strangers

No surprise: shortly after these men arrived at the fence, their conversation turned philosophical.

This is one of the most poetic places in the city. When it is gusting, I like to lean over the fence. I find myself suddenly reconnected to space. Here, feeling flows through the body like wind. It is less contained—the recollection of an ancient memory, so intrinsic that it is effortlessly freed.

The buildings from this vantage take on a scenic majesty that often reminds me of looking at mountains. Always, I feel a surge of joy and relief followed by a sense of calm. Physical landscape and consciousness mirror each other. The visual perspective of this place provokes reflection, introspection, depth. On cool windy evenings when shadows are long and the light is deep, many people simply hug the fence and gaze out.

How is it that what we experience as isolation in crowds becomes attentive, expansive solitude in open space?

James posted an exquisite reply to the photo of the Couple in the 2nd avenue Diner. I think it needs to be linked to on the front page. Click Below:

I was sitting in a restaurant above a square in Reykyavík, thinking about the tasty Icelandic lamb I was about to order, when a beautiful blue-eyed woman and her companion walked in and sat directly in front of me. When sitting at my table I thought for a moment, "This chair, or this one?" And I finally decided to take the chair that faced the window. When they walked in they headed straight to that window. She sat down, then stood up, switched seats; he sat down, and then she stood up again, and switched to the seat on my left. I could see her better there. He turned to me and we smiled with that, "silly girl!" expression on our faces. We weren't thinking in the same language, but our eyes understood each other well enough. She, on the other hand, wouldn't look directly at me...

They felt private. It was hard to know what there relationship was like. They are distant, if not from each other than certainly from the collective consciousness of the room. Two beautiful people, more alone with each other than the solitary man sitting behind them.