I will never forget this first time I read this scene from Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America”
It was too late for me in one respect. I had already been to New York once, and I would not return until now. It is summer here, and I can guarantee you that waters are flowing from the Bethesda Fountain. When you walk up to it, there is a sort of magic to it. I am glad that I learned the story of Bethesda from “Angels in America” which is a play (or series) that is close to my heart. It made this place, which would have been special to me anyway, really have a lot of meaning. People are drawn here, and I think it has to be for more reasons than the incredible beauty that the Bethesda fountain has. There is an energy, calm and friendly, that seems to flow out from the fountain and touch all of the people near it. I don’t know if this is my “favorite place” in the city, because I haven’t explored enough to say that. However, it sets the standard high.
So yesterday was my first “Sunday in the Park” with my boyfriend. He bought his Sunday New York Times, and I grabbed the book I’m currently reading (“The Host” by Stephenie Meyer). We packed a blanket and some snacks and made our way up a few blocks to the park. We sat by the lovely lake in Central Park which had couples (Gay & Straight) rowing each other around in the boats. I had chosen a place in the sun on a big flat piece of rock, because I knew it would be less buggy than the grass. I remember passing all of these assumed “suckers” who must be being eaten alive by bugs. I was just amazed how no one seemed to mind, but I had seen people in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas do the same thing.
We read for hours, with our snacks just laying out like a buffet for animals, and NOTHING HAPPENED! I figured we’d at least have mosquitoes to deal with since we were by the lake. To my great surprise nothing of the sort happened.
Apparently the bugs which made me hate the outdoors in my childhood are not a problem here in the northeast. I plan to spend more time outdoors. Once fall sets in and oncoming of the “horrible” winter comes. I’ll make my boyfriend walk hand in hand with me. So many couples do that here, straight and gay. In the south we all have that desire, but we rarely have the option. It’s hard enough to keep cold in June in Arkansas alone, with someone else hanging on you. You run a great risk of heat stroke.
I’ve decided to start this wordpress to chronicle the experience of a very atypical southerner has when he moves to New York. On many occasions in the south I have found myself out of place, and longing to be a part of the North. Now that I finally am here, I am still not entirely “in” but I feel more at home. Here is a little information about me:
Name: Richard aka Kyoske
Birthday: September 10, 1981(age 26)
Relationship Status: Engaged to the sweetest boyfriend on the planet
Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas
Area of New York currently living in: Upper Westside
College:
Undergraduate: Rhodes College ‘04 – B.A. in Anthropology/Sociology
Law School: 1 year at Thurgood-Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University
