NYC Sidewalk Viewing
40 Minutes at an Outside Dinner Table
A man smoking a cigarette, with old, tight pants, wallet chains, and a newsboy cap.
A woman with both a pink fanny pack and a full, faded flower print sack bag across her chest. The man with her leans forward when he walks. He’s short and wears shorts and a tank top.
The couple at the near restaurant table are Spanish. They joke with the Armenian waiter on the common grounds that they are all in America right now.
A man with two braids and a beard, staring at the restaurant diners as he passes, as if he hasn’t eaten today, but can’t bring himself to stop for food.
A man with very long, wavy, honey-colored hair. He pulls a silver rolling luggage bag and wears a Mich U backpack.
A blonde woman in a navy tank top with a deep V down the front. Her breast bounce loosely out the center of the tank top as she walks, as if to overcome the societal ban on cat calls.
An Asian woman in a pink top, pink pants, carrying a pink purse, and wearing a knit, blocked hat that she have made herself.
An older skateboarder, wearing a yellow knit beanie in 90 degree weather, lest anyone not know his season-defying style.
A couple having dinner. The man is young and short. He wears a button-up shirt, a navy sweater slung over his shoulders, and cream pants. The top of his chest tattoo is visible at the base of his neck, beneath a thick gold chain. He sits slouched with his legs spread wide. He appears to be hoping to distract you from seeing his insecurity. When he looks at his phone, his dark-haired date take a selfie of herself sipping her drink through a straw, her eyes to the side, as if to say, “I’m Betty Boop! I’m adorable!” She then puts her phone down, with plans to post it later. She goes to the bathroom. The check comes and the tattoo-chested, gold-chain, sweater-over-the-button-up-top man is left alone to calculate the tip and total. His date comes back and kisses his cheek. She has a large camera on the table that she picks up as they leave. She has a large hole cut out in the front of her leotard.
Photo by Saul Leiter A middle-aged man, wearing a trucker hat with a marijuana patch tries to push through a bottleneck of people in front of him. His flannel shirt and black backpack have been a part of him for a long time.
A shorter young woman walks in her too-long shorts, her heavy shoes, her black t-shirt. Hair in an abstract bun, her keys dangle noisily from her large, black backpack. She is defensive in every way, including her ear-covering headphones and her complete attention to her phone. The headphones and phone, meant to protect her from anyone who might catch her insecurity, ironically eliminate any opportunity she has to defend herself from actual danger heading her way. She would never hear or see it coming.
Three young Asian woman, each wearing black tops and jean shorts. Assuming this was an accident and not pre-planned.
A middle-aged, stylish couple and their pre-teen daughter. The daughter seems to be trying to imitate her mother. She will probably succeed.
A man with chin-length hair, a pudgy belly, and large feminine hips, wearing a tight t-shirt and tight athletic pants.
A small, young man in a white t-shirt and worn black pants, with his black backpack strapped to him around his waist. He moves his arms minimally when he walks.
An older man in dark Levis, a wallet chain, and skinny, black suspenders. He has white hair and a mustache. He walks holding hands with a middle-aged, red-headed woman who seems mild-mannered.
A large group of people who just had dinner, and are now saying good bye. They all have the same level of unremarkable attractiveness.
A man who took three long drags in succession from a vape box.
A stocky Hawaiian girl in a crop top, jean cut-offs, and small motorcycle boots as a third wheel to her taller friends, a couple.
An older couple at a restaurant table near the sidewalk. They had their water bottle taken by a passerby who was yelling, “Fuck it! Fuck you!” to the air around him. He chugged the water as he continued on. The couple later told the waiter how frightening that was. The water put a new bottle of water on their table. They moved it away from the sidewalk.
Identical twins, men in their early 20s. Wearing virtually the same t-shirt, shorts, and shoes.
Lots of “fake it ‘till you make it” people. It doesn’t seem to be working.
The ones who walk past defensively are the most obvious in their insecurity.
A lot of people walk uncomfortably when they think they are being watched. Staring at their phones seems to help them cope.
I wonder how these people would actually walk down the sidewalk if they weren’t doing so self-consciously.
No matter how hard these people try to push into technology and social media, they will not change how they present physically. That development has to be done IRL. No way around it.
The older people never walk in this defensive, insecure manner. Either they dealt with their self-consciousness long ago, without the interruption of social media, or they just don’t care.
This was a gift I didn't know I needed. I've been on the precipice of tears for a few days and this put me over. Thank you. Cathartic. I would love to know the back story of these insecure people. So many of us are vastly different than what we portray. Knowing how easily you saw the insecurities made me think I'm probably not as good of an actor in public as I think.
Your observations were so descriptive and made me feel like I was there too.