New York Moments, Episode 2

In line at the LGA cab stand, I heard the guys in front of me talking about going to Midtown. I observed them for a while, noting their suits, tight haircuts, and carry-on bags. Wall Street guys, I figured. We got to talking, and decided to share a cab since we were headed in the same direction. Before long, I realized I wasn’t with stock brokers... and not too long after that, I realized I now had some pretty high up connections should I ever find myself “in trouble.” (Whatever that means.) There are certain business cards that it’s just nice to have in your file. You meet the most amazing and unexpected people in this city...

Then last night, I headed out to the street to try and watch the eclipse. Fortunately, the snow that was supposed to come in didn’t, so the sky was clear. I parked myself on a corner, leaning up against a lamppost (no comments, please). Within a few minutes, a couple of other folks had stopped, one even saying “Thanks! I had forgotten about this until I saw you leaning here.” By the time my toes insisted that I go inside, we had collected about a dozen folks, everybody talking and enjoying the sight. Talk of science abounded, as did stories of other times folks had found themselves hanging out with strangers in the city. One man had a pair of high-powered binoculars, and we all took turns passing them around. Gorgeous. It was such an unusual moment, talking and making real eye-contact with strangers; even the folks who didn’t stop to watch exchanged smiles and words. We all enjoyed the reminder that we live “on a planet,” as one of guys said, that we are miniscule part of a larger universe, but it was also a good reminder that we are not alone.

(NYM, Episode 1 is here.)