Looking Up From The Phone

After a long commute and a much longer day at work, this is what greeted me as I climbed the stairs up from the subway. The next day was as hot as that ball of sun promised it would be.

Beach and History: An Unlikely Coexistence

Lively, sunny, exuberant Rockaway Beach, New York City, presents some surprise opportunities for reflection.

City Respites and Trees That Curve

One of the few things the City of New York does consistently well is build parks. It’s a strange claim to fame for a metropolis but we really have some nice parks.

This park is in a residential area across the water from LaGuardia Airport. I like how the curve of the trees let you see the airplane landing in the distance. By the way, this is the airport  that was rightly insulted by none other than our Vice President. 

A Rockaway Day: How to End A Summer

It’s probably the last summery day we’ll feel for a while here in New York, so I did another first-ever: I took the bus to Rockaway Beach.

The ride itself was weird: I got a seat a few stops after I boarded. Its previous occupant’s phone dropped out of his pocket. I hollered to him as he disembarked, waving his phone at him. He was thankful. I chatted with a nice couple and admired the family seated across the aisle. When the family got up to leave, I saw  that they left their lunch carrier under their seat. I held it up and some people banged on the windows to get the family’s attention. As we handed off the lunch someone noticed their phone on that seat as well. I laughed and, inexplicably, called after them in Spanish, their language,  “y el teléfono también.” I don’t normally speak in tongues, and I am sadly monolingual. Or maybe not any longer?