Saturday I took a group of teens from our church to hang out in New York for the day and it was exciting. We just made our train from New Haven to Grand Central and same thing on the way back. That morning I told them that whenver I go to New York there is at least one train that I catch just before it leaves the station. I'm kind of used to this, but hopefully it wasn't too stressfull for them. In describing our trip I'll use the first three leters of the alphabet to tell the story...A: A is for active. Even though I expect the amount of activity in New York it still surprises me. There is so much of everything and it is always in motion. This was the first time there for some of our teens and at points they were definitely overwhelmed. Asking one of the girls on the way home what she thought of it, she responded with uncertainty. Sometimes it is hard to know what to make of the relentlesness of the city. I can see how it could wear you down.
B: B is for beautiful. Above you see some of us standing in this little enclave just off 5th avenue where there are tables and chairs scattered under trees with this beautiful waterfall in the background. The water runs down over uneven stones so that is sounds just like water cascading down rocks in a hidden area of the woods. Everywhere we went there were subtle and overwhelming scenes of beauty, and we only saw a tiny portion of the city. One of the most important things to remember when I think about beauty and New Yor is the people. Everyone you rush by is an actual person with families, friends, joys, sorrows, and stories. When you put all these people together, you see something greater than this little waterfall. New York would be terrifying with no people.
C: C is for commerce. It was interesteing to see the line outside of FAO Schwartz, the iconic toystore, the was four people across and wrapped around to the back of the block. There was also the line outside of the UGG store, Holister, and maybe some other ones. This is somewhat to be expected when you go down 5th Avenue around Christmas time, but it is interesting to stop and think how many people come to New York just to buy things. There is this incredible ammount of commerce that is happening every single moment of every single day. This isn't inherently bad because economies involve buying and selling goods. What if all the people coming to New York to shop for a day or days, did something else? What if everyone came into New York to clean the city, improve the urban landscape, color with sidewalk chalk, partner with non-profits and other service agencies? This isn't to lament or denigrate shopping, because I bought my wife Christmas presents, but maybe another way of looking at things.
