Rangers get a win tonight?”

“2-1. The Rangers lost. I was actually at the game” he calmly barked back in a subdued British accent.

“Oh, really. Wow. I saw it was 2-0 but didn’t see after that.”

The conversation went on about how there were more Islander fans in the Garden and about how long he had lived on Gramercy Park (17 years) and how long I had lived there (7 years). For a second, I thought he lived in a mansion on the park (I think it’s technically the largest house in Manhattan), but then I realized it was on the opposite corner of that house in a building.

I told him to have a good night and had to throw in the “I like Europeans better than Americans line” as he tailed off.

I had one more funny interaction on the way home with me and a woman both laughing about how a younger woman was dressed – high heels and those skin-tight whatever they are called leggings (pantyhose). I hope she didn’t slip on the ice and snow was basically the sincere concerned laughter.

I headed upstairs and reminded myself how beautiful people can be - how important simple qualities of people are. The voice. The eyes. The camaraderie of strangers.

The pleasant stroll gave me a little hope in what is, in my opinion, a hopeless world.

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Post script – I was debating whether to send this or keep it for my personal records. But two things prompted me to share:

1. In my apartment building in Chicago, there is a nice small little gym on the rooftop with a view of the Chicago skyline and the lake. Solid equipment and a yoga room off to the side. I use that room to do planks, bridges, my erroneous quick warm-up and so on and so forth. A few days after I wrote this, I went in there one Wednesday morning. Phone free, airpod free. There was one girl on my left and one girl on my right. I could have been Ryan Gosling and they would have had no idea. One was glued to her phone, seated up, her knees approaching the butterfly position, her eyes only down. Airpods in. Not moving. I did 30 push-ups, 30 bridges, and 2 rounds of planks and she did not move. The other girl was working out, but airpods in and watching some workout video on her phone

2. Big Cat is the co-founder of Pardon My Take podcast. I love the podcast and actually was an early adopter when it started. I would listen at my desk around 4pm before work got dropped on my plate so I knew if I’d be in the office until midnight or 2am. It was a very good listen then and still is. Big Cat is a Chicago Bears fan and he went to the Bears Rams game for the divisional round. He was talking about the environment of the game, and even though these guys are highly active in social media, he essentially said “it was too fucking cold to take out my phone. I had to keep my hands in my jacket.” It was cold that Thursday night in NYC and I think other people agreed with Big Cat.