amsterdam (s) / little 12th st / greenwich st

9.29 miles

what do you say
when it's all gone away?
baby I didn't mean to hurt you
truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart
no matter how hard you resist it
it never rains when you want it to
you humble me lord
humble me, norah jones

have I yet to quote my favorite song? i have felt pride this week, and i have felt humility. today i am humbled by this city; i am so grateful to be here.

the sights (and other senses) are long today: three mailpeople (how far they walk); students in pajamas; a woman in a covetable floral skirt and clogs; ‘clearly i’m not dating the right men’; a little girl with light brown hair strewn all over her face; a man wearing all black and a fanny pack around his neck; tabling for biden/harris; i voted stickers; a very long early voting line; church bells ringing; scarves and wool coats spanning the rainbow; two babies in high chairs conversing with each other; a pineapple mask; two key food stores; the new york library for the performing arts; a man whose phone was tucked inside a tight hood as he yammered away (genius); a shiny penny; a sign: ‘god bless trump, trump for latinos’; people staring at their phones; a lady reading the newspaper; a bridal gown store; stupid twenty somethings in large groups at a trendy biergarten; ‘we got candy!’ said a little girl as she ran out of a hardware store dressed as a witch? fairy?; a father and his sons running; a dad and his son on scooters; a trumpet lesson in the park (quite stunning), a mushroom.

and a separate category for some of the recognizable halloween costumes: a dog dressed as a lion; a bumblebee and the statue of liberty campaigning for a local ny election; a toddler dressed as frida kahlo; princesses - i only recognized cinderella and elsa; a mother and daughter twin amelia earharts?; a dog dressed as an astronaut.

the sign in the picture above says ‘losing hope i have no one to turn to’.

i thought a little extra about the mailpeople i saw on my walk today. walking and walking and walking on a saturday (a holiday). i listened to this podcast about walking (though not while on this walk), and a mail carrier named kelly said she had been at the job for 26 years, walking ten miles a day, through rain and snow. it is a physically taxing, often thankless job.

my littlest brother sent me a letter in the mail that arrived today, and it was probably the best part of my day. it said, ‘dear juliet, we miss you so much! we love you! love aj lee (I know it is not your birthday.)’

today i was spontaneous i.e. i spent a little too much money… i picked up some dried flowers (periwinkle blue little buds) for an empty bottle i’d been wanting to fill. a side note: i also passed by a store that only sold orchids— and i am confused, both as to how that store is still standing, and also as to why they have hundreds of thriving orchids when my one orchid has but one bloom left.

i also met tony, who sold me three records 'straight from a recently found collection’ and made friendly conversation (although he did not wear a mask). i passed by artichoke basille and ordered a slice on a whim since i’d been meaning to try. the pizza man was amiable, too, and the pizza lived up to the hype, for once.

amsterdam is always nice (i have walked the whole thing now), and greenwich street was surprisingly peaceful. i had assumed that greenwich street would be lined with little restaurants and shops, but it actually only borders the village and is more desolate than one might expect.

passing many outdoor dining areas, i could not help but observe and ponder the waiter-customer dynamic at each establishment. of course, one must take off their mask to eat. but it leaves the waiter in the most vulnerable position out of those at a restaurant. the server-served relationship is amplified, and a little discomforting.

it took me a while to enter the rhythm of walking today. i started at 113th, and it wasn’t until probably the 70s that i really felt like i was walking, if that makes any sense. as i walk, i often hope to have some deep or interesting revelations as i talk to myself in my head, but each walk i am reminded to simply observe, to breathe, to think less and not more.