While I was waiting for the N/R/W train at 36th Street, I saw a guy on the platform reaching up a a green fixture hanging from the top of the platform. It was making a noise. I went up to him and asked him what it was. It was an art installation that is a part of "Arts for Transit."It's so incognito. You wouldn't know it was a piece of art if you didn't see someone interact with it or see the little placard below it.
It's so refreshing to find something like that on the subway. Plus, I made a new friend. That dude was really nice and we discovered something together.
It's moments like these that really make me appreciate where I am. During the week, everyone is rushing to work and in zombie mode. People are stomping all over each other and everyone's packed in the train like sardines. There's no time to stop and discover things like that.
It's been so hard trying to adjust to the different way of life here. Not having a car is so hard sometimes -- especially if you don't live right next to the train station. It takes a lot more energy to get around and you have to plan ahead for the whole day. It's draining and overwhelming.
But when Saturday rolls around, New York is a different place. People slow down and take time to walk. This morning I woke up and appreciated the beautiful sun shining through the windows. I walked to the nearest little coffee shop in Jackson Heights and realized how gorgeous my neighborhood is. There are so many historic apartment buildings that I've missed on my commute home. I'm always so in a rush to get back so I take the train and the bus home. But sometimes it's actually nice to walk.
I know it's gonna take me a while to adjust to this place, especially working a 9-5 job and having to deal with the rush hour chaos on the train. But I think it really helps me to appreciate the dozens of surprises I've found in New York. The rainy, snowy, slushy, cold days help me enjoy the sunny days.
Check out the art piece at MTA - Arts for Transit.
