wheat & chaff: wandering

One of the things I enjoyed most about my last visit to NYC was my liberation from tourist attractions. Tourist attractions hold a strange power; if you fail to complete the mandatory must-visit-list you often have a twinge of guilt as you're leaving town.

Obviously many tourist attractions are well worth the visit (and there are a lot that are worth while in NYC) but, in a lot of cases, anticipation has a habit of letting you down.

I didn't have one tourist attraction on the list when I arrived in town. I had three objectives: 1. Speak to strangers 2. Try random things 3. Get a feel for 'the real' New York (whatever that is). Further to my objectives, 'wandering' became the theme of my visit to NYC. I'd generally sleep in, set off with my daypack and a coffee late morning and just see where my stroll took me. If I saw something interesting I'd check it out. If I could try something different (like a Yoga class!) I would.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I loved observing the diversity of people on the streets. There is such a good vibe on the sidewalks of the city. Words that come to mind are 'unity' and 'equality'. It's not that everyone is lovey-dovey toward each other (if anything people are quite terse), but whether you are a street sweeper or a stock broker, you are proud to be a New Yorker and this attitude shines.

The following are pics that I took during my wandering. I tried to capture those things that caught my eye: the people, the buzz, the grittiness.

1. A grocery store near my hostel

2. The ever-packed Times Square

3. Fire Escapes

4. New Yorkers in Central Park

5. Ice Rink in Central Park

6. Taxis in Times Square

7. Cowboy Garbage Man (the only other cowboy boots I saw during my visit! I felt a connection)

8. John Lennon's memorial in Strawberry Fields (a section of Central Park). Further to my idea about New York oozing history, I just happened to walk past on the anniversary of his shooting.