Thursday, October 08, 2015

Pre-Brooklyn Half Marathon

Today, after wolfing down two slices of pizza for lunch, I took the LIRR train from the Rockville Centre station to Jamaica, Queens. From there, I took the "E" train to Court Street in Queens, and the "G" train to Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn.

What scenes, sights and smells! I am going to date myself, when I say with full confidence that we are re-living the late 70's of New York. The graffiti, little by little, is reappearing on building and house walls with indescribable "tags". The homeless man with glazed eyes, sitting in the "G" train eating cold Popeye's fried chicken, and a can of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee spaghetti and meatballs. Then, he got up, went in between the moving subway cars, a lit up a Newport cigarette. As soon as he was done, he returned back into the subway car, knowingly that no one would want to sit where he left a large, ruffled, plastic bag.

I can't forget the two young, high school girls, holding hands and displaying affection in the subway car. Two Spanish women in their 60's looked at the young couple with disdain. The "butch" type stared back at a young college fellow who was smiling to himself at the sight of this physical display.

Three young, very athletic, black males, scoped out within the subway car the best spot for their unannounced performance. At first, my suspicious mind, thought that we were being set up for a classic stickup. Somehow, the 3 young men had a portable device that played music louder than the rattling noise of the subway rails. They began performing acrobatic moves with the handrails and poles like in a gymnastic setting. If they could channel this energy into a successful endeavor. In front of me, there was a Chinese college student, memorizing the interior of the knee. And I ask myself - will one or all of the 3 young men be a future patient of the Chinese college student. Life has different paths and tracks for each one of us.

I don't know if it can be said that there's more tolerance of other different people or apathy or indifference. And I don't know if either or all are bad at good, or is this the way to coexist in the "G" train in Brooklyn, or anywhere for that matter in New York.

As I walked along Greenpoint Avenue towards the Brooklyn Expo Pavilion, I noticed that there were coffee shops every 5 doors or so. The signs for legal services were in Polish. Where am I? What world am I living in? Conform or be deformed.

Either the police are stealth or they don't exist anymore. I do see them in groups at the Jamaica train station, but after that, it appears that each one of us is on our own.

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