Tuesday, February 23, 2010

PART 1 Too Much of a Good Thing: STAIR CASE OF DOOM

Every once in a while it is good to go through old camera shots, because, well what else would I do with them if I didn't. It is cleansing and sometimes a cathartic experience to go through history this way. But, ultimately its best to share. I would ask the same.

1) Cat food, kitty litter and a few weeks of groceries, hmmm, how would you get these home after a Costco/BJs trip? My blasted cart is my blessing and curse. You might think that this is a Grama in a jacket, no it's me in 20 degree weather.
----It goes like this: roll it to the bus, carry it up the steps, carry it off the bus, and carry it down two flights of stairs. This gets me to the subway, but just for good measure, I carry it down another flight of stairs to the platform. Booyah! By this time it just feels like a good workout. Well, then its back up a flight, roll it to an exit and then 1/3 mile push home.

After this experience we will only ever use taxis to come back, I insist.


2) STAIR CASE OF DOOM I got lost in the Bronx once and ended up walking back to Manhattan. Looking back I should have just gotten back on the subway from where I got on the wrong one. Everyone has had this happen, at least once, and this will never happen again. Thank goodness I had my "Not For Tourists" (NFT) Brand map showing me how to get back. It also shows grocery, liquor, and hardware stores in the city. I set off on foot at Yankee Stadium.

I ended up walking through Harlem, that was CRAZY! Two guys came up to me asking me if I knew where the liquor shop was and I was about to say no, but then...I remembered! I pulled out my NFT book and showed them with great exactness where they could go to spoil themselves...I felt proud, thinking "this new NEW YORKER can still teach regulars a thing or two."

Later on, I couldn't go north and I had to keep following a road. I noticed I was going downhill. I knew I'd eventually have to go up this embankment, but HOW? Hmmm....to get up the hill, then BOOM, there it was, the biggest staircase ever (for me anyway). I lost count.


On the other side of the staircase there were a bunch of police, fireman and emergency vehicles on a block. There were people everywhere around walking and staring at a stretcher with someone on it. I walked by many people and really wanted to ask what happened.
However, I was shy and embarrassed, but as I got to the end of the area I could take no more and had to ask. A young boy of 12-13 walked in front of me and I asked him, "Hey, do you know what happened?"

Of all the people I could have chosen, OF ALL THE PEOPLE...the boy responds, as he looked into my face, "It was my dad." Then he started moaning, "He's dead!" and again yelling, "He's dead!" He started walking off, I didn't even get to apologize, I felt horrible...

I quickly came home after. Now I admitted the misstepping of my boundaries to everyone, this is what I mean about a carthartic experience. Its good to have that out on the table.

Ending of Part 1