a breath of fresh...

I know I bitch a lot about the quirky trials and tribulations of living in New York. Reading these blogs, one might assume that I am jaded by the many idiosyncrasies of the myriad idiots aimlessly wandering the streets... but I had a truly New York moment today that brought me back to why I love it here so much.

It was 90+ degrees today and humid as hairy balls trapped in a pair of sweatpants after taking my BOSU class. I was walking to take the F/V, which I never take because it's just a little too far away, a little too dirty, and it NEVER comes. But I took it today. I walk down into the tunnel and of course it is even HOTTER than it is up above; and in typical NYC subway style, it smells AWFUL. It's like some wretched combination of public toilet, hangover vomit, and a touch of your grandmother's awful musky perfume.

And then I hear this sound floating up towards me as I walk down the steps, like a breath of fresh air out of the underground abyss...

I identify the song right away... it's Radiohead "Exit Music (For a Film)," which I am already stoked about because I happen to *love* Radiohead. But I can't quite place the instrument. I take a few steps further down and see a woman playing the accordion. I feel instantly the haunting beauty and underlying melancholy of the song, and it becomes emotional for me - something I don't think I've ever felt when listening to music created on this instrument.

She played with such grace and beauty that even this jaded New Yorker was so touched I had to throw $1 in her case. Looking back, I should have given more. She transformed a mundane, sweaty, Wednesday into something pristine and beautiful. And that, in New York, is priceless.