open spaces

i brought my pair of roller skates with me to new york. they're black with blue wheels and i love them. for the record, i have roller blades but i feel silly and awkward in them. they're just not cool. anyway, on saturday morning i went on an adventure to find a small, quiet park, that a co-worker told me about. a place where i could skate.

that place was the carl schultz park near 86th and york. it had a path that ran alongside the water which was great but when i got there i found out that the path was tiled and bumpy. perfect for runners but a disaster for someone on skates. so i walked along the water and took some pictures. here's a tug boat.


on sunday, i woke up early with the intent of going to central park to skate. so i packed my sunglasses, a hat, water and my camera with the hopes of taking pictures while skating... instead, i found that it's easier to walk and sit by the ducks.


here's what i learned about skating in central park: when joggers and kids on tricylcles are passing you it's time to take your skates in to get the wheels adjusted so that you can go faster. i also learned that i really need to get a back pack. trying to balance my bag while watching out for cyclists on the road is not exactly relaxing. so after a while i went home and made plans to go to another park in the afternoon. this time to meet my friend cigarette and listen to music.

cigarette was running late so i waited for her at 59th and lex. i avoided getting a hot dog and going into h&m. phew! when she arrived we grabbed a slice of pizza and took the yellow line to the broadway exit. we walked 5 blocks in the wrong direction, then walked 15 blocks towards the water. we found a green field with a random assortment of art. this field was called socrates park.


the fiery furnaces were playing. we both wondered what the green reindeer with a ladder meant. i have to admit it's kind of festive.

i like this installation with the sign.



without knowing much about the piece it made me stop and remember what happened to the people of new orleans. watching the father hold his son reminded me of the tragedy. it also made me grateful for my own family who i miss terribly but who i'll get to see very soon.

that's all for now.