Overheard

I hear things while I run

[gradynelson]

11/24/15 Frederick Douglas Blvd and 114th St

I left enough room, I swear.

I see a “normal” looking guy walking down the street. I leave room. As I’m running by he screams, “SHUT UP SHUT UP”. He swings a bag he’s carrying at me as he screams and connects with my hand and arm. I’m stunned so I turn and kindly flip him the bird, it’s the least I could do, and he screams at me, “FAGGOT!” He repeats himself a few times.

I’ve got a gnarly bruise on my hand.

Fun with strangers.

[gradynelson]

10/12/15 Central Park Drive East & 102nd St

Two ladies sitting on a rock over the East Drive. One says to the other, "he said, 'you always look so good' and I said, 'yeah...'"

[gradynelson]

9/24/15 The A Train from 125th St to 59th St

A woman enters the subway shouting, "for free." Her voice favors Whoopi Goldberg and she smells of cigarettes. For the remainder of the trip to Columbus Circle she speaks with long beats between thoughts. "Make you cry Monkeys She should tell you off" *she takes a longer five minute pause and then continues. "You mutha fuckas That bad Rice Why you shouldnta taken it ...I maaade you motha fucka ...it's tha baby It is Real fast"

[gradynelson]

9/18/15 Central Park East Drive & Harlem Meer

A man and woman take a break from a bike ride. They're standing in the pedestrian path when a Black Walnut fruit drops a foot in front of the man. He yells, "that could have knocked me the fuck out!"

[gradynelson]

8/31/15 Central Park West & 105th St

A couple ladies from Great Britain have crested the great hill on bikes. Lady one, "that was a treat." Lady two, "I'm sweating my pits out."

[gradynelson]

8/24/15 Morningside Ave & 115th St

A man and woman pushing a stroller are having a heated “discussion”. They are speaking over each other.

Woman: “I throw parties all the time...

Man: “...(something I miss)...”

Woman: “...we have Heineken...”

Man: “...how do you not work?”

[gradynelson]

8/5/15 Central Park Drive West & 97th St

A mother and her daughter on a scooter dodge a giant pile of horse shit. The daughter says, "it smells sooooo bad!" The mom laughs.

[gradynelson]

7/30/15 Central Park Drive West & 84th St

He says, "hello sir." His friends carry a large print of a pop art topless woman. We all are sprayed by leftover rain on the trees.

[gradynelson]

7/20/15 Central Park West around 75th Street

Ahead of me, I watch a man running on the grass just over the curb of the main drive, completely wipe out. He barrel rolls a few times but it looks like no harm was done. He's wearing sweat pants and a long shirt (I should mention it's mid nineties, I'm sweating buckets). The man who communes with worms pops up, give a thumbs up to a random unconcerned kid, and says to the kids dad, "good thing I'm wearing pants! If I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt I would be in rough shape."

[gradynelson]

7/16/15 A Train - between the 145th and 168th stations.

I’m in the first car. The train comes to a halt. The conductor honks his horn. I’m next to the cabin so everything is easy to hear.

Conductor: “you gave me an all clear? There’s a guy in the middle of the tracks.”

Yelling out of the window: “Hey you’re in the middle of the track!”

Radio gibberish then the conductor responds, “they gave me all clear and there was a guy in the middle of the track.”

Finally over the intercom, “sorry for the delay we have a crew member in the tracks.”

[gradynelson]

6/29/15 Ave of the Americas & 53rd St

An adult male driving a minivan. This adult firsts changes course from driving down 51st St, squeals his tires, runs a red light, and then blocks the majority of traffic on 53rd St to scream down the street at a male on a bmx bike who has parked on the sidewalk near 52nd St.

“Hey you mutha fucka, come down! Fuck you mutha fucka. You ain’t got no balls now? Come down here. You ain’t got no balls now?”

I assume some egregious offense was committed. Why else would an adult male act in such a way?

[gradynelson]

6/26/15 Hudson River Greenway near Discovery Playground

Two adjacent parties. The first had Snoop Dogg singing, "murder was the case that they gave me." The second had two small kids wrestling. One says to the other, "get on the floor maggot!"

[gradynelson]

6/24/15 St Nicholas & 156th St

A young boy on a motorized mini motorcycle with a tiny girl passenger ride on the sidewalk. They stop at the corner and a flock of other kids surround them. The girl says, “you seen me at school right?”

[gradynelson]

6/22/15 Central Park Drive West & 105th St

A daughter loudly talking to her dad and brother while cruising down the Harlem hills, "you never never never never never ride with one hand down a hill, right dad?" He replies, "you're right." The little brother white knuckles his way down the hill behind them.

[gradynelson]

6/17/15 Central Park Drive East & 86th St

Three ladies running, one says to the others, "if we do this again you're going to have to carry me..."

[gradynelson]

6/15/15 St Nicholas Ave

Two exasperated women walk out of Harlem School of the Arts. “I don’t know where Keisha is” says one. The other replies, “I know, we normally have a key…”

Later on, around 157th Street, Bob Marley sings from a boom box on a stoop. “Don’t worry, about a thing. ‘Cause every little thing, gonna be all right.”

[gradynelson]

6/14/15 Bennett Ave & 190th St

I’m on my bike with my co-pilot on the back. He’s asleep.

A lady and her friend ask me, “do you know where Fort Tyrion park is.”