NYCOMG | Herald Square

One of the things you shouldn’t do is stop in the middle of the street to grab a shot. Consider yourself notified not to do that. Some of what you’ll see here was grabbed while standing in the middle of the street in NYC. The light was green, and I was moving quickly. Still, don’t do what I do, lest you end up designated as a death by misadventure. But sometimes that’s how you get the shot.

Annie used to work in the Macy’s, Herald Square. Penny and I made a stop here to use the facilities. That’s how we met Simone, who was thrilled to do some photos inside. Esther used to work at this Macy’s with Annie. Esther, who passed away twelve years ago, is Ruben’s mom. Ruben is my brother-in-law, introduced in my story on Coney Island yesterday. We visited him out on Long Island today, and returned by way of Penn Station. Which is how we find ourselves in Herald Square. Another Esther works on the main level of this nine story Macy’s. She doesn’t want to be photographed, says she’s not photogenic. Her co-worker gives me a “maybe,” but I don’t push. Instead, I go outside and meet a couple of Israeli students who’ve been here a week. I ask one of them to blow some smoke.

Across the street, two brothers take a stance by a food stand. Nazo and Cesar. Penny and I make our way down 7th Avenue. I promise to stop at the streets ending in 5 and 0, but I forget sometimes. There’s a Grubhub courier on a scooter, and a guy lighting a dollar bill. He’s in front of an incredible graffiti’d backdrop. It’s getting dark, and the rain is hitting us off and on. Raingear on, raingear off. Raingear back on. There’s a 45 minute wait at Fish Cheeks, so we opt for our standby, the Congee dimsum place just a few doors up from our hotel. Service is lousy tonight. Our NYCOMG journey is winding down. Early tomorrow morning, we’ll be out of here. I haven’t begun to pack.