167th to 156th st / jumel terrace / riverside dr

7.13 miles

dumb words i enjoy: cool, genius, dumb.

sunglasses are a bit of power. i watch you stare at me.

the sights were kind today: sidewalk cheeseburgers smoking; ‘tu quieres más?’; a clear plastic face shield, somehow stylish; a child’s hula hoop around a man’s neck; casual smoking in lawn chairs on the sidewalk; alejandro cordero way; a sidewalk plot littered with beer caps; silent blinks of an ambulance; sylvan terrace; edgecombe correctional facility; a happy child and his banana; two woman sorting plastic; an extensive birdhouse; highbridge park; fort washington park; a tiny dog with a tinier purple bow; mask necklaces; a crying child; a lone woman smoking; moris hummel mansion; dominoes, money changing hands; a blinking airplane overhead.

i had thought stares were deeper with only the eyes on one’s face visible. but with fewer people wearing masks, expression is broadened. curiosity, indifference, exasperation— all are easier to read.

late in the walk, sun past set, a man moved out of the way for me on the sidewalk, motioning for me to walk past. in a friendly but not dumb mood, i did not make eye contact and walked fast, but gave a quick thank you as i walked past.

i listened to my first but not last bowery boys podcast, learning the history of two sights which i witnessed on this walk: trinity church cemetery, home of james audobon and eliza jumel among others, and the little red lighthouse under the george washington bridge, visited back in february.

most intriguingly, i learned about new york city’s oldest bridge, which i will visit tomorrow.