Walk #22

22 December 2004
2:29 pm to 3:29 pm
Heads: 50
Tails: 38
Intersections: 54
Ending point: corner of Gold Street and Ann Street
Latitude/longitude: 40:42:33.671N/74:00:18.572W
Distance from home: 0.1459 miles
Literature received: Blimpie Buck (“$1.00 off any regular or giant sandwich or salad”)
Coin: 2000 P nickel

Back in New York City after a week in New Jersey and Delaware, I noticed the urban nature of everything: the people on the street, the pavement, the city’s glowing gray quality in the pre-storm air, the feeling that something big was about to happen, even if it was only a rainstorm.

I circled around south of the WTC, then back east and up to Fulton.

Passing by Petland, I bought four cans of cat food (Iams Ocean Fish Formula, Iams Turkey & Giblets Formula, Lamb & Turkey Cutlets, Veal Pate). “Formula” appeared to be the preferred term over “recipe,” implying that one’s pet was just a science experiment.

I walked down to John Street, where a little kid was running ahead of his mom and his brother. “Julian, wait!” she shouted.

He hurtled forward, ignoring her, coming straight into my path. “Hey, slow down, Julian,” I told him.

He looked up at me. “I wanna give you a five!” he said, so we slapped hands. Then his brother wanted the same, so I slapped hands with him as well.

I looped around the edge of City Hall Park, then down Broadway a few blocks, then east, back up through Fulton Street, and over to Peck Slip, where I wandered in circles around the pillars supporting the onramps to the Brooklyn Bridge, which seemed to be built of stone and rust and peeling paint. I imagined Ariadne’s golden thread trailing behind me, looping around the bridge, making intricate knots.