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…

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Buskers Look Out for One Another

When I got to the Music Under New York busking spot at 14th street there was a homeless guy looking inside the garbage can. On the bench a man and a woman were displaying posters – probably religious. An older guy carrying a heavy load took the stairs and not the elevator. I often see…

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Saw Lady for President

When I arrived at the Music Under New York (MUNY) spot at the Times Square subway station Moses was freelancing there. His wife suffers from some form of dementia and he is taking care of her. He told me that he finally got a care-taker to come, so he can be free to leave the…

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The Legal Size of Carving Knives

When I got to the Music Under New York spot by the Mosaics at the Times Square subway station there was nobody there. The whole space was kind of empty – no people, which is a bit unusual. The only person around was a homeless guy. “What is it?” he asked Saw Lady: “It’s a…

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In real life or in his mind?

As I was climbing the stairs up to the subway station a young guy asked me “Do you need help?” Usually people hold the bottom end of my cart while I hold the top and together we lift it up the stairs. But this guy grabbed my cart with ONE HAND and carried it by…

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The Messenger is Alive

As I was climbing the stairs up to the subway platform I could hear the train approaching, so I rushed up the stairs with all my busking gear. I succeeded in catching the train but then had to catch my breath. Luke Ryan, the singer/songwriter/guitar player, was at the Music Under New York spot at…

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The Weirdest Thing Put in My Donations Box

There was nobody playing at the usual busking spots at the Times Square subway station when I got there. As I was setting up to play by the Mosaics, a guy named Charlie told me that he saw me on TV, and he asked if I play at cafes. His friend is opening a cafe…

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Like Magic

Like many New Yorkers, I know the exact spot on the subway platform to wait for the train, so that when I get to my destination station I will exit the train exactly where the elevator/stairs out are. I usually wait at that spot, but today was so hot that I decided to wait at…

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We don’t see stuff like this in Jersey City

Traveling on the train towards my subway busking spot at the Grand Central Shuttle, I ran into Romero who was preparing to start his busking day, singing on the trains with a friend. The singers held hands and said a prayer before starting their day. Romero told me that he is not singing in the…

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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…

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