97th st / 94th - 89th st / 78th - 67th st / 65th - 63rd st / east end ave / cherokee place
13.62 + 9.75 miles
walk + bike for a lil post-74th street because i wanna finish and i make my own rules. biking is rather less romantic than walking, what with the smelly potholes and stinky drivers. a driver called out to me at an intersection, ‘young lady’, and it took three times for me to turn around and listen to his unsolicited advice. ‘be careful.. a lot of the drivers don’t stop so don’t go right when the walk sign turns on.’ he wasn’t wrong, but tis hard to resist the temptation to speed forward ahead of the cars.
i began the day with a good friend and an egg bagel with scallion cream cheese. a warm day, but not unpleasant, and fresh bagels and cold drinks make a walk luxurious.
walking the upper east side today, i contemplated some of the new york monuments that i have failed to see. i pass by the guggenheim and the american museum of national history with some regret, but my select goal remains in sight.
the upper east side is marked by ivy garnished brick buildings and white columns, brightly lit boutiques, and a lot of nannies, all women of color. a stranger gave me a ‘bless you’ after i sneezed loudly on east end ave (the littlest ave?)
a multitude of sights and other senses for you today: an orange cello case; a listening ear; a seamstress through a window; a sneaky pigeon; the cutest most wrinkliest pup; kids making art outside the cooper hewitt; ‘can i shake your hands’; twins, one with curls, the other with straight locks; amazon vests; a conversation in a tree’s shade, a neighbor telling another to get vaccinated; a stone lion; gracie gardens; peaceful carl schulz park; a martial arts summer camp, kids’ masks around their chins; gracie square; an ac unit in an outdoor dining set up; a pregnant waddle; two dog walkers; a team usa gymnastics shirt (the olympics approach); a scent of spearmint as i passed construction…
and yet more: warm toned summer dresses; more masks worn on faces near lenox hill hospital; shiny shoes and red socks; cherokee place, calm; a grandma and her ice cream cone; gracie square hospital (who is this gracie?); a most stylish elderly lady in violet; sidewalks being power washed; air conditioned outdoor dining (this is a first for me); egg new york, a children’s boutique; a pregnant lady and her hoagie; an outdoor fish tank; delicioso coco helado; an italian flag; an indian flag.
my legs taste of the sea.