Magical Light on the East River & Brooklyn

From the Drive in Carl Schurz Park, I watched a tugboat come through Hell Gate headed south on the East River. It glided past the old factories on Astoria's shoreline and crossed me in front of the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse. Leaving me, it's rippling wakes said a long goodbye. The power stacks in Queens seemed to dip towards the river as the tug made for the 59th Street Bridge. Below are photos from the tug's trip.

The Drive in Carl Schurz Park was a place that frightened and excited me until I felt semi-confident that no stranger was going to come and throw me over the railing into the river. You hear an older boy say something like that and it sticks with you until you wise up. It's amazing how quickly you unscrew your brain on some things and other things give you the willies for the rest of your life.

Another place that frightened me as a boy, that I got over more slowly but got over, was being on a subway platform. Hearing the charging train, I'd hold my father's hand like he told me he'd leave forever if I let go. Since we didn't have a car we rode the subway a lot so I became comfortable with the noise and crowds and started enjoying it all, but the best was a subway ride that took me out of the tunnel's darkness. That was magical. Especially, early morning or twilight when everything looked mysterious in the off kilter light. On an early morning last week, I waited on the New Utrecht Avenue/62nd Street platform for the N. The quiet scene with the indirect soft morning light brought it all back. On the bottom are three photos.

 "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" moves back to Cornelia Street Cafe next Tues, April 9th @ 6pm. Our guests: Kurt Gertsmann, Pauline Findlay, Tim O'Mara and Amanda Thorpe. I'll host and tell a yarn. Admission is $8 with a free drink.

This week, Time Out Magazine picked "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" as a cool thing to do (pg. 43 in the hard copy). Hope to see you there.