New York State Of Mind, pt. 2

It's weird going back to New York now.  It's weird because I don't live there -- yet I know exactly what it's like to live there.  When you live in New York, you kinda have to have tunnel vision; there never seems to be much time to stop and smell the roses.  Now that I don't live there, I notice so much about the place that I didn't notice before (or at least didn't spend much time taking in). 

I notice the ubiquitous filth, and how everyone ignores how dirty the public spaces are.  I notice the crowds, the buildings and the poster and building ads everywhere.  I stare as the fat pigeons scatter and take flight.  As I made my way through Times Square multiple times, I could feel my mind growing taut with the strain of New York navigation. 

My brain was constantly moving, plotting the most effective way to dodge and overtake the people around me. What was the fastest way to get to the next corner?  Do I walk onto the street to get around that person with the cart?  Do I break into a jog to get to the subway staircase before that large family blocks my way and slows my pace?  As these thoughts coursed through me at lightspeed, I could feel my face settling into a familiar frown - the "New York glare" I unconsciously use for the express purpose of encouraging my fellow pedestrians to give way.

As I thought these things, I thought of Rakim...and for the first time, I think I figured out what he meant when he dropped the line "She asked how come I don’t smile/I said, "everything’s fine, but I’m in a New York state of mind." In NYC, your brain has to re-wire itself a bit just to cope with your surroundings.  It's a unique study in adaptation.

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