As much as I love it, New York still admittedly has a way of wearing me down. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s snowing. Still. In April. Or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t eat. Or that I’m poor. Or that there’s no levity to my day. Maybe it’s the fact that my person is here, while my life is still in Boston. Or the catcalls at 9 a.m. on a Tuesday morning (really? Does that ever work out for you?). Maybe it’s the fact that every time I leave someplace people ask me if I’ll be safe getting home. Or the fact that even if I’m in the biggest city, I still interact with few, if any, people and curl up alone with the silence to lull me to sleep.
But then I remember this is New York, home of glittering lights and eccentric freakshows. People write songs about this place and drop everything to move from their podunk little towns to come here. Lives and love and jobs are centered around this tiny island. Here, in this slummed down city of grit and grime are some of the shiniest celebrities and skyscrapers. There’s history written everywhere. And everywhere, there’s history being written.
Here, on this Sepia-tinted island of the schizophrenics, it’s easy to forget the positives. But the truth is that I do love New York. And I also love New York art. I’m not talking about the Met or MoMA. I mean real New York art that captures this place.
And while I give a big shout-out to this cuff bracelet, which has a taste of New York, I’ve been long-obsessed with this art piece. According to the artist description… “Made with actual vintage New York Times front pages, found paper, paint, tissue, cutout letters and even a few dollar bills, this piece is an original take on the MTA Subway Map, incorporating not only the subway lines but the noisy, jumbled scrapbook of neighborhoods and districts.”
I have no clue what the original piece went for and it’s not available, but there are relatively cheap print copies which, when matted and framed, would be pretty darn snazzy. The best part of all, I have to say, is the flying pig. As Post columnist Cindy Adams would say, “Only in New York, kids. Only in New York.” Obsessed.
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| New York City Subway 8 x 10 paper print on etsy, $20 |
