On the Steps of The Met

6:00-6:15 pm
Friday, April 28, 2006

I took a detour on my way home last night. I sat on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have a membership to The Met, thanks Mom and Dad. I visit often. Tonight I thought I’d people watch.

• A group of 15 twelve year old girls with five moms were standing in a huddle. All the girls wore “I ♥ NY” t-shirts. It made me wonder, does anyone who lives in New York really own an “I ♥ NY” t-shirt? Scratch that. Does anyone who lives in New York ever wear the “I ♥ NY” t-shirt that their Mother bought when she visited that’s in their closet?
• I wondered how many photos were taken by tourists and how many of them I appear in.
• I heard nine languages other than English. Amazing!
• Best conversation snippet that I heard as a couple descended the stairs. She exclaimed, “I love it. I love it. I absolutely love it!” He said, “Well, yeah – in a Jesus Christ kinda way.” I’ll always wonder what they were talking about.

By the way, thank you to the man whose job it was during this time to sweep the debris that can be found on the steps of The Met. Thanks for removing the cigarette butts, pebbles, bird shit and especially for scraping the dropped gum so I could sit and watch the people.

Are you kidding me? Politeness Laws?

Did any of you New Yorkers read the New York Times article on 4/16, "New York Leads Politeness Trend? Get Outta Here!"? Basically the Mayor has put new laws into place that will fine a subway rider $50 for putting his/her feet on the seat, fines for unruly behavior at sporting events and tighter restrictions on car alarms. Are you kidding me?

In a city where a nonprofit organization (The Doe Fund, Inc.) exists just to pick up trash - the Mayor and the City Council members are creating new laws?

Enforce the ones we have!

There is a garbage can on every street corner and I still witness people consciously throwing trash on the sidewalk and in the gutter on a daily basis. When was the last time that the NYPD wrote a ticket for littering?

Manhattan gets dirtier as you travel north. I will never get used to the litter that spans the streets and sidewalks especially at 125th and Lenox in Harlem. I feel sorry for the Doe Fund employee that is there every morning sweeping up the trash that someone so impolitely threw all over the place.

And politeness that is a whole different topic - when was the last time that you said hello to the person that you see everyday at the bus stop or subway platform, that the cashier at your grocery store was courteous and said thank you or that you said good morning to a perfect stranger? New Yorkers, I dare you to say hello to five people that you walk past today on the street.

Oh, and next time you walk past a Doe Fund employee who's cleaning your neighborhood sidewalk and street - say thank you!

First Timer

Welcome to Your Window to My World!

I'm one of those people, by the way, if I'm walking or driving past a house/apartment and the lights are on inside with the curtain open - I'm looking in - and not just a glance - I'm pausing and looking! Don't we all have a little stalker in us? I'm always curious to see what color the walls are, do they have books or a piano, is it messy, would I want to live there...and then my mind creates scenarios to describe the people who do live there.

I'm also one of those people who 'people watch' while sitting at a coffee shop and makes up character stories for the people around me. Are they a dog or cat person? Do they prefer white or red wine? Where did they just come from? Where are they going? Why did they wear those shoes with that dress? Come on, you do it, too - admit it.

Visit often to catch glimpses to my world with my curtains open.