New York, New York…. (Part 1)

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Jan 11

Most of today I spent in front of the computer retouching. At five o’clock I had an appointment with a potential client in the city. One thing about New York is that there seems to be never enough time to get things done. I am always rushing. At 4:15 PM already feeling burned out I am on my way from Williamsburg to Manhattan. When I get to the L train, the subway line that connects the part of Brooklyn I live in to the city I am lucky, a train arrives two minuets after I get there. I hop on and off I go. Now I am praying not to get stuck anywhere what happens consistently out of reasons that are sometimes explainable but most of the time an absolute mystery. I even get a seat. When I sit down it feels like I am relaxing the first time today. But my mind rushes on. I am thinking about all the things I still have to do. “So little time and so many things to do” I am saying to myself. Today is a good day. The subway gods are on my side. There are no undefined obstacles in the way on my trip. I am also lucky that I am going into the city while everybody else is trying to get home. In the morning this trip would be a different story. I am getting to Union Square. I am stressed but when I arrive another few thousand stressed people are waiting for me. I get barely of the train because passengers are trying to enter it and for them there is not enough time to let get me off first. I just get out before the doors are closing again. The subway station is packed with people who are done with work and want to get home as soon as possible. I have a heavy backpack and my portfolio and try to find my way through the masses. It is 4:45 I have another 15 minuets to get to 42nd street. Will I make it? I hate to be late. Can’t beat Germany out of the German. I am walking faster. I have to make my way over to the 4 or 5 train, which will bring me up to 42nd street. Everybody seems to be in my way. And there are thousands of people. I stumble up stairs, my backpack seems to get heavier and heavier. There is a homeless guy on the left asking me for money, old lady walking slow in front of me, ups pretty girl on the right, hold on a blind guy is crossing, tall guy bumps into me, I am running out of time. There is the 4/5 train, running down the stairs, train is coming in, so many people, so much noise. Have to take second staircase. Will I make it? It looks good, getting close and no! The train is packed! There is absolutely no way to get on it. Why do I even try to make it on time? Now I have to wait or take the local train and will be late. It is time to get away from this place, I hand enough, that’s it. What am I doing in this crazy city anyway? New York sometimes feels like hell. The intensity, the noise, the masses. It is a lot for our nervous system to take. I take the packed local train and make it to 42nd street. I have another 5 minuets but now I can’t find the address. I am running up and down Third Avenue and finally find it. I get there on time but I am so tired.The meeting goes well. At 6:15 pm I am on my way to the gym on 19th Street to meet my trainings buddy Tony. Again I am rushing because I do not want to be late. The train going downtown is as packed as the train before. I get to the gym late. The place is buzzing. We call it happy hour, the time between 6-9 PM when it is hard to find a spot to do your workout because everybody wants to do what you are doing. At 8 o’clock I am out and on my way to kung fu on 38th street. I am running late again, I want to be on time. I am getting to 23rd street and Broadway ready to jump on the N/R train. For a moment I look up in the sky. There is the Empire State Building right in front of me and these little lights in the park. It is the first time I stop today. I stop and absorb the beauty of what I see. (Story continues tomorrow)

Empire State Building. 23rd Street and Broadway, Manhattan/New York 01/10/08 at 8:02 PM