Almost Schmersey Bound

I can proudly say that I woke up at 5:45 am today and hauled my tired ass to the 6:30am Core Fusion Class on Madison between 76th and 77th, over a mile from my apartment! The walk in the pre-dawn light is always an interesting experience and seems to encompasses what it means to live in New York. I walk past multiple garages near my street, all servicing those who work at the hospital close by. Past the more middle class, residential neighborhood that I live in. Past the delis and shops that start opening at 6am. Then I round onto Madison, past a large church where numerous homeless find safety and shelter outside the church doors. And finally I reach the last leg of my journey, up Madison Avenue, walking by the Ralph Lauren flagship whose windows are decorated with the ideal of the American dream. Then past one fancy, expensive boutique after another. And finally into the revolving doors of 980 Madison Avenue where two Richard Prince photographs hang in the marble lobby. In class, I'm surrounded by Type A, too-thin, sinewy women and I wonder if they were ballerinas in former lives.

An hour and a half later, I'm in my office downtown by Union Square, surrounded by an entirely different group of people. Artistic Brooklynites, Long Island, creative suburbanites, and even the tattooed biker. Good morning New York.