Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Observing Travelers


Looking back over my notes and photographs from our journey to New York, I realize that I spent a considerable amount of time paying attention to our black studies travelers as they encountered and observed the city. I've visited NYC about once a year over the last ten years, so what was most notable about my experience their this time was getting the chance to hear from my black studies crew about absorbing the city.

What a good time I had listening to them talk about what they had seen and experienced during the course of their days. We'd often split up in the mornings and walk in different directions.

Some of them walked for blocks and blocks and blocks, nonstop. Others took the subways. Some (enjoyably) got lost in Central Park. We all visited bookstores and museums. Most visited the Village. Some visited shops on 5th Avenue. All visited Chinatown.

The sites were good as always, but nothing moved me like asking the travelers questions or listening in on their conversations with one another on what they had seen or standing at a distance and watching them photographing or filming something that caught their attention.

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