I spent the morning wandering around Midtown because I wound up with a second interview. But I found myself lingering in Bryant Park for a while, just to people-watch with my coffee.
Bryant Park is in the middle of a very business-oriented area of Manhattan. (Salesforce is right across the street.) And this particular stretch of Sixth Avenue is called the Avenue of the Americas.
As I sat with my coffee, men in three-piece suits and women in designer fashion (wearing their sneakers to the office of course) were zooming past me like the world was on fire. On my side of the park, a group of people was doing tai chi. Opposite, a couple of guys were playing ping pong.
At the table behind me, a family of tourists was having a loud discussion (possibly a very polite argument) in French about where they should visit. And at a table across the walking path, two young* people were talking about a presentation they were giving that afternoon. And a photographer was wandering through the park taking pictures.
It was such a cross-section of New York life that it almost felt staged.
After my interview, I was going to hit Serendipity. Right before I left San Francisco, my bank hired a new teller, and he and I got to chatting. He said he had moved to San Francisco the week before after years in Orange County because he needed a change. Obviously, I relate to that right now, so I shared the more practical reasons behind my trip. When I mentioned I was coming to New York, he said I had to get the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.
But it was hot. mid-90s with 80% humidity hot. So hot that the idea of eating anything was a little daunting. I went back to the apartment instead, snagged Tako, and went for a walk.
Once we were thoroughly sweaty (me) and exhausted (Tako) I spent the rest of the afternoon writing. The pooch kept me company.
Sean brought Indian home for dinner. I failed to take a picture (shocking, I know), but it was amazing. It was like a tikka masala sauce over potatoes stuffed with paneer and…something. I couldn’t quite tell what it was. Pickled onions were closest in color, but it didn’t have an acidic taste.
Sean and Molly have gotten me hooked on Westworld, so we put that on, and I passed out about halfway through the episode.
High
Writing! I didn’t get a lot of new words on the page, but I got some editing done that I’m pretty pleased with.
Low
I was pretty low energy today, which isn’t really a low? I just wish I’d had the energy to go to Serendipity.
Breakdown
Driven: 7161mi
Hiked: 54mi
Written: 12.5k
Listening to: “Forever” Youngblood Hawke
*It’s gotten so hard for me to hazard a guess at age these days. Everyone below twenty-five looks like a kid. Everyone over twenty-five looks like an adult. That’s the best I can do now.
Not Quite Flying Solo 