New York for the Weekend
“Perspective is a m*****r f*****r”.
-The Universe
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been living in tune with the presence of a higher being. Over the years, awareness has presented itself in various ways, whether that be a timely message via another person, an indescribable feeling of intuition, a coincidental streak of luck, or a reminder of my own mortality. However the message was presented, the moment resulted in a feeling of surrealism and I remember my place in this universe; though powerful in my own right, I am not bigger than the forces of nature at play around us all.
This past weekend, I was in NY during the NYFW and US Open festivities. Needless to say, the energy in the city was electric. Every borough, every train stop, and every restaurant was infested with people, a good mix of locals, transients, and tourists. I love NY and the motivational energy it possesses, and for some reason, I forget that every time I’m away.
The trip was full of moments when me and father-time were in sync like Justin, moments where I said a thought out loud and the universe rep[lied with, “Heard chef.”. But one moment, less than an hour before my train left, that trumped the rest. I walked the streets of NY, looking every bit like a tourist with my camera in hand and a sling bag turned around front, I was face to face with the awareness I spoke about earlier. I step out onto the street from the subway and I look around to recalibrate my mental GPS. As I looked around in search of a familiar landmark, a man said to me from the curb, “Peace God”. I won’t take this moment to dive into my appreciation for the art of native NY language but NY is up there as far as favorites, anyway, back to the story. After he gets past the pleasantries, he then jumps straight into his purpose for gathering my attention. “Wanna hear something crazy?”
I can’t speak for anyone else but there’s something about starting a story with, “Wanna hear something crazy?”, that perks my ears up every time. He continues, “I’m really fucked up right now.” Now I start to think he’s just tripping and wasting my time, so I’m nodding along but trying to decipher how genuine he’s being as he speaks. He then says “I call myself looking for a dollar, feeling bad for myself. Like damn nobody? I can’t get a dollar? Life must be bad. Then I walk down the block and find out this woman jumped off her balcony from the 13th floor. Like I need a dollar, she’s got a dollar. I’m still here and she ain’t. I’m really fucked up right now like I can’t make sense of that shit yo. It’s bugged out. Perspective is a mf”, and then he just walks off.
I love NY because the energy of the city is so unique, only there would something like this happen. The whole time he was speaking, he didn’t ask me for anything nor was I sure if he was telling the truth. What I did know is that the moment was a moment with the universe, one of the rare moments I spoke of earlier where the hairs stand on your arms and you become aware of all of the coincidences happening. As the man said, perspective is a motherfucker.
New York, both in spring and fall, is one of my favorite cities in the country. I understand the allure. Every time I'm on the subway or walking block to block, I'm reminded of how inspiring the city is. Being one of the largest hubs of industry, every fashion label has a store in the city, which allows people to elevate their personal style in eclectic ways. Most industries have a base in NY, and because of that, it attracts creatives from all over the world.
There are so many people, agencies, and brands to connect with, and I honestly don't take advantage of how quick a trip to NY is. I want to be more intentional about it for the remainder of '24 and the full year of '25. While moving around, I realized that I missed moving around the city with no expectation of a destination. There's something very freeing about that experience, and it speaks to something deep inside of me.
Maybe what I'm craving most is more conversations with that something - wanderlust.
