America, One Moment at a Time — #33

New York Has a Different Speed

New York doesn’t seem to walk.

It moves.

Fast.

And we discovered that even after the sun goes down, New York doesn’t seem to get the message. 😄

Lights flashing.
People crossing.
Taxis moving.
Buses rolling.

Thousands of people somehow going somewhere. Apparently without consulting a map. 😄

As a first-time visitor, I quickly learned that “Where are we going?” is a question best asked before the crowd starts moving.

Because once it does, you’re in the New York minute.

Then, during our daytime exploration, we came across the Charging Bull in Bowling Green, in Manhattan’s Financial District.

I’d seen photographs of it before.

But seeing this enormous bronze bull surrounded by an eager crowd was rather fascinating.

The Bull represents strength, confidence and optimism. Quite appropriate for the heart of the financial district.

And yet, there was something wonderfully amusing about the scene.

New York was rushing around us.

But here, everyone had stopped.

To photograph a bull that wasn’t going anywhere. 😄

And then there were the runners.

Quite a few of them.

Apparently, even walking wasn’t fast enough. 😄

By night, the city simply turned up the lights… and seemingly the speed as well.

New York seemed to have misplaced its OFF button.

But among all that movement, one little detail made me pause.

A taxi designed to accommodate people who need accessibility assistance.

A small reminder that a city can move fast without expecting everyone to move at the same speed.

And then, quite unexpectedly, we found a quieter side of New York.

The river.

A bench.

Stillness.

For a few minutes, nobody was rushing anywhere.

Perhaps that was my real New York lesson.

The city has its speed.
We can have ours.

Keep up when you can.
Pause when you need to.
And don’t forget to look around. 😊