Now that winter is settling in, the weather here is crisp, clear and cold for four or five days a week, with cloudy, rainy weather moving in for a day or two — its like a cycle. I always feel best when the rain comes, but I'm enjoying morning walks around my neighborhood in the cool sun. My work schedule is normalizing, with night shifts covering the late sports games for the paper, afternoons blogging for a couple of sites and a couple of day shifts at the paper here and there for flavor. With another recent blog contract, I believe I've entered near stability and can officially call myself a freelance writer and mean it. Anyway, while not swimming in piles of gold coins, the important stuff is paid for and I've come to enjoy some of the simple pleasures in life. Coffee shop coffee and the weekly breakfast date ellyn and I keep being my top two simple pleasures. Also, morning strolls through the neighborhood. (Remind me to blog about my neighborhood a little more. Maybe take some pictures.) Turns out I like mornings, as long as they start at 10 a.m.
The late schedule at the paper is nice; as is a paycheck for watching sports. I enjoy not feeling guilty about sleeping in a bit. But I particularly enjoy the commute most of the time. The paper is near Penn Station on 34th Street and I walk by Madison Square Garden and the New Yorker Hotel and can see the Empire State Building all lit up at night. When my pages are to bed, it's usually 12:30 or 1 a.m. and the city is quiet and I can listen to a This American Life or Cat Power and its just me on these towering yet empty Manhattan streets. It's a neat feeling.
Okay, third story. This is also about a walk. Sorry, my themes are a little repetitive.
Election Night 2008. From around 8 p.m. to the time Obama won at 11 o'clock and one second p.m., I was in Times Square, a hellish place where neon bulbs are only outnumbered by tourists. However, while I normally hate Times Square, I found spending election night there to be a pretty wonderful start to the night. Without being political, I'd like to tell you a little about it.
I was gathering quotes for the paper. (The lowly reaction quotes assignment.) I talked to a number of random folks from all over the world. The crowd was mostly Obama supporters, but the McCain faithful were around, as well.
"If you these people think Bush was bad, just wait for what Obama does," a middle-aged Hasidic fellow told me. He was lightheartedly fighting with his brother, an Obama man, when I first approached. Most the other quotes were lackluster shouting from rabid Obama supporters. But, when he won, they got pretty good.
Well, after standing and chatting for about three hours, the polls on the West Coast closed and the news finally called it for Obama. The moment I won't soon forget. The crowd cheered, some let bundles of balloons go. A gang of teens climbed a row of phone booths and danced. Nine people hugged me unsolicited. People ran into the streets crying.
A black man standing next to me took his cell phone out and I asked him who he was calling. "My wife," he said. "Honey, he won. This is better than the damn walk on the moon for America." Such pride and hope in his voice, he looked at a towering screen flashing "Obama Wins" and teared up a little.
Quotes attained and the scene colored for my editor, I hopped on the subway to meet ellyn at her school's election night party. This should not come as a shock, but young, liberal college students were… excited.
After the party ended, a group of us walked to the subway in Union Square, just to see what the fuss was all about. In a sea of people, there was rejoicing. I've never seen real rejoicing. Not like this. This was Biblical rejoicing. Bang-on-the-pots-and-pans-(literally)-World-War-II-V-day rejoicing-in-the-streets rejoicing. No matter the politics of the situation. To see a crowed of such mixed heritage, all crammed together, singing "America the Beautiful" in unison as someone climbs a nearby statue to wave the American flag — It gave me goosebumps.
After the singalong, we escaped over to Brooklyn where a local intersection was shutdown with hipsters dancing in the streets. A detail of police in riot gear watched from down the street. There was no clash, though. Only dancing.
I'm sure a lot of people weren't dancing in the streets over Obama. But, like I said, leaving politics aside, to watch that history happen as if it were archival footage, that was pretty amazing.
…
Okay, enough about experiential feelings and walking.
ellyn and I will be heading home to Oregon from Dec. 22 through Jan. 12 or something like that. I think. Check back for updates.