I Hardly (K)New York: Brooklyn Bridge Park

Published on Aug 13, 2017

My sister works in publishing. They do something called "summer Fridays," which means they work a longer day Monday-Thursday, and then on Friday they only work until around noon. Sounds rad.

So yesterday, we took advantage of that and both went to hang out at Brooklyn Bridge Park. After Thursday's great views of Brooklyn and the two bridges, I wanted to hang out on the other side of the river and see those sweet, sweet Manhattan views.

It was, uh, real great. Breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty. Lots of folks out with their kids and families and friends, walking, biking, etc. There's a theme here, it's summer.

This day felt different from Thursday because there was a plan and a set destination. But it served the same purpose. I got to see some more of what's available in my new living space, I got out of my apartment & my neighborhood, and I got some great photos and footage.

Spending the day in full view of the Manhattan skyline, a thing we see constantly in movies and on TV, and which is now a thing I can ride the subway to whenever I want, I put into words more of what I want to do with these experiences: I want to destroy Awe.

Like, this place is beautiful as hell, and it's the biggest, most important city, and it's the center of the universe, so there's always going to be a little bit of awe in the background, and there should be!

But I don't necessarily want my first reaction to constantly be, "wow." I live here now, and I don't want to constantly feel like an out-of-towner or a tourist. Maybe that's not the best way to word it, there's nothing wrong with awe. We should all maybe live with a little more awe in our minds.

So I'll put it another way. When I lived in Chicago, and I would see the skyline represented somewhere, or on my way into & out of the city...wait, no I definitely felt awe. Shit.

But it was different! It was...pride. Y'know? It wasn't tourist-y awe, it was, "Hell yeah, Chicago" awe. That's what I'm working towards here.

So it's not so much that I want to destroy awe, I just want to peel the plastic off these views and experiences and move on to enjoying them and living in and around them in a deeper way. New York City is incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring, and almost as cool as Chicago 😉.

I can't wait to look at this skyline like an old friend rather than an idol.

-- Mike