Rush Hour
When I wander the noisy streets of downtown Manhattan, I'm always trying to find something that will spark some sort of inspiration for me. It's so easy to get lost in the concrete and lights, especially when you've called New York home your whole life. NYC rarely catches glimpse of beauty, constantly covered by overlapping skyscrapers and embraced with the unpleasant smells of urine, bus exhaust and sewage. We unwillingly hide from the outside, caught up in train traffic, living in the shadows of the MTA. But still, I search the streets of New York, trying to find a glimpse of stillness and tranquility in the midst of the chaos. I remember seeing New York greener than it ever was before. Quieter than it ever was. It was on Union Square 14 street on a late June evening. Summer had finally broke and I remember wearing a creme white- lace knit dress. It showed off my bronzed legs. It must have been at the peak of rush hour of Friday. Only Friday and Saturday evenings in NYC is where you can see the rugged cement filled with lost souls trying to find someone to take home so that they can get their temporary fix. All the other days of the week they are all apart of the machine where they forget who they truly are and work to make some sort of living. They reluctantly mask their sense of style with blue, black and grey suits and collard shirts. I was with a group of friends and it was a very chill night. Drinking out of brown paper bags, phones in hand, laughing and joking about hating our dead-end jobs. We were going to watch a movie and then eat burgers at a diner not far down on 5th. The girls and guys in my group were all affected by the heat it was certain. They desperately tried to find the warm embrace from one another that was just right. Just tight enough, or just tender enough to feel loved and wanted. They coupled up two by two until I was left alone. But before that thought could even grow, I remember feeling the sun light hit the corner of my face. I backed away to move the sun out of my eyes, but trying to run from the light only made it easier to spot the glimpse of beauty Earth presented to me. All in one instant, the sky was beginning to be covered by the orange, lilac and a blue watercolor. But the clouds were staggered, slowly taking the sun away for the night. The rays from the clouds shun through the trees and the grass, hitting the fountain gently. All of a sudden, their faces weren't visible at one point and the silence of their mummers came over at this same instant. The large buildings were no longer visible and didn't make you feel trapped. For a moment, Union Square was vacant of all signs of industrialization and this one split moment, it was in its normal state. The grass, trees and brown trunks were the only thing visible as the sun illuminated this small patch of land. The cherry blossom trees were the softest shade of pink. For the first time, the city wasn't a city. It was quiet and peaceful. There weren't the noise of complaining and laughter to ruin it. It was complete and utter silence. The echoes of tourism were all muted. For a moment, I was no longer laughing with my friends, but I was in this in-between of beauty and reality. It was probably one of the greatest images one could have seen. And just like that it was all over. I think that's what makes New York special.
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