Photo of the day: EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD
Photo of the day: EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD ~ At first glance, you don’t realize what is happening here. Looks cute doesn’t it? Not to the ‘tin man’. He stands motionless on his crate waiting for someone to put money in his tin can so he will move robotically. (No “oil can” requests, just money.) He’s in a prime location by the main subway entrance to Macy’s at Christmas time. He’s doing ok money wise – – – then all of a sudden comes an entire hoard of school children out of the subway gathering around him, oohing and aahhing and just killing his business. At first he tried to motion with his hands, as he is here, to ‘move along/ease on down the road’ – they didn’t get that and were even more fascinated with him. More oohing and aahhing. He tried again to wave his hand to ‘move along’. Nothing. He finally got off his crate and hid in a corner burying his face in his arms refusing to turn around. The kids finally eased on down the road . . . I ♥ NY.
Come on and ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on and ease on down, ease on down the road
Don’t you carry nothing that might be a load
Come on, ease on down, ease on down the road
Pick your left foot up
When your right foot’s down
Come on legs keep movin’
Don’t you lose no ground
You just keep on keepin’
On the road that you choose
Don’t you give up walkin’
‘Cause you gave up shoes, no
Ease on down, ease on down the road
Ease on down, ease on down the road
Come on, ease on down, ease on down the road!
(“The Wiz” 1978)
Photo of the day: THE MAGIC SUBWAY RIDE . . .
Photo of the day: AND FOR MY NEXT TRICK . . .: New York City has the most free entertainment you can imagine, above ground and below. In addition to the thousands of street performers on our sidewalks and parks, there are hundreds more in the subways. The MTA (Mass Transit Authority) holds auditions for musicians so they can sing at designated regular spots and hopefully gain some recognition like my friend Alice Tan Ridley who went from performing in Times Square’s main station to appearing on America’s Got Talent TV show and she now has a successful concert schedule and CD!
Now you know you are a “real” New Yawka when you come to know the schedules of the subway performers on your subway line. That’s a real New Yawka! “Oh it 4:30, it’s time for the lady mariachi band!”. We have such performers as The Saw Lady who plays musical saw, pianists, opera singers, tap dancers, belly dancers, jazz musicians, contortionists, flutists, accordion players and my personal favorite ‘Lady Charisma’ – a Brazilian melodica player who only seems to know a few chords from one song, Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “The Girl From Ipanema”. Lady Charisma’s schedule is about 10:30/11:00 pm on my Flushing bound #7 train line and I always have $1 ready for her.
The Saw Lady – Natalia Paruz
So it was with great pleasure, while boarding the #5 train at 149th Street & The Grand Concourse in the Bronx, that I came encountered this magician with this wonderfully korny ‘magician’s carriage’ adorned with gold tattered fringe. His pulled a white dove out of his hat. Did the usual handkerchief trick and made this bunny rabbit appear and disappear to the applause of the riders on the train. God I ♥ NY !
Bullwinkle: Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.
Rocky: Again?
Bullwinkle: Presto!
Alice Tan Ridley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLa9zzmfou0
Rocky & Bullwinkle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRW7pITY5Cg
NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 