the final stretch - day 3

132nd st / lexington ave / 98th - 102nd st / 35th - 36th st / 45th - 46th st / 49th - 50th st / 56th st / 63rd st / 65th st / 66th st / 60th - 62nd st

30.07 miles

did you know that a statue of a real life woman in central park (i.e. not alice in wonderland or juliet of romeo and juliet) did not exist until august 2020?! the pioneering women (sojourner truth, susan b anthony, and elizabeth cady stanton) were visited today, along with three painted humans by amanda phingbodhipakkiya, who may be my new favorite person.

i’ve seen her art all over this city as a portrait of asian american hope, resilience, and diversity in the wake of a rise of anti-asian violence. i love her colors and motives, and i love her more now that i know she is a scientist, too.

i had multiple conversations about asian americanness with multiple friends during this week, with no groundbreaking conclusions besides the multifaceted nature of asian american. i felt my asian americanness walking into fay da bakery yesterday, feeling comfortable in chinatown yet out of place when i was the only person to order in english while i was at the store. i feel my asian americanness in the slight easing of the body in the company of other asian american friends, and a sometimes unnoticed tension in their absence. i feel most korean when i eat food, korean or otherwise, because food is the language of my family.

here are today’s lengthy sights, i wonder if you even read them (i wouldn’t): harlem brownstones of every shade; street cleaners; ambulances; a man laughing to himself; (problematic) a white man saying to a black woman ‘i’m not a slave’ ‘all right, first of all’; washington houses; career recyclists; four little cats; a cake handover; ‘it’s just creepy’; the unmistakable scent of sweet potatoes roasting, i swear; lexington candy shop luncheonette; police barricades; summer streets on park ave; a closed starbucks; a robotic leg; a citibike truck, this hidden city; a hipster; a cafe filled with young families; a long line for food handout; a woman miraculously finding her purse; an older gentleman waving down a bus; a dog terrorizing a cat; an outdoor dining terrace with construction workers draped all over it; a man blowing a shrieking whistle for absolutely no reason at all.

there is always a song in my head, and at least two today: ‘viva la vida’ and ‘watch’. i’m on a billie eilish kick again after listening to her new album and her song exploder episode breaking down ‘everything i wanted’. today was a podcast kind of day (the walking is getting to me, as you might imagine). i have failed all year in trying to listen to audio books, but a rare few podcasts have succeeded in keeping me company: the anthropocene reviewed, this american life, song exploder, dear hank and john, and most recently, sooo many white guys. a bit of strange famous people talking about nothing helps with the walking.

*i wasn’t looking forward to biking today, but what a blessed break for the feet it was. lexington avenue was quite delicious.

*i have paid too much for smoothies in this journey, but this one was worth it. the kale was juiced before blended with the rest!