This article is an assignment I did in class about enjoying New York Life in the city.
Abbee Street, Brooklyn, New York, April 7, 2017, 11:15pm-12am
My drift started on Abbee Street in downtown Brooklyn. First, I walked past a movie theater, then I heard a couple that walked past and female had on a nice outfit, so I walked in her direction. Next, I got distracted by a Nike store and turned around and kept walking straight. I saw construction on the other side of the street and started walking toward the construction. I started to hear the sounds of a metro bus letting people off so I crossed the street. I continued to walk down the street and eventually ended up turning. I heard yelling and noticed a black woman yelling at the police. She was hysterical because the police would not give the location of the hospital her friend was being transported to. She yelled threatening words and possibly assaulted an officer. Next, I became distracted by the smell of chicken and continued to walk straight. Next, I saw flashy lights decorating the trees before I could look up I saw a white guy with nice hair so I began to walk behind him. I was headed in the direction of two metro stations and crossed the street as the white guy continued to walk in the left direction. For the rest of my walk, I began to drift based on the appearances of what people wore or the lights that hung from the department stores.
Taking a drift in downtown Brooklyn allowed me to see another part of New York that I have not seen before. I noticed that city life has a lot of distraction that makes me drift naturally. These distractions include ambulances, Christmas lights hanging from trees, trains, signs, food smells, and arguments on the sidewalks. The city life has a vibe that makes the body want to explore new things: going into a new store or trying new foods. Also, I noticed that my body moved more toward noises from pedestrians and flashing lights hanging from buildings.
Additionally, walking throughout downtown Brooklyn for 45 minutes reminded me of the Zazie dans le metro film. In one scene, Zazie, a young girl walks throughout Paris without having a particular place in mind. She allows her surroundings to dictate what to move toward. Zazie let her body drift through the city of Paris, which allowed her to experience more about the city than if she had a list of places to explore. The feeling Zazie experienced was similar to me drifting down the streets of Brooklyn because I started to feel as if I had always been a part of this city life. Both Zazie and I experience the city life from our own perspective and not based on planning.
