114th st / park ave / 135th st / 136th st / 138th st / 137th st / hamilton pl / 145th st / 144th st / 143rd st / 142nd st / 141st st / 140th st / 139th st / madison ave / 59th st

19.93 miles

a man waved me forward from his car right before the light turned green, small kindnesses.

sights, signs of newness: two nannies with four kids each; burkas in the heat; a business call in a suit; a very stylish little person; a woman smoking next to her oxygen tank; a gal rocking out on the back of a motorcycle; daylight street artists; children getting out from school; jacob h schiff school; grandpas relaxing on folding chairs in the sidewalk; a car chase… a man in a jersey running; peaceful harmonica tunes; a mail carrier on his phone; a chess match outside a corner store; sweaty asphalt; african oils; a free covid testing truck; a sign for 25 cent candy; a man cutting cantaloupe; campaign signs, seemingly reflecting changes in demographics around the city; timbuktu islamic center; ‘hi baby how are you’; a babe in a stroller, eyes closed, mouth around a bottle; two women in rollers; a man eating a slice of watermelon while driving; marcus garvey park; a little girl carrying a paper mâché owl; ‘más amor por favor’; shadows, leaves, movement; mount sinai white coats; q mart, a deli in the front with korean food in the back; blue striped shirt red bow tie tan suit and hat; jewish black hats and beards; a woman pushing a stroller eating an apple; a squealing child; gorgeous unaffordable dresses; a sign outside a store, no masks required if you are vaccinated; a very joyful trombonist.

this was twenty miles on my period and this is where i voice one of my largest gripes with this city: the lack of public bathrooms. restaurants make you buy something to execute a regular bodily function. sidewalks are empty, maybe one in the park; men pee in the street. those without shelter have nowhere to go. this is what i would tell the nyc mayoral candidates. more bathrooms.

i think of this article every time i see campaign signs. they are everywhere at this moment. many on an upward slant, imitation flattery?

the demographics of candidates change as one moves from neighborhood to neighborhood, borough to borough.

surprisingly perhaps, i felt more out of place in the upper east side than in harlem today. in workout clothes to keep cool, the high society of the ues made me conspicuous.

i listened to in the heights (movie version first, then the original soundtrack), then hamilton (near hamilton heights), to sustain the steps. so many immigrants didn’t ask to be here. for so many, there was no other choice.

i thought of my grandpa, of the hard working hands that put me here in this city.