I knew it s soon as I walked into Penn Station. Up the escalator. Slowly, slowly, drop the suitcase, step quickly up.
A line of people waited on both sides. I decided not to walk through it, but edged my suitcase into the sidelines. There it was -- that quick pace, that upbeat, look alive, everyone's-got-character type of place. People, lookingat their watches, always moving, never still, not looking at you, plain clothes, travelers, maybe some students. A woman, casually dressed, hesitated before the escalator to the street.
"Go ahead," I said.
She laughed, then replied, "Never hesitate."
"Not in New York!" I said cheerily.
What a city!
People walking and jogging, eating and reading the paper, bicycling, and skating, and walking their dogs.
Let's go get our nails done. Let's get some ice cream. At Ben & Jerry's. So ornate. Black & white cows on a green backdrop. Wooden windows, part of the wall. Chocolate cookie mint.
A face on a building. Gargoyles and black dragons on wrought iron gates. The Fountain at Christopher Colombus Circle, gracefully spraying water. The statuesque fountain outside the Plaza Hotel. Yellow wrought iron gate before Essa-Bagel on East 18th Street.
White, long tee shirts pulled over black knee-length leggings. Walkin' real fast.
New York: the city that tolerates all anomalies.
Boston: It's like taking New York and placing it on the winding roads and hills of Connecticut. Dizzying. Nauseating.
"That dress looks terrific on you, Young Lady."
(Denise...Denise Dances...2011) -- 20 Years Later!
