{ Dashus:land }: N.Y.SEEN

I'm always fascinated by New York City and its history. For a while me and my boyfriend were watching the Ken Burns New York Documentary DVDs all the time. I'm in awe of the changes that this city has seen both good and bad. I stumbled across this lil' video on one of my fave blogs and thought I'd share. The clip is from the film Riot on 42nd Street. I live on 42nd Street and only a few blocks from Times Square so this video is particularly interesting for me. For those not in NYC, just West of Times Square is a neighborhood called Hell's Kitchen where I live. In order to get most anywhere, I must hall my ass through what is the most awful place in Manhattan - Tourist ridden Times Square. Tourists do not know how to walk in a straight line in this area. They meander around, pointing left and right, yelling, screaming and generally getting in the way. They may be on vacation and trying to have a good ol' time but they are also in a busy bustling fast paced city - they should act like it. :-) Times Square which used to feature strip clubs and seedy bars now is the home of not only a Ruby Tuesday's Restaurant but also an Olive Garden, a Red Lobster, a Dave and Busters, an Applebees and a TGI Friday's! In NYC! All of the Middle American establishments can be found within a few block radius serving their beige food that represent the downfall of good American cuisine. Uuuugh. It's just gross. I'd much rather walk past a hooker with a limp than what I currently see. Aaaaaaanyway, I digress - The following video shows how the area near Times Square has changed so drastically. It's a fantastic lil' walk down memory lane 42nd Street. Watch.

On particularly hard work weeks I find myself not knowing what day it is. My time at work during the day creeps more and more in to my evenings during this busy time and it makes my mind spin. On any given morning, the 42nd Street Subway Station, where I catch my morning train, is bustling with the sound of commuters, train screeches, lively chatter and general noise. However, on Thursday morning I get a quick and lovely reminder that the week is almost over. It's the sound of a fiddle and a banjo in the distance. Each Thursday morning, a talented group of musicians called The Ebony Hillbillies play Bluegrass music for the passers by. While I'm not a huge fan of the genre of music, I am a fan of truly brilliant and talented artists. I'm also a fan of New York City supported Arts programs like this one called the MTA Underground Music Series that bring a diverse range of mediums of art to a larger audience. Just think of the all the locals on their way to work, tourists from other countries visiting the city, transit workers going about their routine who all get to enjoy their amazing talent. This is another reason that I simply love New York. There are always little surprises just around the corner to make you smile. Watch a clip of the amazing Ebony Hillbillies below.