jane st / horatio st / gansevoort st / 13th st / ave d / columbia st / willett st / ridge st / ave c / 23rd st / 25th st / 26th st / 27th st

16.41 miles

the past couple of days,

i’ve had trouble doing anything other than walking.

well, sleeping, too.

i add todo after todo to my infinitely never ending list, only to shut my laptop, ignore the practical world, and walk,

and walk,

and walk.

the walking does not accomplish the todos, and sometimes does not even distract. a method a madness a goal,

the only thing i one i can currently stick to.

twas a good walk, a walk marked by pleasant surprises. aux marveilleux— the best croissant in the city i’ve had to date, though admittedly most have not been that good. this croissant was especially good, however, because the baker gave me two because ‘they were small today’.

awe sum dim sum, a spot on the list, and also a conveniently placed bathroom stop for me. new york city, you need more public restrooms.

i forgot about all of the galleries housed in chelsea, free to the public. george baselitz at the gagosian, pace gallery, melanie daniel. white columns? which i’m still confused about, but they had free publications, which won me over like the free croissant.

perhaps the most striking art of this walk was outside, in madison square park: maya lin’s ghost forest, a monument to the effects of climate change on the atlantic coast. the barren white cedar trees were made more conspicuous by the colorful picnics nearby.

hydrangeas of every color from cobalt to periwinkle to lavender to rose. on one bush?! in my mind a fairy has sprinkled something to create a gradient of acidity in the soil, or is the bush on a hill? a mystery, but a stunning one.

the last surprise, my favorite building in the city, previously only witnessed from the hudson river bike path. i don’t know why i like it so much. something about the curved edges and the color of the glass, the grid juxtaposed by the flowing lines. it is called the starrett lehigh building.

the extensive sights of the longest walk to date: someone eating strawberries fresh from the farmer’s market crate; an end ccp car parade, twice; brick brick brick; creeping ivy; a baby teething; a nonchalant road biker facetiming loudly with her feet up on the table; outdoor market chelsea highline crowds; a misbuttoned denim shirt; housing projects; a campaigner ‘come out and vote for betty lugo, betty lugo she’s the best’ (the campaigns are inescapable these past weeks); mayoral candidate maya wiley?; men around a dominoes table; an older couple smiling and holding hands; joyful children on swings; little island; an ac unit being pushed in a wheelchair; an angry faced bearded man; the grey eyes books are always going on about; electric blue eyes; the friends experience; dippin dots, who knew they existed outside of the amusement parks?; smooth music outside of the flatiron building by the dark sky hustlers'; the naomi osaka sweetgreen ad irl; a canadian tuxedo; factories; pigeons; three generations holding hands; eye of the tiger blasting from the bar; a little person and a st charles pup; groceries being unloaded to whole foods; museum of math; museum of sex; two phones strung around necks (separate occasions); a man eating fettucine alfredo on the sidewalk floor; baruch college hunter college nyu campuses; scrubs (while listening to a podcast involving heart surgery); a candle memorial and somber celebration; the caldwell factory; the hive showroom; smiley live music outside of selina; a child on a leash; a teeny tiny mouse; half bitten strawberries on the street.

peek a boo.