Mary Ann
I had the privilege of working in New York City for the last 11 years of my career. It was an unexpected gift in this twilight time of life. However, coming from Columbia, SC to the Big Apple was a 180-degree change and the learning curve was straight up. I would like to share some of my adventures working in fascinating New York City. Maybe I should have called this blog – Sixty in the City. It was definitely not Sex in the City.
Besides the high energy of the Big Apple, there are funny little things that seem to only happen there. I came to work one day and noticed a big, inflated mouse in front of a neighboring building. I went into school and asked why the big mouse was outside. I wondered if an exterminator was advertising their company. At that moment, everyone broke out laughing. The mouse was really a rat, and it was to let everyone know that the landlord of a particular building was a bad guy, a rat! Well, I must say that is a clever way to let the world know. Often you will find a rat in a pickup truck parked in front of the offending property for a quick getaway. That way a rat can show up at any time anywhere. There are a lot of rats in NYC both fugitively and literally!
When someone climbs a mountain, a flag is often left to say that the person was there. In New York City, a flag is raised on the top of a building when the construction crew has reached the summit of the structure. It proclaims they have reached the top and are not going any further with construction. The skyscrapers are the city’s mountains. The construction crews are the mountain climbers. The flag says it all.
I lived in Jersey City and came to work on the PATH each day. The PATH is a subway train that goes under the Hudson River delivering people at various stops as it goes north in Manhattan. At times riding the PATH can be like riding a Disney World ride as it flew under the river. You had to hang on. Most of the time, we were packed in the cars, so you swayed as a group. I did notice that each Christmas there was a little lighted Christmas tree about halfway between Jersey City and New York City. People are so into their own worlds scrolling on their phones or reading or listening to music that I wondered if anyone even noticed. I imagined some big, burly PATH worker putting up the little tree with twinkling white lights trying to spread a little Christmas cheer. Maybe no one else noticed it, but I did. For the month of December, it brought a little joy on my way to work and home again. Thank you, Mr. Burly PATH Guy!
New York is a city full of scaffolding. Building were always getting repairs or whatever. I wished I owned the scaffolding company – big bucks! There are cranes everywhere. The skyline looks like a zoo of bobbing birds perched atop of the skyscrapers. Things going up and down constantly on the cranes. There are roads that seem to be never done. I guess you notice it more because everything is concentrated in a small area.
Yet all this concrete and steel is balanced out with flower stalls on most corners, fruit stands in the warmer months, and little patches of green tucked away throughout the city. There is a surprise around every corner. You must seek and find the beauty. I hope to share more of NYC with you in future blogs.
Silver Sage Sisters 