Valentine's Day the City Way

In NYC you can find anything you need by just walking along the sidewalks in heavily populated areas. Scarves, watches, children's books, coffee, churros... I'm not sure why I was surprised to see huge, and I mean HUGE, stuffed animals wrapped in plastic on the street vendors tables yesterday evening on my way home from work. On my way to work this morning, I saw several men carrying said stuffed animals, with looks of pride on their faces. And this was in the Bronx, where most men look as tough as they can and would not be caught dead carrying anything cute and fluffy... 

Today a coworker and I gave a presentation. We wanted some candy to hand out, since people had to sit through a lecture on Valentine's day (and it was about trauma, no less!). I went to Walgreen's and wouldn't you know the candy shelves were cleaned out! People were making a mad dash for the cards and one woman threatened the cashier over a lost coupon.

On my way home, several things happened. I bought my husband a beautiful rose on the sidewalk, being hustled by a 10-year-old girl whose mom thought she was giving people too good a deal. Despite her mom raising the price, I still think I got a good deal.

The subway held it's own surprises. A man walked through the subway car using the door in between cars, asking for money. This is not unusual, but another man came through the door right after him and left the door open (so that a sleeping woman almost fell out when the train jerked). The first man was not given money by anyone. He was wearing some kind of cape made out of a potato sack, and he looked like a character from "Lost." The second man set up a full sized old-school keyboard on a stand. He began playing random chords. After a few chords he added a setting that made each note sound like a person screaming. He said something about how romantic Valentine's Day is, all while the little note people are screaming.  Then he recited a poem about music which included the words, "Music is love. Music is life. Music is a free gift for all the people." He graciously and cornily asked for donations, stating, "I am trying to make an honest living. Please feel free to give what you can, whether a penny or a kind word. A penny can buy someone a meal. A kind word can lift someone's spirits." Needless to say, I gave him 26 cents. Some people looked at me like I was crazy but I had to give the guy credit for staying so positive and being so....creative!

I was flabbergasted by it all, including my donation. I missed my stop. When I got off at the next stop, I crossed the street to get on the train going the correct direction. Despite crossing the street, it was still the wrong direction. I started walking the ten blocks home, and saw a lady trip and fall with her dog while across the street. She was helped by a young man who didn't know her...

Just another regular day in NYC...