Small things that happened in New York

Speed - People on the streets of New York always seem to be in a hurry. I also find myself walking faster than I normally do. I decided now to walk in slow motion for a day, soon when I will be back in New York I will do that for one full day, to slow down my thinking and experience the city with all its details.

F Line - The F line late at night. I am going home. The compartment of the subway is drowned in a heavy smell of urine. On one side of the compartment a man dressed in layers of greyish torn clothes in trying to sleep on one of the benches. Two torn and tied up plastic bags serve as cushions. The smell is so intens that all other passengers group up on the opposite side of the train covering their mouth. Space for sadness is in between us and him.

Casting

The castingfactory

Conde Nast - The Conde Nast building is situated on Time square. I go up to the 16th floor where I have a meeting with someone at American Vogue. I look out of the window of one of the office rooms and I have to think of Blade runner. A big smiley face with enormous red lips is smiling at me on a huge neon screen across the road.

Blind lady - A blind lady with a red and white stick walks over the narrow pavement wiping away other passers by as she yells while sweeping her stick violantly from left to right “I will kill you if you get in my way, I will kill you!”

The not really lonely man - I am having breakfast in a little cafe in Brooklyn. Across from me an elderly man reads a newspaper and has his breakfast with unlimited coffee and bacon and eggs on a bagel. He is reading his news paper out loud. He is wearing a red Corduroy blouse. Over his chair he has draped a green army jacket with an American flag sowed on the right sleeve. He looks like a lonely man.

His phone rings: “Hello sweetheart....I am having a coffee......yes I see you at two.” The expression on his face has changed into a smile as he says to the waitress “ I am going to take care of my grandchildren today.”

I must also look like a lonely person to him.

Sleeping - In the corner of JFK airport I see an Asian woman curled up inside a corner. The colours she is wearing correspond to the surrounding.