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Published: October 30th 2007
The Naked Indian
Central Park Legend the "Naked Indian" has his own fabricated opera language. I was so inspired that I came up with my own Opera Language, and like him I only reveal it when I am wearing a loin cloth.NYC
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Day - 1 My visit to New York started late night in Chinatown. I met my friend, Ish, and we went to dinner in a small chinese restraunt. My friend took the bill and paid for the meal of rice and chicken. I thanked him and asked the cost for both meals. $4. I liked NY from the start. Unfortunately Ish lived on Staten Island, which is the Tiajuana of the Five Burroughs of NY. His commute consists of half an hour on the bus to the ferry terminal. The ferry to Manhattan is about a half hour long but it is a beautiful float with a great view of the Statue of Liberty and Downtown Manhattan. The next step is to take a subway to the financial district where he works. All in all his commute is about four hours round trip. You're a hard working bastard Ish. Anyway, we went back to his apartment on Staten to catch some zzz's.
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Day - 2 It was Ish's birthday so I dressed up for the night festivities before I left Staten. I wore a nice pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt. It was a little
overcast but nothing to worry about. It started to drizzle a little at the bus stop but luckily the bus came and picked me up before the downpour. The bus was a mixed salad of cultures. I sat in the back of the bus next to some Hasidic Jewish kids probably in middle school. They were jonesin' to get to their stop so they could have the smokes they were holding in their hands. L'chai-im! I thought I passed my stop and so I got out and headed back to where I thought I was going. Right when I got out and the bus left, a waterfall from the heavens was released in my general direction and I had nowhere to go. I started walking towards (what i thought was) the ferry terminal, and overheard a man saying "look at that foo'. Wearing a white shirt on a day like this." I realized I entered a wet t-shirt contest without my own permission. I couldn't find the ferry terminal and realized it was the opposite way, so I hopped on another bus. New York is not a place of smiles and laughs, but when I stepped on that bus there
was more entertained faces than I had seen on my entire trip. My nipples were a point of focus for many of the ladies and a few of the men. I had both won and lost that wet t-shirt contest.
* I dried off on the ferry ride and bought an umbrella from a street vendor. It was time to get on the subway. My destination was Times Square. As a visiter to NY, I thought of the subway tunnels as the womb of the city. They were warm, humid, and uncomfortable but once you exit and emerge into the light and readjust your sight by blinking, you are in full wonderment of the unfamiliar settings. Additionally, you are covered in amniotic fluid. (Wait that's not right) Being from Seattle, I didn't think New York would be much bigger. Ignorant! Manhattan is high-rise after high-rise of apartments, shops, and Corporation headquarters. The abundance of lights were mesmerizing. People from every walk of life (excuse the cliche') were roving around aimlessly but at a fast pace. Tourist families walked around awkwardly, bumping into people, and arguing where they should spend their hard earned money next. Beautiful and exotic
5 am subway
Contrary to what I had heard. I thought the subways were very safe. women strutted around the streets with expensive clothes, hair, and makeup. Their heavily soiled eye-lashes blinking slowly while their eyes were focused on their destination ahead, only straying breifly to check out my ass. Hustlers, with fake watches and jewelry were working the masses, never realizing they could have used their talents to be politicians. Foreigners paced with wide eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of famous people like Jon Lovitz. And there I was taking in the scene and drinking a cup of coffee. I will never forget it and hope to go back again soon. I met Ish after work and went to a small Indian restraunt. I let Ish order and the food was abundant and delicious. However, my stomach would give you a different account. After dinner, we met with Seth from the upper westside of Manhattan and went to a small nightclub called the darkroom. It was appropriately named and seemed to be a destination for girls who wanted to take advantage of the lack of lighting. It was not halloween yet but I could've sworn I saw a witch and a centaur on the dancefloor. Afterwards, we went to a small bar and had
Manhattan
The view from the Staten Island Ferry. a few beers. I thought it was around midnight but turned out to be 3:30am. I have no recollection of the rest of the night.
*
Day 3 - I started of the day in the upper westside. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to see Central Park. The North side of Central park was only a few blocks away. Upon my arrival I bought a hotdog from a street vendor. I told him profoundly, "Make me one with everything" He dressed my dog and handed it to me. I gave him a twenty and awaited my change. He seemed to ignore me. I finally asked for my change, he replied "Change comes only from within." I appreciated his Buddhist philosophy but not enough to avoid punching him in the face and stealing his hot dog cart. I was amazed with the land area of the park as I pushed the cart up the various hills and pathways. Also, because it was probably the last nice day of the year in NY there were hordes of people walking, playing, and resting. I was lucky to have a tour guide, Seth and his lovely girlfriend Mika. They showed me the
hotspots of the famous park, among their favorites was where a scene from
When Harry Met Sally was filmed. I wish I could've shared their interest. I was more entertained by the personalities performing in the park. The "naked indian" was among my favorite. He has his own opera language he performs while playing his violin. He reminded me of my father. Other highlights in the park included roller dancing, a young boy playing bongos like a pro, old people performing a greek line dance, and a group of three comedian/athletes one of whom did a front flip over four people. People from all over the world walked this park and I dug it.
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Highlights from Day 4-8 (I'm tired of typing) * If you are a hipster go to the Bedford neighborhood in Brooklyn. The up and coming neighborhood is full of people that look like their homeless and think it's cool. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. There were coffee shops, unique restraunts, record/music stores, and boutiques all having an interesting vibe to them.
*Union square was one of my favorite spots in the city. The cuisine and atmosphere was exciting. On the weekend there were rallies,
street performers, and a street market. People in the area were the friendliest people I met in New York. One person even said excuse me after he steped on my Puma's.
*The Metropolitan Art Musuem is a must. I walked and admired the art for 6 hours and I still had not seen half of the exhibits. The majority of my pictures in NY were in the Met because I was so fascinated with the detail of the sculptures and paintings from around the world. Many interesting people walked the musuem. It was almost as fun to people watch as to look at the art.
*On my last day I was in the subway and a few older black gents came into the car. One had an old paper bag which in its previous life held a greasy hamburger from McDonalds. It's new purpose was for holding change. I sat back and enjoyed the scene. The man with the paper bag was the leader. He started singing a song about Jesus and Mary. The other guy was the hype man. He was clapping and repeating what the other guy said. I had a smile on my face as I looked
around. Every person in the subway had blank faces that revealed their inability to show emotion in public. It was funny, the two guys that showed the most signs of life were being ignored by the people who were "successful" and living a life within social boundries to maintain a mediocre level of happiness. I thought in my head, maybe these two are on to something. I vowed to myself if I am ever unhappy with my job, uninspired, and need a pick me up, I am going to find me a hype man and find the nearest form of public transportation. I am going to sing about Jesus and beg for change. That's what life is all about, Jesus and change... isn't it?
*Stay tuned for episode 1 of "Nicaragua - what the hell am I doing with my life?" I am flying there on Oct. 31st and will be traveling around for an indefinite period of time.
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Rani
non-member comment
A very entertaining read
... enjoyed your humourous accounts especially those of the hot dog man and the "hype" man. Good descriptions of the places too. Just a small plea though, please could you put in a few more paragraghs in your essay as my eyesight is not as good as it used to be ! happy travelling :-)