Dipway Arch in Central Park

While in Central Park this evening, I took advantage of a chance to spend some time at the magnificent stone and brick Dipway Arch, one of my favorite places in the park. Upon arriving at this lamppost with the green and white Dipway Arch sign attached to it, I decided to go up the hill to secure a cozy spot on the grass, sat down, and began to ponder.

I am often flooded with creative thoughts whenever I am in this area, and knowing this, I deliberately use this spot to generate new ideas. When so doing, I love letting my imagination run wild while being one with nature.

Back to the here and now! Please feel free to pause for a minute and envision me sitting on the grass in a butterfly pose with my eyes closed, enjoying the smell of the flowers and listening to the lovely sounds of nature. Then, you watch as I drift into a meditative state, only to be awakened by the sound of footsteps beating on the ground, coming from a group of joggers passing through the tunnel.

I remained still for another 90 seconds, allowing my final thoughts to finish crystallizing, then I stood up and started walking home. Along the way, I recall thinking how grateful I was for this experience, especially since I walked away feeling centered—whoosah!

Have a relaxing evening. 😊

#mindfulness #nyc

 

Steam in the Middle of the Street

As I was enjoying a cup of coffee on the corner of W 57th St and 6th Ave, the unexpected sight of steam rushing out of an orange and white-striped vent in the middle of the street caught my attention. I know, coming across steam vents around the city is commonplace; however, the amount of steam pouring out of this one was spectacular!

Now intrigued by what I was witnessing, I did a quick Microsoft Bing search to learn a tad about these giant tubes scattered all over NYC. When the results popped up on my iPhone screen, I was shocked by the volume of info and read a short article on the topic.

After taking a final sip of my coffee, I tossed the cup into the trash can and began walking across the street. As I got close to the black and orange arrow sign, a sunbeam suddenly flashed into my eyes, stopping me dead in my tracks!

I immediately reached for my sunglasses, put them on, and when my vision came back into focus, I saw the steam and sunshine collide in midair, producing a lovely image. So, of course, I took a pic, then finished making my way across the street and stood on the corner for five minutes, capturing my thoughts.

Never in a million years did I think looking at steam could be so captivating, and I added the experience to my journal.

Enjoy your evening. 😊

#nyc

 

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

I was relaxing on the Paulus Hook Pier yesterday evening, right as the sun began to set, reflecting on my busiest weekend visiting family and friends this year. Admittedly, I was exhausted while lying down on the royal blue bench in the picture. Yet, I also felt blissful because the moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived, the week when we began getting back into the swing of things!

 

Now standing behind an eye-catching abstract sculpture while purposely marveling at the NYC skyline and contemplating life, I had a sudden burst of writing inspiration! As a result, thoughts of gratitude flooded my head, and I felt compelled to spend the ensuing 15 minutes writing a rare LinkedIn article.

 

Friends, our virtual COVID-19 journey together on LinkedIn over the past 14-months had its share of ups and downs…more ups than downs from my vantage point. So with that in mind, allow me to summarize a ray of sunshine I frequently experienced through it all, thanks to you.  

During this extraordinary period, some of my best memories included engaging with many of you by way of my Saturday morning posts. Moreover, interacting with you played a vital role in satisfying my appetite to network and feel connected with people in a meaningful way during this time.

 

And for that, I want to thank everyone that spent a small portion of their weekends with me, reading my authentic, 1,300 character posts and viewing the images associated with my travels around NYC and North Jersey. It meant the world to me, and I enjoyed the spirited conversations we had in the comments section, which allowed us to learn from and grow with each other respectfully.

 

So as I observe this lovely couple holding hands and looking across the Hudson River into the heart of the Financial District in the photo, my closing message is that our future is shining bright, and the best is yet to come. Let’s go!

 

Please feel free to share your thoughts or highlight an exchange we had in the comments section over the past year.

 

Until next time, have a great week ahead. 😊

 

#nyc

 

A Slice of NYC Pizza

While driving down 7th Ave yesterday afternoon en route to Tribeca, I suddenly realized that I just passed by one of my favorite pizza parlors. Even though I wasn't hungry, it's been a while since I had a slice from Bleecker Street Pizza, so I thought it would be nice to grab a few Nonna Maria pizza-pies for my folks.

So I flicked on my turning signal without further thought and made a u-turn to find a parking space near the restaurant. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a spot, so I doubled-parked to avoid paying for parking; then called my order in, knowing that I could be in and out in a flash!

Before I knew it, 20 minutes had passed, and it was time for me to make my move, so I jumped out of my SUV and headed across the street to get the food. Then, out of the blue, traffic came to a screeching halt!

What happened? A gigantic red mobile crane was getting ready to turn onto the block where I double-parked. Yikes!

Now needing to think fast, I mentally calculated that I had about six minutes to hustle into the pizza joint, grab my order, and hurry back to the car to avoid any drama. Let's go!

Happy to report, I pulled it off in the nick of time without getting a traffic ticket, and I laughed at myself on the drive to Tribeca! Talk about a close call. 😊

Happy Sunday!

#nyc

 

Central Park

I arrived at Central Park this morning to meet up with my running crew, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! So many people were outside taking advantage of the lovely May weather and celebrating the recent ending of the mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals.

While waiting at the meetup spot, I was mentally mapping out my weekend when a guy with a horse and buggy rolled up. It was nothing unusual; however, it was 7 am, so I was a bit surprised that he was out here already and watched as he negotiated with a potential customer.

Then, like magic, he sealed the deal, one of the women forked over some cash, and the two ladies jumped in the buggy, and off they went.

Fascinated by this commerce exchange in the midst of being fully present, I watched in awe as they rode into Central Park and listened attentively to the relaxing sounds of the horse's hooves beating on the concrete—clippety-clop! 😊

You know me, I couldn't resist writing about this beautiful experience, so I opened my journal app and started typing for the next five minutes. Soon after, my running friends all made it here, and we began our jog around Central Park, one of the many gems of New York City. So much to see, so much to do, and so much fun!

How did you start your Saturday morning?

Enjoy your weekend.

#nyc

 

Madison Square Park

While scrolling through my iPhone camera roll this evening, I inadvertently pressed the slideshow button and was treated to a show. So naturally, I paid close attention to see if any of the photos would capture my imagination. As you might expect, a few of the pictures did just that, making me want to write.

Thus, I took a last peek at the images before choosing a pic to write about, eased over to a nearby bench, and gave myself four minutes to type in whatever came to mind. Finally, after sitting down and getting comfy, I set my stopwatch for four minutes, hit the start button, and whispered—let’s do it!

This picture is from a Saturday visit to Madison Square Park in April. At this very moment, I recall it being windy outside and admiring the sounds of the green, blue, and black recycle lids beating up against the steel sidewalk trash cans. My eyes then quickly gravitated towards the yellow star attached to the long silver pole, shining so bright.

As I continued looking around, I remember noticing several other lights in the vicinity, including the glare from the lamppost, the golden glow from behind the green tent, and the lights displaying from some of the office windows of the Empire State Building.

And with that, the alarm clock goes off! 😊

Have a lovely evening.

#nyc

 

Pennsylvania Station in NYC

I was up bright and early to meet up with members of a mastermind group near Penn Station this Wednesday morning. When I arrived at one of the many entrances to the Moynihan Train Hall at 6 am to link up with the others, I was taken aback by the splendor of the building's design.

That, coupled with the soothing colors of the lights beaming from this structure along with the skyscrapers standing strong and tall in the background, I felt compelled to stop and appreciate the moment.

In doing so, my tendency to capture what I was experiencing into my journal app was put into motion, which required me to take a picture. To get a better view, I decided to walk across the street and take advantage of a wider angle to ensure I got a good shot!

As I was making my way to the Madison Square Garden side of the street, luckily, there was no traffic, so I was able to snap a pic literally in the middle of the road. Just as I was taking the photo, my friends showed up, and when they spotted me, we all started laughing!

I hustled back onto the sidewalk, and we went on to have our meeting with fresh coffee and hot bagels. Then, before I knew it, the time was 7:15 am, and I was back at home starting my workday. Let's go! All in all, another product day.

Have a pleasant evening. 😊

#nyc

 

Happy Mother's Day @ The Hard Rock Café

I was standing next to a hotdog cart with fun thoughts racing through my mind, more specifically, a vacation that I just booked to my old stomping grounds, the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC area.

Like many, I recently got vaccinated, and I am thirsty to get on an airplane to see new scenery. Thus, as we prepare to begin engaging in activities outside of our respective cities, I must admit that it feels a little weird; however, I look forward to easing back into the new normal with feelings of appreciation and optimism for the future!

I continued to stand on the corner for 29 more minutes, embracing the lovely thoughts in my mind, which were flowing in abundance from the depths of my soul. Eventually, I snapped out of this peaceful state and realized that I was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Paramount Building and its Hard Rock Café entrance.

As I stood there mesmerized by the entryway and the digital advertising billboards flashing up above, a pleasant memory of spending time here with my mom during my youth popped into my head.

I thought this was befitting with Mother's Day tomorrow, so I immediately called my mom to share this moment via facetime, and now we have a new memory. Lol!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms! Enjoy your day and creating new memories. 😊

#nyc

 

Taking a Stroll in JC

I was on the move early this morning, zipping through the heart of Jersey City on the way to run some errands. Along the way, I decided to detour from my regular route to enjoy the view and vibe of a different block.

Although quiet on the street when I took this pic, it's worth mentioning that this is a lively place with excellent authentic restaurants and plenty of fun things to do.

Because of wind gusts of more than 20 miles per hour during this moment, I didn't stick around for long; however, it's nice to know that the weather will heat up this afternoon, so I am sure this block will be super busy later today.

Well, folks, that's it for this Saturday's post on this first day of May—short and sweet. Besides, I posted a bunch in April; therefore, I will reduce my post-activity back to my usual four shares for the month. Lol!

I wish you a relaxing weekend, spending quality time with family and friends. 😊

Be well and maximize your impact. Let’s go!

#inspire