They Came Up For Air

At the subway station, the lights were off and temporary emergency lights were on. I asked an MTA track worker why the “candle-light atmosphere”. He said they are working on the station and needed to turn off the lights, but the train is working. It gave the station a romantic atmosphere 🙂 At the Music…

Read More

Building with Many Numbers

As I got to the turnstile at the subway station near me, I could hear the train pulling into the station. I still had to go through the turnstile and climb up two flights of stairs, with my heavy busking gear. As I rushed up the stairs I could hear the announcement “Stand clear of…

Read More

Without Them I Can’t Smile

It was 99 degrees. I was sweating buckets just walking to the subway. A nice guy helped me carry my busking gear all the way up the four flights of stairs to the train platform. He told me that he is a musician, too – he plays guitar, and he knows how hard it is,…

Read More

Missing in Action

As I was playing at the Music Under New York spot at the Union Square subway station, Zina, the painter, brought me a large replica of the caricature she made of me. Painter: © Zina Saunders Arnold, the messenger guy, told me that Albert, the other guy who works as a messenger and who is…

Read More

You Belong Here

It was raining. If I didn’t have the subway near me, busking wouldn’t be a possibility today. Traveling to my busking spot I saw a Chinese musician playing a dulcimer like instrument on the platform at 59th street. He was playing the theme from the ‘Godfather’ movie. Calebe Arruda was playing the violin at the…

Read More

The “Bulldog”

After about 3 months of absence from what used to be my favorite spot to play in the NYC subway, I decided to give the Times Square subway station another try. I didn’t have my hopes high as I expected the new music store that opened right next to the Music Under New York spot…

Read More