THE BIG APPLE FEBRUARY 1, 2009

The streets are empty

but the subway is crowded

Manhattan on a Sunday evening

Mom and I are heading back

to the Affinia 50 Hotel

on 3rd Avenue and East 50th Street

after spending a day

at the Whitney and the Guggenheim

We exit on 5th Avenue

The sun is setting over Central Park

It looks like a jungle

as twilight approaches

and the timed lanterns

slowly come on

The bare trees dominate the scene

We turn the corner onto East 88th Street

Mom and I are the only two on the street

It is quite dark

Lights are shining through the windows

of  Upper East Side homes

as we head towards the 86th Street subway station

As the #6 train approaches

I am listening to Alicia Keys’ song

“You Don’t Know My Name”

from her album The Diary of Alicia Keys

on my iPod Nano

The train is louder than BART and twice as windy

As we board the train I hear

a female automated voice saying,

“This is a Brooklyn-bridge bound 6 train.

Next stop 77th Street.”

A male voice says,

“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”

The subways is packed

but Mom and I find a seat

where our backs are to the window

We get off at 51st Street

to walk to the hotel

before catching the cab

further downtown

to watch the Superbowl

at the Nuyorican Poets café

where we eat Chinese food

and watch Santonio Holmes

make the winning touch down

for the Pittsburgh Steelers