New York summer on steroids

What normally takes a few weeks has taken place in a few days this year like exploring the favorite locations in the city, relaxing at the beach and finding inspiration in all kinds of places.

There were various reasons why I’m only spending three weeks in New York at the moment. Commitments in Switzerland, the desire to go on vacation there afterwards and the fact that we didn’t rent the house on Fire Island this summer and I didn’t want to stay in the hot city for weeks. But now I have the feeling that these three weeks are far too short. As soon as I’ve settled in and got back into the rhythm of the big city, I’m already making lists of things I want to do before I head back to Switzerland.

The green secret of New York

This middle week concentrated everything that makes summer in New York so special for me. The combination of architecture and nature that takes place here in such a small space, plus the art and creativity that can be found in so many things. The best way to experience this is on a walk on the High Line, which I actually do every time I’m here. A visit to a doctor’s office in Chelsea, which is only a block away from the High Line, was the deciding factor for this time’s walk. The look changes depending on the season. Different plants, new art along the way and while in winter the architecture comes to the fore, in the summer months the greenery pushes the city into the background. It’s like diving into a different world every time, before literally coming back down to earth at Hudson Yards and sinking into the midtown jungle.

Staying in shape

I also enjoy my morning jogs in Central Park. It’s another perfect oasis to get away from the city and feel like you’re in nature for a moment, albeit in a rather urban one. But it feels good and all the fellow joggers inspire you immensely.

A trip to the island

This week, however, I really got out of the city. Because I didn’t want to be completely without the sea and the beach. Instead of a whole season, we spent just three days on Fire Island. Enough time to get a tan, walk along the beach shortly after sunrise, feel the ocean and breathe in the fresh air that is always blowing out there. I also didn’t want to miss a run in the Sunken Forest, the national park with its unique flora and fauna. It all fit into the short time we spent on the island and it almost felt like we had come back from a long vacation after arriving back in hot Manhattan after a two-hour train ride.

Life wisdom refresher

While I left my laptop and workbooks behind in New York, I had my reading books with me. And I had enough time to finish reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. As a young man, I had read the book once before, and this time I realized how much of it had shaped me subconsciously. The way I understand the world, the way I deal with myself, and my world view. Siddhartha’s story is a powerful meditation on the nature of seeking and finding and the deep interconnectedness of all life. It is a book worth reading, and I would recommend it to anyone who is searching for the meaning of life and contentment with themselves. Stephan Joppich has dealt with the book in detail and written a good summary, among other things in his blog.

Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal.

Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha

Inspirational break

So instead of making art, this week I have mainly been inspired. From trees that grow like rivers in the urban canyons and by flowers on disused railroad tracks. By joggers with perfectly trained bodies and the beauty of monuments in Central Park. By salt water and sand on my feet, seagulls over my head, and little rabbits in the bushes. By an Indian in search of contentment and by words in subway stations.

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