On my way to busking at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a blue eyed guy offered to take my busking gear up the four flights of stairs, all by himself. Usually I hold one end and the volunteer holds the other. But he just lifted the whole thing by himself. “I work out”, he...
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Climbing the stairs up to the subway station with my heavy busking gear, I noticed a guy wearing an MTA shirt who was also walking up the stairs. “Excuse me…” I said to him. MTA guy: “I’m sorry, I can’t help you (motioning to my busking cart) – MTA rules – we can’t touch...
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Busking at the Staten Island ferry terminals is always an anticipated opportunity, because it doesn’t happen very often. A guy told me that the last time he heard a musical saw being played was 50 years ago, in Panama, when he was 12 years old: his godfather played the musical saw in a band....
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A man sitting on the stairs leading to the subway station was smoking a cigarette. He offered to help me bring my busking gear up the stairs “as long as it’s not a baby”, he said. At the top of the first flight of stairs he fell to the floor. He immediately got up....
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At the subway station MTA personnel were working on the station, clearing the walls and hanging up new subway maps. They recognized me as I passed by. “Hey, it’s ‘Saw Lady’”, one of them said. They told me that they will be at the Times Square subway station on Wednesday and asked me if...
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There were a lot of people waiting for the Staten Island ferry on the Manhattan side. A policeman with a dog checked out my busking gear. “Are you playing at this side today?” the cop asked me. “No”, I answered, “on the other side”. I was happy that he recognized me. I boarded the...
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As I was climbing the stairs up to the subway platform I heard the train arriving. I doubled my climbing pace in an attempt not to miss the train. I heard the announcement “Stand clear of the closing doors”, and I thought “Oh, no – I’m not going to make it”. Then I heard...
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As I was climbing up the stairs at the subway station, an MTA construction worker was climbing down, carrying a ladder. “You still play?” he asked me. It always warms my heart when people recognize me. As the train passed the 59th street subway station I could see Frankie playing his guitar on the...
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While I was busking at the Whitehall ferry terminal, I had a few nice conversations with people waiting to take the ferry boat to Staten Island: A guy told me that his Dad taught him to make sounds with a saw by hitting it with the thumb. Another guy told me that he plays...
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The ferry boats to Staten Island have names. The one I took this time, on my way to the Music Under New York busking spot in the ferry terminal, was named ‘American Spirit’. The Staten Island ferry landing place is modern, while the one right next to it, which launches the ferry to Governor’s...
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