Strolling Down 34th Street

I was standing at the intersection of 34th St and 9th Ave, waiting patiently for a traffic cop to give me the signal to cross the street, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Once the light changed, the traffic cop gave everyone waiting on the corner the hand signal to go, and off we all went.

 

Interestingly enough, a city bus and some cars were blocking the crosswalk, impeding the ability of pedestrians, including me, from walking across the street directly. As we zig-zagged our way through the traffic, out of the blue, a guy walking right beside me yelled out to the traffic cop, “Good job, man!" Several folks nearby started laughing out loud, not me, of course.

 

After making my way to the other side of the street, I stopped for a moment to bend down so that I could tie up a loose shoelace. When I stood back up, I glanced up at the sky, and the first thing I saw was the famous New Yorker hotel sign on the top of the building—and seeing this iconic image made me want to write!

 

So with only a block to go before arriving at Penn Station, I began walking and capturing my thoughts while en route to catch the E-train to Jamaica, Queens. Halfway down the block, I came upon the Manhattan Center, one of NYC’s most renowned performance venues. As a result, I decided to pause for a few minutes to take a pic and reminisce on the last time I was enjoying a show at this magical place.

 

I was soon back on the move, and with about 15 yards to go before reaching the subway entrance, when I suddenly noticed the Empire State Building in my direct line of sight. The view was stunning, so I just had to stop and take another photo.

 

The next thing I knew, I was standing on the corner of 34th St and 8th Ave, mesmerized by a very cool-looking mural on the side of a building.

 

By now, you may be wondering, how far does Anthony Sledge have to go to make it to the train station?

 

Friends, I am almost there, and now back to the story. Lol!

 

Shortly after that experience, I found myself standing directly across from the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden. Go Knicks!

 

Finally, I was only a few feet away from the subway station entrance and began to hustle downstairs to catch the train. When I was going through the turnstile, I could see the train pulling into the railway platform, so I picked up my pace to catch it.

 

Unfortunately, the doors closed before I could hop on, and I watched the E-train slowly pull off without me, leaving a gust of hot air behind, swirling around the tunnel for at least six seconds.

 

Nevertheless, I took it in stride because it was no big deal, and better yet, missing the train provided a nice conclusion for this latest journal entry—the end.😊

 

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

 

#mindfulness #nyc #newyork