A Chinese violinist, a blues trumpeter, and the Central Park Zoo's musical animal clock competed for my aural attention. Tulips and blossoming trees fought over my eyes. Kids ran around and cried out while adults try to herd them into lines to wait for tickets. Joy was out in force in the sunlit park.
Runners, bikers, walkers, sitters. French, Spanish, Russian, polyglot, even American. Most, like me, had their smart phones out. Someday, when this era is history, when we take pictures by blinking and communicate with electronically focused thought waves, that will be an interesting fact.
Along a nearby street, firemen were exiting a tower. I asked for a photo. They were excited, kept fighting over who would take the picture and who would be in it. As I walked off I wished them a good day, hopefully with no fires.
"But that's the fun part of this job," one of them said. "As long as there aren't any people involved." Of course. Firefighters need fires just like news reporters need news.
On 56th Street, I asked a couple of TV reporters what they were following. "Donald Trump, of course." We were in front of Trump Tower. I kept thinking about the news of the blonde-haired phenomenon who had just won the state primary. Sad to say, what once felt like a horror flick now feels like a reality show. I find myself growing inured. There's an inevitability about it that numbs the mind. I can't get over the fact that it's the blue-collar white working man who is so enamored of the rich kid who inherited his wealth.
"It's beyond my skills of articulation. My mind gets fuddled on the way to an explanation."
Those might be the opening lines of an eventual rap musical called Trump. Last night at Hamilton, I toyed with the ironies between the words on stage and the realities of Trump. Hamilton took the Pulitzer this week. Trump took New York. For a $1000 contribution I could've had my picture taken with the star of the former. I can't even guess the price of the latter.
For now, this is Tania, signing off with all the important news from New York City.
