Arriving

The first full week in New York was all about arriving. Overcoming jet lag, getting into the rhythm and taking in the new studio. In addition a little bit of sightseeing.

In New York, everything feels far away. The war in Europe, the thoughts people are having there right now about energy, about the global warming. None of that seems to apply here. The lights in the parks burn all day, the heat in the apartments due to the non-regulable heaters is still dealt by leaving the windows open, and in the grocery stores there are piles of apricots, cherries and strawberries.

Embracing the difference

Everything is a little more carefree here and yet it often feels wrong to me. But I’ve learned to ignore that feeling and to accept these facts. America is similar to us, but it’s not the same. And opening up to the difference instead of rejecting it makes it worthwhile to be here. The lightheartedness is good and no one is obligated to buy cherries in January.

The joy of running

The temperatures are still too high. Only over the weekend it got noticeably cooler. I continue to start my days with an hour of jogging or workout to then go to the studio around 10am. The photos taken this week are mostly from my laps in Riverside Park. On sunny days, the low sun provides interesting light and, in conjunction with the glass facades of the skyscrapers, shade. When it rains, the city is reflected in the puddles.

Cultural cluster

After all that working and staying in the neighborhood the whole week, I felt like going to discover something new. So Saturday I took a train down to 66th street to visit the Lincoln Center. I have to admit I’ve never been there in all these years and only saw it passing by in a taxi. It’s such a nice urban space and you can literally feel the creative energy in the air that is pooled in this place. Walking around warmed my soul on that cold and gray afternoon and sparked the desire in me to attend a performance there.

Creative working on hold

My shipment of work materials from Switzerland has still not arrived and my work consists mainly of administrative things I can do on the Mac. The studio now has internet. What I also did last week was to get an overview of all the stores in the neighborhood. The first days I was a bit clumsy. In Basel I know exactly where to go to get something specific and there are some bigger stores with a wide range of products. Here, on the other hand, there are many of these small stores that have somehow all died out in Europe. The small hardware store or the art supply store, for example. On exploratory walks through the neighborhood, I found these and others very close by.

Memories

Each of these stores is totally packed to the ceiling and remind me of the only small store we had in the village I grew up in. Whatever you needed you could buy there and only the owner, the dear Mrs. Lieber, knew where everything was. This is again a moment where the circle closes and New York feels like the long lost home of my childhood.

For all Photos of the week click here