Washington Square Park has always been a place with so much energy and inspiration. Be it be musicians, the colorful characters, the fountain, arch or maybe even the drug dealers. There’s something for everyone. If you enter on the West side of the park you’ll surely find inspiration from the chess tables. There you’ll see people from of all walks of life gathering for one reason….. The Game. Last week as I entered the park an older gentleman asked if I’d like to play. I smiled and in passing replied “I’m sorry, I never learned.” to which he smiled and replied “I’ll teach you.” If not for my being in a rush I would have taken him up on his offer. The exchange took place in a matter of seconds but it stuck with me. So when I walked into the park today I looked for that gentleman to perhaps take him up on his offer. Almost immediately I spotted him. There he was smiling and teaching this young kid the game. He leaned forward and in a sweet and deliberate voice explained each move to the child. It made me smile and think how we all have it in us to teach and make a difference in people’s lives.It can just take a moment. Whether it be a loved one or a complete stranger. It’s in all of us.
The weather today was just perfect. The kind of day where you want to get outside, feel the sun on your face and dip your toes in the water. I had a really busy day but was eventually able to head over to Washington Square Park. I always hear people talk about how they could never raise their kids in the city. Personally, I can’t imagine a better place to grow up. Manhattan offers some of the best parks you can imagine. Washington Square and Union Square are two of my favorites because they offer so much in such a small area of space. The Parks are always full of music, art and activity. As a photographer they keep me inspired and allow my creativity to thrive. At times there’s so much going on it makes my head spin and before I know it I’ve been there for hours. “Look at that….Wait, look at that…No, look at that.” Today was one of those days. The fountain is a particular favorite of mine. There aren’t many swimming pools in the city outside of the YMCA and the pricy Health Clubs so this is the spot. The fountain is in the center of the park which is evident by all the activity surrounding it. In the last year I’ve gotten a little obsessed with taking pictures around water. I love the energy and being able to freeze that moment. I’m really looking forward to more days like today.
The temperatures were headed into the 80’s today so we headed over to Brooklyn for Chicken and Waffles on Washington St. and to check out the Cherry Blossoms at the Botanical Gardens. There’s a cool sprinkler outside of the museum that shoots out of the ground intermittently. The water dances in and out almost like a ballet. The kids were going crazy and although there are easily viewable signs that say “Do not Enter”. The kids never seemed to care. Come to think of it. Why should they? Due to a combination of too much food and too much sun (if there is such a thing) we never made it inside the Gardens. Somehow just sitting on the Museum steps and watching those kids have such a good time seemed like enough.
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